مر القوافي تجيء طوعا ولا عجبا — Khalil Gibran

مُرِ القَوَافِي تَجِيءُ طُوْعاً وَلاَ عَجَبَا

عَلَّ الْقَوَافِي تُوَدِّي بَعْضُ مَا وَجَبَا

Command the rhymes: they come willingly, and no wonder.

Perhaps the rhymes will discharge some of what is owed.

صِغْهَا عُقُوداً لِهَذَا الْيَوْمَ مِنْ دُرَرٍ

وَحَيِّ فِيهَا العُلاَ وَالْعِلْمَ وَالأَدَبَا

Fashion them into necklaces of pearls for this day,

and in them salute glory, learning, and literature.

فَالْيُوْمُ عِيدٌ لِهَذَا القُطْرِ أَجْمَعَهِ

هَنِّيءْ بِهِ الشَّرْقَ والسُوْدَانَ وَالعَرَبَا

For today is a festival for this entire land;

congratulate the East, Sudan, and the Arabs on it.

فَانْشُدْ نَشِيدَ الأَمَانِي رُبَّ قَافِلَةٍ

قَدْ أَبْطَأَتْ في السَّرَى تَشْدُو بِهِ حُقُبَا

So sing the anthem of hopes; many a caravan

has lagged on its night journey, singing it for ages.

حَلَّقْ مَعِ الْفَلكِ الدَوَّارِ في فَلَكٍ

وَزُحُ أَنْ اسْطَعْتْ عَنْ أَسْرَارِهِ حُجُبَا

Soar with the revolving heavens in an orbit,

and lift, if you can, the veils from its secrets.

وَانْظُرْ بِعَيْنَيْكَ خَطَّ الْقَضَاءُ بِهِ

في اللَّوْحِ وَاقْرَأْ لَنَا مَا فِيهِ قَدْ كُتِبَا

And see with your own eyes what Fate has inscribed there

on the Tablet, and read us what has been written in it.

فَذَاكَ عُمْرِي وَرَاءَ الْحُجْبِ مَسْتَتِرٌ

عَلَيْهِ سُورٌ مِنَ الأَنْوَارِ قَدْ ضُرِبَا

For that is my life, concealed behind the veils,

with a wall of lights raised around it.

وَاهْبِطْ إلى الأَرْضِ خَبِّرْنَا بِمَا سَمِعَتْ

أُذْنَاكَ أَنَّ لَنَا في سَمْعِهِ أَرَبَا

And descend to earth; tell us what was heard

by your ears, for we long to hear it.

وَانْثُرْ عَلَى الْوَادِي مِنْ عِلْمٍ وَمِنْ أَدْبٍ

فَإِنَّ ذَا الشَّعبِ يَهْوَى العِلْمَ وَالأَدَبَا

And scatter learning and literature over the valley,

for this people loves learning and literature.

حَدِّثْهُ كَيْفَ سَمَتْ أَرْوَاحُنَا زَمَناً

وكَيْفَ كُنَّا عَلَى رُغْمِ العِدَى الْعَرَبَا

Tell it how our spirits once soared,

and how, despite our foes, we were Arabs;

وَكَيْفَ كَانَتْ لَنَا الأَيَّامُ طَائِعَةً

كَمَا تَشَاءُ فَلَمْ تُهْمِلْ لَنَا طَلَبَا

and how the days were obedient to us,

as you wished, leaving no request of ours unheeded.

حَدَّثْ بَنِي الْنِّيلِ عِنْ كَثَبٍ

عَنِ الأَمِينِ عَنِ الْمأَمُونِ إِذْ غَضِبَا

Tell the sons of the Nile, at close hand,

of al-Amin and al-Ma'mun, when the two grew angry.

سَالَتْ دِمَاءُ بَنِي العَبَّاسِ بَيْنَهُمَا

الْمُلْكُ أَسْمَى وَأَعْلَى مِنْ دَمٍ سَكَبَا

The blood of the sons of al-Abbas flowed between them;

kingship is loftier and higher than the blood they both shed.

بَغْدَادُ كَانَتْ مَنَاراً لِلْعُلُومِ فَمَا

لِلْعِلْمِ مِنْ طَالِبٍ إِلاَّ لَهَا طَلَبَا

Baghdad was a beacon for the sciences, and no

seeker of learning failed to seek her.

لاَ تُشْرُقُ الشَّمسُ إِلاَّ في مَنَائِرِهَا

وَلَيْسَ يَغْرُبُ عَنْهَا الْبَدْرُ مَا غَرُبَا

The sun rises only among her minarets,

nor does the full moon vanish from her, even when it sets.

وَصِفْ لَنَا كَيْفَ دَالَتْ وَامَحَتْ دُوَلٌ

وَكَيْفَ جَيْشُ حُمَاةِ الشَّرْقِ قَدْ غُلِبَا

And describe for us how dynasties declined and vanished,

and how the army of the East's defenders was defeated,

وَمَا دَهَى الْشَّرْقَ في ابْنَاهُ قَاطِبَةً

فأَصْبَحَ الرَّأْسُ مِنْ أَبْنَائِهِ ذَنَبَا

and what befell the East in all its sons,

so that the head among its sons became a tail.

قَدْ أَثْقَلَتْنَأ قُيودٌ لاَ نُهُوضَ بِهَا

وَإِنْ يَكُ صَائِغُ قَدْ صَاغَهَا ذَهَبَا

Chains have weighed us down, with which we cannot rise,

even if a goldsmith has fashioned them of gold.

أَعِدْ عَلَى مَسْمَعِي ذِكْرَ الأُلَى سَلَفُوا

فَرُبَّ ذِكْرَى مَحَتْ فِيْمَا مَحَتْ كَرَبَا

Repeat in my hearing the memory of those who came before,

for many a memory has erased, among other things, sorrow.

وَرُبَّ ذِكْرَى سَرَتْ في جِسْمِ سَامِعِهَا

وَرَدَّتِ الرُّوْحَ فِيهِ بِعْدَمَا ذَهَبَا

And many a memory has coursed through its hearer's body

and restored the spirit within him after it had departed.

فأَنْتَ كَالْوَحْيِّ لَمْ تَهْبِطْ عَلَى بَلَدٍ

إِلاَّ رَأَيْنَا بِهِ الآيَاتِ وَالعَجَبَا

For you are like revelation: never have you descended upon a land

without our seeing signs and wonders there.

كَمُحَكَّم الآي وَالتَّنزِيلِ جِئْتَ بِهِ

وَقَدْ مَلأْتَ بِهِ الأَشْعَارَ وَالْكُتُبَا

You brought it like the clear verses and the Revelation,

and with it you have filled poems and books.

فَيَا أَمِيرَ الْقَوَافِي رُبَّ مَمْلَكَةٍ

أَنَارَ قَوْلُكَ فِيهَا جَيْشَهَا اللُّجَبَا

So, O prince of rhymes, many a kingdom

has had its clamorous army illumined by your words.

وَرُبَّ قَوْلٍ جَرَى مِنْ فِيكَ حَزْتُ بِهِ

في عَالَمِ الشِّعرِ دُوْنَ العَالَمِ القَصَبَا

And through many a saying that flowed from your mouth I won

the prize in poetry's realm, ahead of all the world.

فَمَا حَدَا الحَادِي إِلاَّ مِنْ قَصَائِدِكُمْ

وَلاَ شَدَا بُلْبُلٌ إِلاَّ بِهَا طَرَبَا

For no camel-driver has chanted except from your odes,

nor has a nightingale sung in rapture except through them.

وَلاَ تَغَنَّى فَتَىً في الشَّرْقِ قَافِيَةً

إِلاَّ وَشِعْرُكَ مَا أَوْحَى وَمَا كَتَبَا

Nor has a youth in the East sung a rhyme

but your poetry was his inspiration and what he wrote.

لَوْ كُنْتُ في الوَادِي ذَا مَالٍ أَقَمْتُ لَكُمْ

تَمْثَألَ دُرِّ وَلَمْ أَرْضِ بَهِ الذَّهَبَا

Had I wealth in the valley, I would raise for you

a statue of pearls, not settling for gold.

وَقُلْتُ لِلنًّاسِ طُوْفُوا حَوْلَهُ أَبَداً

مِثْلَ الْحَجِيجِ فَهَذَا كَعْبَةُ الأَدَبَا

And I would tell the people: circle it forever,

like pilgrims, for this is the Kaaba of literature.

فَارْجَعْ إلى مِصْرَ في أَمْنٍ وَعَافِيَةٍ

وَزُرْ دِمَشْقَ وَزُرْ بَغْدَادَ زُرْ حَلَبَا

So return to Egypt in safety and good health,

and visit Damascus; visit Baghdad; visit Aleppo.

وَصِفْ لَهُمْ مَا رَأَتْ عَيْنَاكَ في بَلَدٍ

أَبْنَاهُ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ إِلاَّ العُلا طَلَبَا

And describe to them what your eyes saw in a land

whose sons seek nothing but glory.

فَإِنْ أَصَاخُوا لِمَا تُمْلِيهِ وَاسْتَمَعُوْا

فَاخْبِرْهُمُ عَنْ بَنِي السُّودَانِ خَيْرَ نَبَا

So if they lend an ear to what you dictate and listen,

tell them the best tidings of the sons of Sudan.

وَقُلْ لَهُمْ إِنَّا لَمْ نَزَلْ هَدَفاً

لِكُلِّ رَامٍ وَمَنْ قَدْ لاَمَ أَوْ عَتَبَا

And tell them: we remain a target

for every archer and whoever has blamed or reproached us.

لاَ نَعْرِفَ النَّوْمَ إِلاًّ خِلْسَةً غَضَبَاً

وَالحُرُّ إِنْ مَسَّه مَا سَاءَهُ غَضِبَا

We know sleep only furtively, in anger;

and a free man grows angry when something hurtful touches him.

النِّيلُ في الْوَادِي يَرْوي كُلَّ ذِي ظَمإِ

وَلَيْسَ فِينَا فَتىً مِنْ مَائِهِ شرِبَا

The Nile in the valley quenches every thirsty soul,

yet not a youth among us has drunk its water.

لَنَا إِلَيْهِمْ حَنِينٌ دَائِمٌ وَهَوىً

مَهْمَا تَدَارى بِهِ عُذَّالُنَا حَلَبَا

We have an enduring longing and love for them,

however our reproachers dissemble about it [ending unclear].

فَهُمْ لَنَا إِخْوَةٌ بَلْ هُمْ أَشِقَّتنَا

وَمِصْرُ لَمَّا تَزَلْ أُمًّا لَنَا وَأبَا

For they are our brothers—indeed, our full brothers,

and Egypt remains both mother and father to us.

الشَّرْقُ يَجْمَعُنَا وَالنِّيلُ يَرْبِطُنَا

كَوِحْدَةٍ جَمَعَتْ مَا بَيْنَهَا العَرَبَا

The East unites us, and the Nile binds us,

like a unity that has brought the Arabs together.

أَمَّا الْمَلِيكُ فَإِنَّا لاَ نَكُنُّ لَهُ

إِلاَّ الوَلاءَ وَإِلاًّ الحُبَّ وَالأَدَبَا

As for the king, we harbor for him nothing

but loyalty, love, and respect.

در في المجد در مصر وفيها

كل آس تزهو به وطبيب

Egypt's pearls are pearls in glory, and within her

is every healer and physician in whom she takes pride.

إن ذكرنا أسماءهم يوم فخر

طاب في النابغين ذكر نجيب

If we recall their names on a day of pride,

sweet among the gifted is the mention of Najib:

عالم عامل إذا ما دعته

فرص البر كان خير مجيب

a scholar and man of action who, whenever called

by opportunities for kindness, was the best to answer.