Sol 6.1

  1. حَيّا بَكورُ الحَيا أَرباعَ لُبنانِ

    وَطالَعَ اليُمنُ مَن بِالشَأمِ حَيّاني

    May the early rain greet the dwellings of Lebanon,

    and good fortune dawn upon those in al-Sham who greeted me.

  2. أَهلَ الشَآمِ لَقَد طَوَّقتُمُ عُنُقي

    بِمِنَّةٍ خَرَجَت عَن طَوقِ تِبياني

    People of al-Sham, you have indeed encircled my neck

    with a kindness beyond the capacity of my expression.

  3. قُل لِلكَريمِ الَّذي أَسدى إِلَيَّ يَداً

    أَنّى نَزَحتَ فَأَنتَ النازِحُ الداني

    Tell the noble man who bestowed a favor on me:

    Wherever you go far away, you remain distant yet near.

  4. ما إِن تَقاضَيتُ نَفسي ذِكرَ عارِفَةٍ

    هَل يَحدُثُ الذِكرُ إِلّا بَعدَ نِسيانِ

    Never have I called upon myself to recall a kindness;

    does remembrance arise except after forgetting?

  5. وَلا عَتَبتُ عَلى خِلٍّ يَضِنُّ بِها

    ما دامَ يَزهَدُ في شُكري وَعِرفاني

    Nor have I reproached a friend who withholds it,

    so long as he has no desire for my thanks and gratitude.

  6. أَقَرَّ عَينِيَ أَنّي قُمتُ أُنشِدُكُم

    في مَعهَدٍ بِحُلى العِرفانِ مُزدانِ

    It delighted my eyes that I stood reciting to you

    in an institution adorned with the ornaments of learning.

  7. وَشاعَ في سُرورٌ لا يُعادِلُهُ

    رَدُّ الشَبابِ إِلى شَعري وَجُثماني

    And joy spread within me, not equaled by

    the restoration of youth to my hair and body.

  8. لي مَوطِنٌ في رُبوعِ النيلِ أُعظِمُهُ

    وَلي هُنا في حِماكُم مَوطِنٌ ثاني

    I have a homeland in the lands of the Nile that I revere,

    and here, in your protected domain, I have a second homeland.

  9. إِنّي رَأَيتُ عَلى أَهرامِها حُلَلاً

    مِنَ الجَلالِ أَراها فَوقَ لُبنانِ

    I have seen upon its pyramids robes

    of majesty that I see above Lebanon.

  10. لَم يَمحُ مِنها وَلا مِن حُسنِ جِدَّتِها

    عَلى التَعاقُبِ ما يَمحو الجَديدانِ

    Nothing of them or of their beautiful freshness has been effaced

    by day and night in succession, as other things are effaced.

  11. حَسِبتُ نَفسي نَزيلاً بَينَكُم فَإِذا

    أَهلي وَصَحبي وَأَحبابي وَجيراني

    I thought myself a guest among you, and behold—

    my family, my companions, my loved ones, and my neighbors!

  12. مِن كُلِّ أَبلَجَ سامي الطَرِف مُضطَلِعٍ

    بِالخَطبِ مُبتَهِجٍ بِالضَيفِ جَذلانِ

    Each a bright-faced man, lofty of gaze, capable

    of bearing hardship, delighted by a guest, full of joy.

  13. يَمشي إِلى المَجدِ مُختالاً وَمُبتَسِماً

    كَأَنَّهُ حينَ يَبدو عودُ مُرّانِ

    He walks toward glory proudly and smiling,

    as though, when he appears, he were an ash-wood spear shaft.

  14. سَكَنتُمُ جَنَّةً فَيحاءَ لَيسَ بِها

    عَيبٌ سِوى أَنَّها في العالَمِ الفاني

    You dwell in a spacious paradise with no

    fault, save that it lies in this perishing world.

  15. إِذا تَأَمَّلتَ في صُنعِ الإِلَهِ بِها

    لَم تَلقَ في وَشيِهِ صُنعاً لِإِنسانِ

    If you contemplate God's handiwork there,

    you find no human handiwork in His embroidery.

  16. في سَهلِها وَأَعاليها وَسَلسَلِها

    بُرءُ العَليلِ وَسَلوى العاشِقِ العاني

    In its plains, its heights, and its sweet-flowing waters

    are healing for the sick and solace for the afflicted lover.

  17. وَفي تَضَوُّعِ أَنفاسِ الرِياضِ بِها

    رَوحٌ لِكُلِّ حَزينِ القَلبِ أَسوانِ

    And in the wafting breaths of its gardens

    is relief for every grieving, sorrowful heart.

  18. أَنّى تَخَيَّرتَ مِن لُبنانَ مَنزِلَةً

    في كُلِّ مَنزِلَةٍ رَوضٌ وَعَينانِ

    Wherever in Lebanon you choose a dwelling,

    in every dwelling are a garden and two springs.

  19. يا لَيتَني كُنتُ مِن دُنيايَ في دَعَةٍ

    قَلبي جَميعٌ وَأَمري طَوعُ وِجداني

    Oh, if only I were at ease in my worldly life,

    my heart undivided and my affairs subject to my feelings.

  20. أَقضي المَصيفَ بِلُبنانٍ عَلى شَرَفٍ

    وَلا أَحولُ عَنِ المَشتى بِحُلوانِ

    I would spend summer in Lebanon on a height,

    and never forsake wintering in Helwan.

  21. يا وَقفَةً في جِبالِ الأَرزِ أَنشُدُها

    بَينَ الصَنَوبَرِ وَالشَربينِ وَالبانِ

    Oh, for a sojourn I seek in the cedar mountains,

    among pines, sharbin conifers, and moringa trees!

  22. تَستَهبِطُ الوَحيَ نَفسي مِن سَماوَتِها

    وَيَنثَني مَلَكاً في الشِعرِ شَيطاني

    My soul draws revelation down from their heights,

    and my poetic demon turns into an angel.

  23. عَلّي أُجاوِدُكُم في القَولِ مُقتَدِياً

    بِشاعِرِ الأَرزِ في صُنعٍ وَإِتقانِ

    Perhaps I may rival you in eloquence, following

    the Poet of the Cedars in artistry and mastery.

  24. لا بِدعَ إِن أَخصَبَت فيها قَرائِحُكُم

    فَأَعجَزَت وَأَعادَت عَهدَ حَسّانِ

    No wonder if your poetic gifts grew fertile there,

    then proved inimitable and revived the age of Hassan.

  25. طيبُ الهَواءِ وَطيبُ الرَوضِ قَد صَقَلا

    لَوحَ الخَيالِ فَأَغراكُم وَأَغراني

    The sweetness of the air and the sweetness of the gardens have polished

    the tablet of imagination, which has enticed you and me.

  26. مَن رامَ أَن يَشهَدَ الفِردَوسَ ماثِلَةً

    فَليَغشَ أَحياءَكُم في شَهرِ نَيسانِ

    Whoever wishes to behold Paradise made visible,

    let him visit your quarters in the month of April.

  27. تاهَت بِقَبرِ صَلاحِ الدينِ تُربَتُها

    وَتاهَ أَحياؤُها تيهاً بِمَطرانِ

    Its soil exults in the tomb of Salah al-Din,

    and its living people proudly exult in Mutran.

  28. يَبني وَيَهدِمُ في الشِعرِ القَديمِ وَفي ال

    شِعرِ الحَديثِ فَنِعمَ الهادِمُ الباني

    He builds and demolishes in the old poetry and in the

    new poetry—what a fine demolisher and builder!

  29. إِذا لَمَحتُم بِشِعري وَمضَ بارِقَةٍ

    فَبَعضُ إِحسانِهِ في القَولِ إِحساني

    If you glimpse a flash of lightning in my verse,

    my excellence in speech is but a portion of his.

  30. رَعياً لِشاعِرِكُم رَعياً لِكاتِبِكُم

    جَزاهُما اللَهُ عَنّي ما يَقولانِ

    Blessings upon your poet, blessings upon your writer!

    May God reward them both on my behalf for what they say.

  31. أَرى رِجالاً مِنَ الدُنيا الجَديدَةِ في ال

    دُنيا القَديمَةِ تَبني خَيرَ بُنيانِ

    I see men from the New World in the

    Old World building the finest edifice.

  32. قَد شَيَّدوا آيَةً بِالشامِ خالِدَةً

    شَتّى المَناهِلِ تَروي كُلَّ ظَمآنِ

    They have raised an everlasting marvel in al-Sham,

    with varied springs that give drink to every thirsty one.

  33. لَئِن هَدَوكُم لَقَد كانَت أَوائِلُكُم

    تَهدي أَوائِلَهُم أَزمانَ أَزمانِ

    If they have guided you, your forebears indeed

    guided their forebears for ages upon ages.

  34. لا غَروَ إِن عَمَّروا في الأَرضِ وَاِبتَكَروا

    فيها أَفانينَ إِصلاحٍ وَعُمرانِ

    No wonder they have developed the earth and devised

    there varied arts of reform and civilization.

  35. فَتِلكَ دُنياهُمُ في الجَوِّ قَد نَزَعَت

    أَعِنَّةَ الريحِ مِن دُنيا سُلَيمانِ

    For that world of theirs has wrested, in the sky,

    the reins of the wind from Solomon's world.

  36. أَبَت أُمَيَّةُ أَن تَفنى مَحامِدُها

    عَلى المَدى وَأَبى أَبناءُ غَسّانِ

    Umayya refused to let its glories perish

    through the ages, and the sons of Ghassan refused as well.

  37. فَمِن غَطارِفَةٍ في جِلَّقٍ نُجُبٍ

    وَمِن غَطارِفَةٍ في أَرضِ حَورانِ

    Among them are highborn noblemen in Jilliq,

    and noblemen in the land of Hauran,

  38. عافوا المَذَلَّةَ في الدُنيا فَعِندَهُمُ

    عِزُّ الحَياةِ وَعِزُّ المَوتِ سِيّانِ

    who scorn humiliation in this world; to them,

    dignity in life and dignity in death are equal.

  39. لا يَصبِرونَ عَلى ضَيمٍ يُحاوِلُهُ

    باغٍ مِنَ الإِنسِ أَو طاغٍ مِنَ الجانِ

    They do not endure an injustice attempted by

    a human oppressor or a tyrant among the jinn.

  40. شَقَقتُ أَسواقَ بَيروتٍ فَما أَخَذَت

    عَينايَ في ساحِها حانوتَ يوناني

    I traversed Beirut's markets, and never did

    my eyes catch a Greek shop in its squares.

  41. فَقُلتُ في غِبطَةٍ لِلَّهِ دَرُّهُمُ

    لَيسَ الفَلاحُ لِوانٍ غَيرِ يَقظانِ

    Then I said in delighted admiration, 'God bless them!'

    Success is not for an indolent, unwatchful man.

  42. تَيَمَّموا أَرضَ كولُمبٍ فَما شَعَرَت

    مِنهُم بِوَطءِ غَريبِ الدارِ حَيرانِ

    They made for the land of Columbus, and it never felt

    from them the tread of a bewildered stranger far from home.

  43. سادوا وَشادوا وَأَبلَوا في مَناكِبِها

    بَلاءَ مُضطَلِعٍ بِالأَمرِ مِعوانِ

    They prevailed, built, and acquitted themselves across its regions

    like a capable, helpful bearer of responsibility.

  44. إِن ضاقَ مَيدانُ سَبقٍ مِن عَزائِمِهِم

    صاحَت بِهِم فَأَرَوها أَلفَ مَيدانِ

    If a field of competition grew too narrow for their resolve,

    their resolve called to them, and they showed it a thousand fields.

  45. لا يَستَشيرونَ إِن هَمّوا سِوى هِمَمٍ

    تَأبى المُقامَ عَلى ذُلٍّ وَإِذعانِ

    When they resolve to act, they consult only aspirations

    that refuse to remain in humiliation and submission.

  46. وَلا يُبالونَ إِن كانَت قُبورُهُمُ

    ذُرا الشَوامِخِ أَو أَجوافِ حيتانِ

    Nor do they care whether their graves are

    the summits of lofty mountains or the bellies of whales.

  47. في الكَونِ مَورِقُهُم في الشامِ مَغرِسُهُم

    وَالغَرسُ يَزكو نِقالاً بَينَ بُلدانِ

    The world is where they put forth leaves; al-Sham is where they are planted,

    and plants flourish when transplanted from land to land.

  48. إِن لَم يَفوزوا بِسُلطانٍ يُقِرُّهُمُ

    فَفي المُهاجَرِ قَد عَزّوا بِسُلطانِ

    If they have not won authority that gives them a firm footing,

    in the lands of emigration they have gained honor through authority.

  49. أَو ضاقَتِ الشَأمُ عَن بُرهانِ قُدرَتِهِم

    فَفي المُهاجَرِ قَد جاؤوا بِبُرهانِ

    Or if al-Sham has been too narrow for proof of their ability,

    in the lands of emigration they have supplied the proof.

  50. إِنّا رَأَينا كِراماً مِن رِجالِهِمُ

    كانوا عَلَيهِم لَدَينا خَيرَ عُنوانِ

    We have seen noble men among them

    who, among us, were the finest representatives of their people.

  51. أَنّى اِلتَقَينا الِتَقى في كُلِّ مُجتَمَعٍ

    أَهلٌ بِأَهلٍ وَإِخوانٌ بِإِخوانِ

    Wherever we met, every gathering brought together

    kin with kin, and brothers with brothers.

  52. كَم في نَواحي رُبوعِ النيلِ مِن طُرَفٍ

    لِليازِجِيِّ وَصَرّوفٍ وَزَيدانِ

    How many treasures throughout the lands of the Nile

    belong to al-Yaziji, Sarruf, and Zaydan!

  53. وَكَم لِأَحيائِهِم في الصُحفِ مِن أَثَرٍ

    لَهُ المُقَطَّمُ وَالأَهرامُ رُكنانِ

    And how many contributions their living men have made to the press,

    for which al-Muqattam and al-Ahram are two pillars.

  54. مَتى أَرى الشَرقَ أَدناهُ وَأَبعَدَهُ

    عَن مَطمَعِ الغَربِ فيهِ غَيرَ وَسنانِ

    When shall I see the East, its nearest and farthest reaches,

    no longer drowsing before the West's covetous designs upon it?

  55. تَجري المَوَدَّةُ في أَعراقِهِ طُلُقاً

    كَجِريَةِ الماءِ في أَثناءِ أَفنانِ

    Affection flows freely through its veins,

    like water flowing within branches.

  56. لا فَرقَ ما بَينَ بوذِيٍّ يَعيشُ بِهِ

    وَمُسلِمٍ وَيَهودِيٍّ وَنَصراني

    There is no distinction between a Buddhist living there

    and a Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian.

  57. ما بالُ دُنياهُ لَمّا فاءَ وارِفُها

    عَلَيهِ قَد أَدبَرَت مِن غَيرِ إيذانِ

    Why did its worldly fortune, just as its ample shade returned

    over it, turn away without warning?

  58. عَهدُ الرَشيدِ بِبَغدادٍ عَفا وَمَضى

    وَفي دِمَشقَ اِنطَوى عَهدُ اِبنِ مَروانِ

    The age of al-Rashid in Baghdad faded and passed,

    and in Damascus the age of Ibn Marwan came to an end.

  59. وَلا تَسَل بَعدَهُ عَن عَهدِ قُرطُبَةٍ

    كَيفَ اِنمَحى بَينَ أَسيافٍ وَنيرانِ

    And do not ask, after it, about the age of Cordoba,

    how it was erased amid swords and fires.

  60. فَعَلِّموا كُلَّ حَيٍّ عِندَ مَولِدِهِ

    عَلَيكَ لِلَّهِ وَالأَوطانِ دَينانِ

    So teach every living person, at birth:

    'You owe two debts—to God and to your homelands.'

  61. حَتمٌ قَضاؤُهُما حَتمٌ جَزاؤُهُما

    فَاِربَأ بِنَفسِكَ أَن تُمنى بِخُسرانِ

    Their repayment is obligatory; their recompense is certain,

    so spare yourself the fate of loss.

  62. النيلُ وَهوَ إِلى الأُردُنَّ في شَغَفٍ

    يُهدي إِلى بَرَدى أَشواقَ وَلهانِ

    The Nile, passionately longing for the Jordan,

    sends to the Barada the yearnings of a lovesick heart.

  63. وَفي العِراقِ بِهِ وَجدٌ بِدِجلَتِهِ

    وَبِالفُراتِ وَتَحنانٌ لِسَيحانِ

    And in Iraq it feels passion for its Tigris,

    and for the Euphrates, and tender yearning for the Sayhan.

  64. إِن دامَ ما نَحنُ فيهِ مِن مُدابَرَةٍ

    وَفِتنَةٍ بَينَ أَجناسٍ وَأَديانِ

    If the estrangement we now live in continues,

    and strife among races and religions,

  65. رَأَيتُ رَأي المَعَرّي حينَ أَرهَقَهُ

    ما حَلَّ بِالناسِ مِن بَغيٍ وَعُدوانِ

    I shall share al-Ma'arri's view when he was oppressed

    by the injustice and aggression that befell mankind:

  66. لا تَطهُرُ الأَرضَ مِن رِجسٍ وَمِن دَرَنٍ

    حَتّى يُعاوِدَها نوحٌ بِطوفانِ

    'The earth will not be cleansed of filth and grime

    until Noah revisits it with a flood.'

  67. وَلّى الشَبابُ وَجازَتني فُتُوَّتُهُ

    وَهَدَّمَ السُقمُ بَعدَ السُقمِ أَركاني

    Youth has departed, and its vigor has passed me by,

    and sickness after sickness has shattered my pillars.

  68. وَقَد وَقَفتُ عَلى السِتّينِ أَسأَلُها

    أَسَوَّفَت أَم أَعَدَّت حُرَّ أَكفاني

    I have reached sixty, and I ask it:

    'Has it given me respite, or prepared my finest shrouds?'

  69. شاهَدتُ مَصرَعَ أَترابي فَبَشَّرَني

    بِضَجعَةٍ عِندَها رَوحي وَرَيحاني

    I witnessed my peers' deaths, which gave me glad tidings

    of a resting-place where my relief and sweet basil await.

  70. كَم مِن قَريبٍ نَأى عَنّي فَأَوجَعَني

    وَكَم عَزيزٍ مَضى قَبلي فَأَبكاني

    How many a kinsman went far from me and pained me,

    and how many a dear one passed before me and made me weep!

  71. مَن كانَ يَسأَلُ عَن قَومي فَإِنَّهُمُ

    وَلَّوا سِراعاً وَخَلَّوا ذَلِكَ الواني

    Whoever asks about my people—they

    have departed swiftly, leaving this weary one behind.

  72. إِنّي مَلِلتُ وُقوفي كُلَّ آوِنَةٍ

    أَبكي وَأَنظِمُ أَحزاناً بِأَحزانِ

    Indeed, I have wearied of standing, time after time,

    weeping and weaving sorrow with sorrow into verse.

  73. إِذا تَصَفَّحتَ ديواني لِتَقرَأَني

    وَجَدتَ شِعرَ المَراثي نِصفَ ديواني

    If you leaf through my collected poems to read me,

    you find that elegies make up half my collection.

  74. أَتَيتُ مُستَشفِياً وَالشَوقُ يَدفَعُ بي

    إِلى رُباكُم وَعودي غَيرُ فَينانِ

    I have come seeking healing, driven by longing

    to your hills, with my branch no longer luxuriant.

  75. فَأَنزِلوني مَكاناً أَستَجِمُّ بِهِ

    وَيَنجَلي عَن فُؤادي بَرحُ أَحزاني

    So lodge me somewhere I may recuperate,

    and the torment of my sorrows may lift from my heart.

  76. وَجَنِّبوني عَلى شُكرٍ مَوائِدَكُم

    بِما حَوَت مِن أَفاويهٍ وَأَلوانِ

    And, with thanks, keep me away from your tables

    with all the spices and dishes they hold.

  77. حَسبي وَحَسبُ النُهى ما نِلتُ مِن كَرَمٍ

    قَد كِدتُ أَنسى بِهِ أَهلي وَخُلّاني

    Enough for me—and for reason—is the generosity I have received,

    through which I nearly forgot my family and my friends.