مدحْتَ أنطاكيَّةً

مدحْتَ أنطاكيَّةً

حتى توارى عقلُها

حتى توارى عقلُها

You praised Antioch

I have translated the poem from Arabic to English while preserving the poetic output:

until its reason was obscured.

You praised Antioch

ولم يكنْ عندي كما

ولم يكنْ عندي كما

ذَكَرْتَهُ محلُّها

ذَكَرْتَهُ محلُّها

Nor, in my view, did it have

Until her mind was obscured

the standing you described.

And it was not in my view

لأنها داثرةٌ

لأنها داثرةٌ

علا عليها ذلُّها

علا عليها ذلُّها

For it is in ruins;

As you described her status

its abasement has risen over it.

Because she is in ruins

فكيفَ لا أبغضُها

فكيفَ لا أبغضُها

وكيف لا أملُّها

وكيف لا أملُّها

So how could I not hate it,

Humiliation rose over her

and how could I not grow weary of it?

So how can I not hate her?

وعُجْمُها أكثرُها

وعُجْمُها أكثرُها

وعُرْبها أقلُّها

وعُرْبها أقلُّها

Its non-Arabs form its majority,

And how can I not tire of her?

and its Arabs its minority.

Most of her people are non-Arabic

لولا حبيبٌ ساكن

لولا حبيبٌ ساكن

فيها ولولا ظلُّها

فيها ولولا ظلُّها

Were it not for a beloved dwelling

And few of them are Arabic

there, and were it not for its shade,

If it were not for a beloved one living there

لقلْتُ مِنْ مدنِ لظى

لقلْتُ مِنْ مدنِ لظى

لكنني أجلُّها

لكنني أجلُّها

I would call it one of the cities of the Blaze;

And if not for her shadow

yet I hold it in esteem.

I would have said she is of the burning cities

لأن في يس جا

لأن في يس جا

ء ذكرُها وفضلُها

ء ذكرُها وفضلُها

For in Ya-Sin there came

But I honor her

mention of it and its merit.

Because the mention and virtues of Jesus

لكنْ أقولُ قولةً

لكنْ أقولُ قولةً

ليس يُرَدُّ عدلُها

ليس يُرَدُّ عدلُها

But I utter a saying

Came from her

whose fairness cannot be refuted:

But I say an irrefutable saying:

لو كانَ فيها راحةٌ

لو كانَ فيها راحةٌ

ما فارقَتْها أهلُها

ما فارقَتْها أهلُها

if there were comfort in it,

If there was tranquility in her

its people would not have left it.

Her people would not have abandoned her