عادَت رِياضُ القَوافي وَهيَ حالِيَةٌ

عادَت رِياضُ القَوافي وَهيَ حالِيَةٌ

وَكانَ صَوَّحَ فيها الزَهرُ وَالعُشُبُ

وَكانَ صَوَّحَ فيها الزَهرُ وَالعُشُبُ

The gardens of rhyme have returned, adorned,

The gardens of poetry have regained their vitality,

The gardens of rhyme have returned, adorned in finery,

Though their flowers and grass had withered.

The flowers and grass flourishing once again.

After the flowers and grass within them had withered away.

وَاِستَرجَعَت دَولَةُ الأَقلامِ نَخوَتَها

وَاِستَرجَعَت دَولَةُ الأَقلامِ نَخوَتَها

وَكانَ أَدرَكَها الإِعياءُ وَالتَعَبُ

وَكانَ أَدرَكَها الإِعياءُ وَالتَعَبُ

And the realm of pens has regained its pride,

The inkwells have renewed their vigor,

The realm of the quill has regained its noble spirit,

Though exhaustion and weariness had overtaken it,

After languishing in exhaustion and toil-

After exhaustion and weariness had overtaken it.

بِشاعِرٍ عَبقَرِيٍّ في قَصائِدِهِ

بِشاعِرٍ عَبقَرِيٍّ في قَصائِدِهِ

عِطرٌ وَخَمرٌ وَسِحرٌ رائِقٌ عَجَبُ

عِطرٌ وَخَمرٌ وَسِحرٌ رائِقٌ عَجَبُ

Through a poet of genius, in whose poems

Thanks to a master poet whose verses

Through a genius poet, in whose verses lie

Are fragrance, wine, and wondrous, exquisite magic.

Are fragrant, intoxicating, beautifully enchanting.

Fragrance, and wine, and a pure, wondrous magic.

فَاِشرَب بِروحِكَ خَمراً كُلُّها أَرَجٌ

فَاِشرَب بِروحِكَ خَمراً كُلُّها أَرَجٌ

وَاِنشُق بِروحِكَ عِطراً كُلُّهُ طَرَبُ

وَاِنشُق بِروحِكَ عِطراً كُلُّهُ طَرَبُ

So drink with your soul a wine that is all fragrance,

Savor with your soul wine wholly aromatic,

So drink with your soul a wine that is entirely scent,

And inhale with your soul a perfume that is all rapture.

Inhale with your soul a scent wholly delightful.

And inhale with your spirit a fragrance that is pure rapture.

وَاِمرَح بِدُنيا جَمالٍ مِن تَصَوُّرِهِ

وَاِمرَح بِدُنيا جَمالٍ مِن تَصَوُّرِهِ

فَإِنَّها السِحرُ إِلّا أَنَّهُ أَدَبُ

فَإِنَّها السِحرُ إِلّا أَنَّهُ أَدَبُ

And revel in a world of beauty from his imagination,

Revel in a world of beauty from his imagination-

And rejoice in a world of beauty born of his imagination,

For it is magic, except that it is literature.

It is sorcery, though of literary refinement.

For it is sorcery, save that it is literature.

وَاِلبِس مَطارِفَ حاكَتها يَراعَتُهُ

وَاِلبِس مَطارِفَ حاكَتها يَراعَتُهُ

تَبقى عَلَيكَ وَيَبلى الخَزُّ وَالقَصَبُ

تَبقى عَلَيكَ وَيَبلى الخَزُّ وَالقَصَبُ

And wear the bordered robes his reed pen has woven;

Don his well-tailored garments and they will remain,

And don the cloaks that his reed pen has woven;

They will endure upon you while silken cloth and fine linen wear out.

While silk and satin fray and tear away.

They shall endure upon you, while silk and brocade wear thin.

كَم دُرَّةٍ يَتَمَنّى البَحرُ لَو نُسِبَت

كَم دُرَّةٍ يَتَمَنّى البَحرُ لَو نُسِبَت

إِلَيهِ باتَت إِلى مَسعودَ تَنتَسِبُ

إِلَيهِ باتَت إِلى مَسعودَ تَنتَسِبُ

How many a pearl the sea wishes were attributed

How many gems the sea wishes were ascribed

How many pearls the sea wishes were attributed

To it now traces its lineage to Masoud!

To it - they belong to Mas'ud, that cannot be denied.

To itself, yet they have come to belong to Massoud.

لَو أَنَّها فيهِ لَم تَهتَج غَوارِبُهُ

لَو أَنَّها فيهِ لَم تَهتَج غَوارِبُهُ

لَكِنَّها لِسِواهُ فَهوَ يَصطَخِبُ

لَكِنَّها لِسِواهُ فَهوَ يَصطَخِبُ

If it were within the sea, its wave-crests would not rage;

Were they to adorn its depths, waves would not roar,

Had they remained within the deep, its waves would not rage,

But it belongs to another, so the sea roars.

But belonging to another, angrily they stir and pour.

But they belong to another, so it crashes in clamor.

فَلا جَناحٌ إِذا ما قالَ شاعِرُنا

فَلا جَناحٌ إِذا ما قالَ شاعِرُنا

لِلبَحرِ يا بَحرُ أَغلى الدُرِّ ما أَهَبُ

لِلبَحرِ يا بَحرُ أَغلى الدُرِّ ما أَهَبُ

So there is no blame if our poet says

No offense if our poet says to the sea:

So there is no fault if our poet says

To the sea, 'O sea, what I bestow is the most precious of pearls.'

“O sea, the finest pearls are not yours to keep!”

To the sea: "O Sea, the most precious pearls are what I bestow."

يا شاعِرَ اَلدَيرِ كَم هَلهَلتَ قافِيَةً

يا شاعِرَ اَلدَيرِ كَم هَلهَلتَ قافِيَةً

غَنّى الرُواةُ بِها وَاِختالَتِ الكُتُبُ

غَنّى الرُواةُ بِها وَاِختالَتِ الكُتُبُ

O poet of al-Deir, how many a rhyme you have delicately woven!

O poet of the monastery, how you have revived meter,

O Poet of the Convent, how many rhymes have you finely spun,

Reciters sang it, and books strutted with pride.

Singers chant it, books are enlivened with its spirit.

That narrators have sung, and books have carried with pride.

طَلاقَةُ الفَجرِ فيها وَهوَ مُنبَثِقٌ

طَلاقَةُ الفَجرِ فيها وَهوَ مُنبَثِقٌ

وَرِقَّةُ الماءِ فيها وَهوَ مُنسَكِبُ

وَرِقَّةُ الماءِ فيها وَهوَ مُنسَكِبُ

In it is dawn's joyous brightness as it breaks,

The fluidity of dawn as it emerges,

In them lies the freedom of the dawn as it breaks,

And in it is water's softness as it pours forth.

The softness of water as it spills and surges,

And the softness of water as it pours forth.

مَرَّت عَلى هَضَباتِ الدَيرِ هائِمَةً

مَرَّت عَلى هَضَباتِ الدَيرِ هائِمَةً

فَكادَ يورِقُ فيها الصَخرُ وَالحَطَبُ

فَكادَ يورِقُ فيها الصَخرُ وَالحَطَبُ

It passed over the hills of al-Deir, enraptured,

Have coursed over the monastery's plateaus,

They passed over the hills of the Convent, wandering in love,

So rocks and firewood there almost put forth leaves.

Nearly bringing to bloom its stone and timber.

Until the very rocks and firewood nearly sprouted leaves.

إِذا تَساقى النُدامى الراحَ صافِيَةً

إِذا تَساقى النُدامى الراحَ صافِيَةً

كانَت قَوافيكَ في الراحِ الَّتي شَرِبوا

كانَت قَوافيكَ في الراحِ الَّتي شَرِبوا

When drinking companions pass around clear wine,

When boon companions imbibe wine pure and clear,

When drinking companions share the pure vintage,

Your rhymes are in the wine they drink.

Your rhymes are in the drink they sip and they cheer.

Your rhymes are infused within the wine they sip.

فَأَنتَ في أَلسُنِ الأَشياخِ إِن نَطَقوا

فَأَنتَ في أَلسُنِ الأَشياخِ إِن نَطَقوا

وَأَنتَ في هِمَمِ الشُبّانِ إِن وَثَبوا

وَأَنتَ في هِمَمِ الشُبّانِ إِن وَثَبوا

So you are on the tongues of elders when they speak,

You are on the tongues of the elders when they speak,

You are upon the tongues of the elders when they speak,

And you are in young men's resolve when they leap.

You are in the hearts of youth when they leap.

And in the aspirations of the youth when they leap to strive.

مَسعودُ عيدُكَ وَالشَهرُ الجَميلُ مَعاً

مَسعودُ عيدُكَ وَالشَهرُ الجَميلُ مَعاً

قَد أَقبَلا وَأَنا في الأَرضِ أَضطَرِبُ

قَد أَقبَلا وَأَنا في الأَرضِ أَضطَرِبُ

Masoud, your feast day and the beautiful month together

Mas'ud, your feast day and this beautiful month arrive,

Massoud, your feast day and the beautiful month together

Have both arrived, while I wander restlessly over the earth.

As I remain far, restless, and deprived.

Have arrived, while I toss restlessly across the land.

يَحُزُّ نَفسِيَ أَنّي اليَومَ مُبتَعِدٌ

يَحُزُّ نَفسِيَ أَنّي اليَومَ مُبتَعِدٌ

وَأَنتَ مِن حَولِكَ الأَنصارُ وَالصُحُبُ

وَأَنتَ مِن حَولِكَ الأَنصارُ وَالصُحُبُ

It cuts into my soul that today I am far away,

It grieves me that today I am distanced,

It cuts deep into my soul that I am distant today,

While you have supporters and companions around you.

While your supporters and friends are around you.

While you are surrounded by supporters and friends.

البيدُ وَالناسُ ما بَيني وَبَينَكُمُ

البيدُ وَالناسُ ما بَيني وَبَينَكُمُ

لَيتَ المَهامِهَ تُطوى لي فَأَقتَرِبُ

لَيتَ المَهامِهَ تُطوى لي فَأَقتَرِبُ

Deserts and people are what stand between me and you;

The expanse and people separate you and I -

Deserts and crowds stand between me and you;

If only the trackless wastes were folded up for me, so I could draw near!

Would that this vast space for me could be defied,

Would that the wastelands were folded beneath me, that I might draw near.

ما كانَ أَسعَدَني لَو كُنتُ بَينَكُمُ

ما كانَ أَسعَدَني لَو كُنتُ بَينَكُمُ

كَيما يُؤَدّي لِساني بَعضَ ما يَجِبُ

كَيما يُؤَدّي لِساني بَعضَ ما يَجِبُ

How happy I would be if I were among you,

That I could draw near and fulfill in part

How happy I would have been were I among you,

So that my tongue might fulfill some of what is due

What one should say and do on your behalf.

That my tongue might fulfill a fraction of its duty,

لِصاحِبٍ أَنا تَيّاهٌ بِصُحبَتِهِ

لِصاحِبٍ أَنا تَيّاهٌ بِصُحبَتِهِ

وَشاعِرٍ طالَما تاهَت بِهِ العَرَبُ

وَشاعِرٍ طالَما تاهَت بِهِ العَرَبُ

To a friend in whose companionship I take pride,

For a companion I ache in his absence,

To a friend in whose companionship I glory,

And a poet in whom the Arabs have long taken pride.

A poet with whom the Arabs have always been enthralled.

And a poet of whom the Arabs have long been proud.