هَذَا الرِّثَاءُ الَّذِي تُمْلِيهِ أَشْجَانِي

هَذَا الرِّثَاءُ الَّذِي تُمْلِيهِ أَشْجَانِي

أَخُطُّهُ وَدُمُوعِي مِلْءُ أَجْفَانِي

أَخُطُّهُ وَدُمُوعِي مِلْءُ أَجْفَانِي

This elegy, which my sorrows dictate,

This elegy that my sorrows dictate

I write with tears filling my eyelids.

I write with tears filling my eyelids

بَيْرُوتُ مَاذَا رَمَانِي فِي الصَّمِيمِ وَقَدْ

بَيْرُوتُ مَاذَا رَمَانِي فِي الصَّمِيمِ وَقَدْ

رُمِيتُ فِي مُلْتَقَى ذِكْرِي وَتَحْنَانِي

رُمِيتُ فِي مُلْتَقَى ذِكْرِي وَتَحْنَانِي

Beirut, what has struck me to the core, when

O Beirut, why have you wounded me to the core when

I have been struck where my memories and yearning meet?

I was thrown into the meeting place of my memory and tenderness

إِنَّ الَّذِي رَوَّعَ الأَحْبَابَ رَوَّعَنِي

إِنَّ الَّذِي رَوَّعَ الأَحْبَابَ رَوَّعَنِي

يَا دَارَ أُنْسِي وَمَا أَبْكَاكِ أَبْكَانِي

يَا دَارَ أُنْسِي وَمَا أَبْكَاكِ أَبْكَانِي

Indeed, what terrified my loved ones has terrified me,

Indeed, what startled loved ones startled me

O home of my delight; what made you weep made me weep.

O house of my intimacy, how endless is my crying over you

تِلْكَ النَّوَاقِيسُ فِي قَلْبِي مُجَلْجِلَةٌ

تِلْكَ النَّوَاقِيسُ فِي قَلْبِي مُجَلْجِلَةٌ

وَلِلأَذَانِ صَدىً مُشْجٍ بِآذَانِي

وَلِلأَذَانِ صَدىً مُشْجٍ بِآذَانِي

Those bells are resounding in my heart,

Those church bells in my heart clang

And the call to prayer has a sorrowful echo in my ears.

And my ears echo, tormented, with their ringing

بَيْتٌ هَوَى بَلْ بُيُوتٌ أَرْبَعُونَ هَوَتْ

بَيْتٌ هَوَى بَلْ بُيُوتٌ أَرْبَعُونَ هَوَتْ

شَتَّى النَّوَاحِي دَهَاهَا الرُّزْءُ فِي آنِ

شَتَّى النَّوَاحِي دَهَاهَا الرُّزْءُ فِي آنِ

A house fell—no, forty houses fell,

A house, nay forty houses, all collapsed

In scattered districts, calamity struck them in an instant.

Razed in every direction, devastated in an instant

تَهَدَّمَتْ فَأَرَتْنَا سُوءَ مَا فَعَلَتْ

تَهَدَّمَتْ فَأَرَتْنَا سُوءَ مَا فَعَلَتْ

بِصَنْعَةِ اللهِ فِيهَا صَنْعَةُ البَانِي

بِصَنْعَةِ اللهِ فِيهَا صَنْعَةُ البَانِي

They collapsed, showing us the harm done

They crumbled and showed us the evil of what they did

To God's handiwork within them by the builder's craft.

To God's handiwork, the work of the builder

يَا وَيْحَهَا مِنْ مَغَانٍ لا غَنَاءَ بِهَا

يَا وَيْحَهَا مِنْ مَغَانٍ لا غَنَاءَ بِهَا

كَيْفَ العَرُوسُ عَلَى مُنْقَضِّ أَرْكَانِ

كَيْفَ العَرُوسُ عَلَى مُنْقَضِّ أَرْكَانِ

Alas for those dwellings, of no avail!

Woe to her, from disasters with no songs of joy in them

How fares the bride upon collapsed pillars?

How can the bride rejoice over the collapse of her pillars?

حَالُ اليَتَامَى وَحَالُ الأَيِّمَاتِ بِهَا

حَالُ اليَتَامَى وَحَالُ الأَيِّمَاتِ بِهَا

تُذْكِي الأَسَى فِي الحَشَى إِذْكَاءَ نَيرَانِ

تُذْكِي الأَسَى فِي الحَشَى إِذْكَاءَ نَيرَانِ

The plight of orphans and the plight of widows there

The state of the orphans and the widows in them

Kindles grief within the breast as fires are kindled.

Kindles sorrow in the breast, like the lighting of fires

ضَحَّتْ ظِلالَ الرِّجَالِ الكَاسِبِينَ لَهُمْ

ضَحَّتْ ظِلالَ الرِّجَالِ الكَاسِبِينَ لَهُمْ

وَخَلَّفَتْ بَعْدَهُمْ أَنْضَاءَ حِرمَانِ

وَخَلَّفَتْ بَعْدَهُمْ أَنْضَاءَ حِرمَانِ

It sacrificed the sheltering shade of the men who provided for them,

The shadows of the working men have vanished; for them

And left, after them, people wasted by deprivation.

Only the remains of deprivation were left behind

وَمُعِيلُونَ تَلاهَوْا عَنْ شَوَاغِلِهِمْ

وَمُعِيلُونَ تَلاهَوْا عَنْ شَوَاغِلِهِمْ

حِيناً وَمَا الدَّهْرُ بِاللاَّهِي وَلا الوَانِي

حِيناً وَمَا الدَّهْرُ بِاللاَّهِي وَلا الوَانِي

And breadwinners diverted themselves from their cares

And the breadwinners were distracted from their pursuits

For a while—but Time neither plays nor slackens.

For a while, though time is neither heedless nor oblivious

فَعُوجِلُوا بِالرَّدَى فِي نَكْبَةٍ عَمَمٍ

فَعُوجِلُوا بِالرَّدَى فِي نَكْبَةٍ عَمَمٍ

تَخَرَّمَتْهُمْ وَمَا كَانَتْ بِحِسْبَانِ

تَخَرَّمَتْهُمْ وَمَا كَانَتْ بِحِسْبَانِ

So they were swiftly overtaken by death in a sweeping disaster

So they were hurried off by general destruction

That snatched them away and had never been foreseen.

Which scattered them though they were not expecting it

أَجْرَى عَلَيْهِمْ قَضَاءَ خَرَّ كَلكَلُهُ

أَجْرَى عَلَيْهِمْ قَضَاءَ خَرَّ كَلكَلُهُ

عَلَى نِسَاءٍ ضَعِيفَاتٍ وَوِلْدَانِ

عَلَى نِسَاءٍ ضَعِيفَاتٍ وَوِلْدَانِ

It brought upon them a doom whose breast crashed down

It carried out on them a decree which shook them

Upon frail women and children.

On weak women and little children

يَا أَهْلَ لُبْنَانَ لا زَالَتْ مَكَارِمُكُمْ

يَا أَهْلَ لُبْنَانَ لا زَالَتْ مَكَارِمُكُمْ

مُجِيبَةً مَنْ دَعَا يَا أَهْلَ لُبْنَانِ

مُجِيبَةً مَنْ دَعَا يَا أَهْلَ لُبْنَانِ

O people of Lebanon, may your noble deeds never cease

O people of Lebanon, your virtues still

To answer whoever cries, 'O people of Lebanon!'

Respond to those who call, O people of Lebanon

فِي الضَّيْرِ وَالضَّيْمِ لَمْ يَجْهَلْ مَبَرَّتَكُمْ

فِي الضَّيْرِ وَالضَّيْمِ لَمْ يَجْهَلْ مَبَرَّتَكُمْ

وَلا مُرُوءَتَكُمْ عَافٍ وَلا عَانِ

وَلا مُرُوءَتَكُمْ عَافٍ وَلا عَانِ

In hardship and oppression, none has been ignorant of your kindness,

In distress and oppression, your steadfastness did not fail

Nor of your nobility—no supplicant, no sufferer.

Nor your gallantry, whether sound or afflicted

تِلْكَ القُلُوبُ وَمَا أَصْفَى مَعَادِنَهَا

تِلْكَ القُلُوبُ وَمَا أَصْفَى مَعَادِنَهَا

قَدْ صَاغَهَا اللهُ مِنْ جُودٍ وَإِحْسَانِ

قَدْ صَاغَهَا اللهُ مِنْ جُودٍ وَإِحْسَانِ

Those hearts—how pure their metal!

Those hearts, how pure is their content

God has fashioned them from generosity and kindness.

God has molded them from generosity and kindness

فَمَا أَخَافُ عَلَى مَنْ يُسْتَغَاثُ لَهُ

فَمَا أَخَافُ عَلَى مَنْ يُسْتَغَاثُ لَهُ

وَفِيكُمْ كُلُّ مِسْمَاحٍ وَمِعْوَانِ

وَفِيكُمْ كُلُّ مِسْمَاحٍ وَمِعْوَانِ

So I do not fear for anyone for whom help is sought,

So I do not worry about those who cry out for help

With every generous giver and ready helper among you.

While all of you are sympathetic and helpful

هَذِي عَلَى أَنَّ وَقْتِي غَيْرُ ذي سَعَةٍ

هَذِي عَلَى أَنَّ وَقْتِي غَيْرُ ذي سَعَةٍ

عُجَالَةٌ لَيْسَ تَعْدُو بَثَّ أَحْزَانِي

عُجَالَةٌ لَيْسَ تَعْدُو بَثَّ أَحْزَانِي

This, though my time is scant,

This is because my time lacks breadth

Is a hurried piece, no more than an outpouring of my sorrows.

Urgency, not extending beyond my sorrows

لَوْ صَوَّرَ الحِسُّ مَعْنَاهَا لِنَاظِرِهَا

لَوْ صَوَّرَ الحِسُّ مَعْنَاهَا لِنَاظِرِهَا

تَكَشَّفُ النَّفْسُ فِيهَا عَنْ دَمٍ قَانِ

تَكَشَّفُ النَّفْسُ فِيهَا عَنْ دَمٍ قَانِ

If the senses could give its meaning form for its beholder,

If the senses pictured their meaning for their viewer

The soul would bare itself within it, revealing crimson blood.

The soul in them would reveal bloodshed

لَمْ أَبْغِ حثّاً إِخْوَانِي بِهَا وَهُمُ

لَمْ أَبْغِ حثّاً إِخْوَانِي بِهَا وَهُمُ

أَهْلُ النَّدَى بَلْ كَمِشْكَاةِ لإِخْوَانِي

أَهْلُ النَّدَى بَلْ كَمِشْكَاةِ لإِخْوَانِي

I did not seek to spur my brothers with it, for they

I did not mean, my brothers, to arouse passion with them

Are people of generosity; rather, it is like a lamp-niche for my brothers.

But they are like a lantern for my brothers

جَزَاهُمُ اللهُ خَيْراً بِالَّذِي صَنَعُوا

جَزَاهُمُ اللهُ خَيْراً بِالَّذِي صَنَعُوا

وَيَصْنَعُونَ وَلا رِيعُوا بِحِدْثَانِ

وَيَصْنَعُونَ وَلا رِيعُوا بِحِدْثَانِ

May God reward them with good for what they have done

May God reward them well for what they have done

And do; may no calamity ever frighten them.

And do, never flagging or growing weary