بريَّةٌ بحريَّةٌ حَزْنيةٌ

بريَّةٌ بحريَّةٌ حَزْنيةٌ

سهيلةٌ منثورُها منثورُها

سهيلةٌ منثورُها منثورُها

Of land and sea, of rugged heights,

A coastal wilderness, sorrowful

yet gentle and level—her gillyflowers are her scattered blooms.

Its scattering is scattered

متكاملٌ فيها السرورُ لمن بها

متكاملٌ فيها السرورُ لمن بها

يوماً أقامَ كما تكاملَ سورُها

يوماً أقامَ كما تكاملَ سورُها

Joy is complete within her for whoever there

In it joy is complete for whoever is in it

stays a day, just as her wall is complete.

One day it lasted as its wall was completed

وخلَتْ قلوبُ قصورِها فاستضحكتْ

وخلَتْ قلوبُ قصورِها فاستضحكتْ

إذْ عاشَ شاكرُها وماتَ كفورُها

إذْ عاشَ شاكرُها وماتَ كفورُها

And her palaces' hearts emptied and burst into laughter,

And the hearts of its palaces were emptied, so they laughed

when her grateful one lived and her thankless one died.

When its thankful one lived and its ungrateful one died

مَنْ حَلَّ فيها نالَ وَصْلَ حبيبها

مَنْ حَلَّ فيها نالَ وَصْلَ حبيبها

وشفى كليمَ الروحِ منهُ طورُها

وشفى كليمَ الروحِ منهُ طورُها

Whoever settles in her gains union with her beloved,

Whoever settled in it attained the connection of its beloved

and her Mount heals the wounded spirit within him.

And it healed the intimate of the soul from it his condition

ما تلك إلاّ جنَّةُ الدنيا وها

ما تلك إلاّ جنَّةُ الدنيا وها

ولدانُها جُلِيَتْ عليكَ وحورُها

ولدانُها جُلِيَتْ عليكَ وحورُها

She is nothing but this world's paradise; behold

It is nothing but the paradise of the present world, and oh!

her youths and her houris, unveiled before you.

Its boys, its houries were uncovered to you

فمضيَّةٌ وسنيَّةٌ ونديَّةٌ

فمضيَّةٌ وسنيَّةٌ ونديَّةٌ

أرجاؤُها ورياضُها وقصورُها

أرجاؤُها ورياضُها وقصورُها

So radiant, splendid, and dew-fresh are

So it is open, elderly, and sociable

her expanses, her gardens, and her palaces.

Its outskirts, its gardens and its palaces

لما بكى فقدَ الهمومِ سحابُها

لما بكى فقدَ الهمومِ سحابُها

ضحكتْ وقدْ عاشَ السرورَ زهورُها

ضحكتْ وقدْ عاشَ السرورَ زهورُها

When her clouds wept for the loss of cares,

When it wept, the clouds of its worries disappeared

her flowers laughed, having lived in joy.

It laughed and happiness lived its flowers

فالأرضُ منها سندسٌ وخلالَهُ

فالأرضُ منها سندسٌ وخلالَهُ

سُلَّتْ سيوفٌ والسيوفُ نهورُها

سُلَّتْ سيوفٌ والسيوفُ نهورُها

So her earth is fine silk, and through it

So the land from it is brocade and its ornaments

swords are unsheathed—and those swords are her rivers.

Swords were drawn and the swords are its light

هيَ دارُ مملكةِ الرضى فلأجلِ ذا

هيَ دارُ مملكةِ الرضى فلأجلِ ذا

قد أُسْبِلَتْ دونَ الهمومِ ستورُها

قد أُسْبِلَتْ دونَ الهمومِ ستورُها

She is the seat of contentment's kingdom; for that

It is the abode of the kingdom of contentment, so because of this

her curtains have been lowered to shut out cares.

Its curtains were dropped down from worries

جُمعتْ فنونُ الطيبِ في أفنانِها

جُمعتْ فنونُ الطيبِ في أفنانِها

وعلا على المِسْكِ الذَّكيِّ عبيرُها

وعلا على المِسْكِ الذَّكيِّ عبيرُها

Every kind of fragrance is gathered in her boughs,

The good arts were collected in its sides

and her perfume rises above fragrant musk.

And its fragrance rose above the gentle musk

تحكي دُماها غيدُها البيضُ الألى

تحكي دُماها غيدُها البيضُ الألى

بلحاظهن فتونُها وفتورُها

بلحاظهن فتونُها وفتورُها

Her fair, graceful women resemble her statues,

Its pearls tell, their coquetry white

their glances holding her enchantment and languor.

With their glances, their charm and their languor

ما سلسلٌ عذبٌ سقاه وابل

ما سلسلٌ عذبٌ سقاه وابل

وهناً فويقَ حصى بروقِ غديرها

وهناً فويقَ حصى بروقِ غديرها

No sweet, smooth-flowing water, fed by a downpour

What a gentle chain its downpour watered!

late at night, just above her pool's gleaming pebbles,

And delight over pebbles the lightening of its river

فنفى بتفريكٍ وصقلٍ مذهبٍ

فنفى بتفريكٍ وصقلٍ مذهبٍ

عنه القذى ريحُ الصّبا ومرورُها

عنه القذى ريحُ الصّبا ومرورُها

then rid, through rubbing and a cleansing polish,

So with a separation and polishing it negated

of its specks by the east wind and its passing,

From it the motes, the breeze of morning and its passing

بألذَّ طعماً مِنْ مَراشفهنَّ إذ

بألذَّ طعماً مِنْ مَراشفهنَّ إذ

تَبْسَمْنَ عَن دُرٍّ يضيءُ بدورُها

تَبْسَمْنَ عَن دُرٍّ يضيءُ بدورُها

is sweeter to taste than their lips, when

With the most delicious taste than their pillows when

they smile, revealing pearls whose full moons shine.

They smile about a pearl that shines with its rotation

تلكَ الثغورُ ودمعُ عاشِقهنّ قد

تلكَ الثغورُ ودمعُ عاشِقهنّ قد

حاكَتْ عقوداً تحتويه نحورُها

حاكَتْ عقوداً تحتويه نحورُها

Those mouths and the tears of their lover have

Those are the lips, and tears of their lovers have

resembled necklaces cradled against her bosoms.

Knitted necklaces that their chests contain

كمْ كان فيها للفرنجِ كواعبٌ

كمْ كان فيها للفرنجِ كواعبٌ

كانتْ إناثاً واللحاظُ ذكورُها

كانتْ إناثاً واللحاظُ ذكورُها

How many full-breasted maidens of the Franks were in her—

How many coquettish European women were in it

female themselves, yet with glances that were male!

Who were females and their glances were its masculinity

ومهفهفٍ يَسقي السلافَ كأنما

ومهفهفٍ يَسقي السلافَ كأنما

مِنْ مقلتيهِ ووجنتيهِ يديرُها

مِنْ مقلتيهِ ووجنتيهِ يديرُها

And many a slender youth serves pure wine, as though

And swaying, watering wine as if

he were passing it round from his eyes and cheeks.

From its eyelashes and cheeks it pours it

هلْ نارُها في كاسِها أم كاسُها

هلْ نارُها في كاسِها أم كاسُها

في نارِها وعلى المنازلِ نورُها

في نارِها وعلى المنازلِ نورُها

Is its fire in its cup, or is its cup

Is its fire in its cup or its cup

in its fire? Its light shines upon the dwellings.

In its fire and over the houses its light?

تصفيقُ عاصيها المطيعِ مرقِّصٌ

تصفيقُ عاصيها المطيعِ مرقِّصٌ

أغصانَها لمَّا شَدَتْهُ طيورُها

أغصانَها لمَّا شَدَتْهُ طيورُها

The clapping of her obedient rebel, the Orontes, sets dancing

The applause of its rebel against its obedient one a twinkling

her branches, when her birds serenade him.

Its branches when its birds tightened them

فربوعُها محروسةٌ وسفوحُها

فربوعُها محروسةٌ وسفوحُها

مأنوسةٌ لا ينطوي منشورُها

مأنوسةٌ لا ينطوي منشورُها

So her dwellings are guarded, and her slopes

So its lands are guarded and its slopes

are welcoming; her scroll is never rolled up.

Are frequented, its publication does not fold

فاعجبْ لأرضٍ كالسماءِ منيرةٍ

فاعجبْ لأرضٍ كالسماءِ منيرةٍ

أضحتْ تلوح شموسُها وبدورُها

أضحتْ تلوح شموسُها وبدورُها

Marvel, then, at a land as luminous as the sky,

So wonder about a land like the luminous sky

whose suns and full moons have come to shine.

Its suns and its full moons began to appear

فتبَسَّمَتْ وتَنَسَّمَتْ أرجاؤُها

فتبَسَّمَتْ وتَنَسَّمَتْ أرجاؤُها

أرجاً فما الغصنُ النضيرُ نظيرُها

أرجاً فما الغصنُ النضيرُ نظيرُها

So her expanses smiled and breathed

So its outskirts smiled and breathed

fragrance; no fresh green bough is her equal.

A breaths, so the tender branch has no peer

سابَقْتُ بالبيضاءِ في ميدانها

سابَقْتُ بالبيضاءِ في ميدانها

شقراءَ جلِّق فاستكنَّ ضميرُها

شقراءَ جلِّق فاستكنَّ ضميرُها

With the white one, in her arena, I raced

I preceded at the White one in its range

Jilliq's chestnut one; then her secret lay hidden.

A blond bowed, so its conscience calmed