ما حمصُ قليلةٌ وإنْ طالَ عنادْ

ما حمصُ قليلةٌ وإنْ طالَ عنادْ

حمصٌ بلدٌ قدْ فاقَ في الحسنِ بلادْ

حمصٌ بلدٌ قدْ فاقَ في الحسنِ بلادْ

Homs is no small place, however long the obstinacy lasts.

Homs is no small place, though enmity be prolonged

Homs is a city that has surpassed other cities in beauty.

Homs is a town whose beauty all other towns has outshone

تنبيكَ حروفُ حمصَ صدقاً وسدادْ

تنبيكَ حروفُ حمصَ صدقاً وسدادْ

إذْ منْ سورِ القرآنِ حم وص

إذْ منْ سورِ القرآنِ حم وص

The letters of Homs tell you, truthfully and rightly,

The letters spelling Homs tell truly of its grace

for among the Qur’an’s surahs are Ḥā-Mīm and Ṣād.

For from the Quran's chapter H.M. it takes its case

أغيدُ ذو طبٍّ وذو حكمةٍ

أغيدُ ذو طبٍّ وذو حكمةٍ

لو عادَ أحيا قلبيَ الطائحا

لو عادَ أحيا قلبيَ الطائحا

A graceful youth, possessed of medical skill and wisdom—

A sage of healing art, and wisdom too

were he to visit, he would revive my fallen heart.

If he returned, he'd bring my wandering heart back home

فَهْوَ طبيبٌ لفؤادي ولو

فَهْوَ طبيبٌ لفؤادي ولو

شئتَ لأبدلتَ الطاءَ حا

شئتَ لأبدلتَ الطاءَ حا

So he is my heart’s physician; and if

So he's the doctor to my soul, and though

you wished, you would replace the ṭāʾ with ḥāʾ.

You wished, you could not change that H to KH.