1. إذا ما المجد داريهِ الكلامُ

    فقل بالسيف ينفصل الخصامُ

    If words are versed in glory,

    then say: the sword decides the dispute.

  2. وضراب الحسام إذا دعتهُ

    دواعي الفخر لم تخط السهامُ

    And when the sword-wielder is summoned

    by the calls of glory, his arrows never miss.

  3. ومن نال العُلا بحد سيف

    وكان لهُ بمولاه اعتصامُ

    And whoever attains the heights by a sword's edge

    and takes refuge in his Lord—

  4. فذاك تطيع صارمهُ البرايا

    وتخشى باسمه القوم العظامُ

    all creation obeys that man's sharp blade,

    and mighty peoples tremble at his name.

  5. وذي رايات مجدٍ منهُ لاحت

    يكللها وقارٌ واحتشامُ

    And these banners of glory have shone forth from him,

    crowned with dignity and decorum.

  6. وقد خفقت تنادي في سرورٍ

    أيا بيروت يهنيك السلامُ

    They fluttered, calling out in joy:

    O Beirut, may peace gladden you!

  7. حظيت مع الهنا بعزيز مصر

    سعيدٍ للسعود بهِ هيامُ

    You have been blessed, amid joy, with Egypt's mighty ruler,

    Sa'id, with whom good fortune is in love.

  8. خِديوِيٌّ عزيزٌ كسرويٌّ

    شهيرٌ آصفيٌّ بل همامُ

    A mighty Khedive, like Khosrow,

    renowned, like Asaf—nay, a valiant lord!

  9. إذا ما خاض بحر الحرب يوماً

    بهِ غرقت أعاديهِ الطعامُ

    If ever he plunges into the sea of war,

    in it his enemies drown, becoming food.

  10. وأن صلت سيوف في يديهِ

    يحلُّ على سلاحهم الصيامُ

    And if swords are drawn in his hands,

    a fast descends upon their weapons.

  11. ترى البيدا خاضعة لديهِ

    كذا الأمصار في آمن تنامُ

    You see the desert humbled before him;

    likewise the cities sleep in safety.

  12. ويحسد بعضها بعضاً وكلٌّ

    بطلعتهِ يهيم ولا يُلامُ

    They envy one another, and each

    is enamored of his countenance, without blame.

  13. كذا الدنيا تميل براحتيهِ

    يقلبها ولكن لا تضامُ

    So too the world sways in his palms:

    he turns it over, yet it suffers no wrong.

  14. لهُ جيش فمن يلقاه يلقى

    جبالاً لا يلينها اصطدام

    He has an army: whoever meets it meets

    mountains no collision can soften.

  15. وآيات الفتوح بجانبيهِ

    قعودٌ والسعود لهُ قيامُ

    And emblems of conquest, at either side of him,

    sit, while good fortune stands in attendance on him.

  16. أتى والمجد يرفل في قباه

    ويصحبهُ وقارٌ واحترامُ

    He came, with glory striding proudly in his robe,

    accompanied by dignity and respect.

  17. وشرف ثغر بيروت صباحاً

    فقابلهُ سرورٌ وابتسامُ

    He graced the port of Beirut one morning,

    and joy and smiles greeted him.

  18. وطأطأ رأسهُ لبنان طوعا

    فحل بكهف ساحتهِ السلامُ

    And Lebanon willingly bowed its head,

    so peace settled in a cavern within its bounds.

  19. أشار إلى السلام ولو أطاعت

    جناحاهُ لطار ولا يضامُ

    It gestured in greeting; and had they obeyed—

    its two wings—it would have flown, unharmed.

  20. وسلم أرزه واهتز تيهاً

    على هرمٍ ففارقهُ السقامُ

    Its cedars saluted and swayed in pride,

    despite their age, and sickness left them.

  21. يحق لمصر أن تعلو إفتخاراً

    وتركز فوق ما سار الغمامُ

    Egypt has the right to rise in pride,

    and stand firm above where the clouds roam,

  22. وتسحبُ ذيلها تيهاً وفخراً

    على كل البلاد ولا يضامُ

    and sweep her train in haughtiness and pride

    over all lands, suffering no wrong.

  23. ولكن لطفهُ عم البرايا

    فزار ديارنا وكفى اللمامُ

    Yet his kindness embraced all creation,

    so he visited our lands, and that brief visit sufficed.

  24. نعم قد خصصوا بالحيل مصراً

    وهاك النيل تحويهِ الشأم

    Yes, by stratagems they have singled Egypt out,

    and here you have the Nile, embraced by al-Sham.

  25. فذلك ماؤُه يجري فيسقي

    أراضيها فيغتنمُ الحطامُ

    For that one's water flows to irrigate

    her lands, and worldly wealth is reaped;

  26. وهذا كفهُ الفياض بحرٌ

    أقلُ هباتهِ الدرر العظامُ

    and this one's overflowing palm is a sea:

    the least of his gifts are great pearls.

  27. بدت مصر لتحسدنا ولكن

    نبدى الحق وأمتنعُ الخصامُ

    Egypt has come forth to envy us, but

    we reveal the truth, and strife is averted.

  28. كذا الأهرام شاخصةٌ بعينٍ

    ترى شزرا إلينا لا تنامُ

    Likewise the pyramids stare with an eye

    that looks askance at us and never sleeps.

  29. إلا يا من لكم بعُلاهُ دهرٌ

    أليس لنا بهِ في الدهر عامُ

    Ah, O you who have had his glory for an age,

    have we not a year with him in all of time?

  30. فقد نلنا السعادة من سعيدٍ

    وشرف أرضنا ذاك الهمامُ

    For we have gained happiness from Sa'id,

    and that valiant lord has honored our land.

  31. فلا زلنا نرى هذي السجايا

    دواماً كلما سجع الحمامُ

    May we never cease to witness these noble traits,

    forever, as long as doves coo.

  32. ولا زالت قوافي الشعر فيهِ

    تصاغ وحسبنا هذا الختامُ

    And may the rhymes of verse about him never cease

    to be fashioned; this ending is enough for us.