إِيّاكَ في الشَرقِ أَن تَعدو طَرابُلساً

إِيّاكَ في الشَرقِ أَن تَعدو طَرابُلساً

إِن كُنتَ تَبغي كِرامِ الإِنسِ وَالأُنسا

إِن كُنتَ تَبغي كِرامِ الإِنسِ وَالأُنسا

Beware, in the East, of passing Tripoli by,

Take care lest you pass Tripoli in the East,

if you seek noble people and companionship.

If you seek the generosity of humankind and companionship,

وَحَجَّ مِنها لِقَصادِ الهُدى حَرَما

وَحَجَّ مِنها لِقَصادِ الهُدى حَرَما

أَمناً وَجاوَرَ لِأَربابِ النُهى قُدسا

أَمناً وَجاوَرَ لِأَربابِ النُهى قُدسا

And make pilgrimage within it to a sanctuary for seekers of guidance,

And perform the pilgrimage from it to achieve true guidance,

secure, and dwell beside a holy place for the masters of wisdom.

A safe sanctuary, and neighbor to the people of righteousness a holy place,

مَدينَةٌ جادَها الباري بِرَحمَتِهِ

مَدينَةٌ جادَها الباري بِرَحمَتِهِ

مِنَ الخَصائِصِ ما عَن غَيرِها حَبسا

مِنَ الخَصائِصِ ما عَن غَيرِها حَبسا

A city upon which the Creator, in His mercy, bestowed

A city endowed by the Creator with His mercy,

distinctions that He withheld from others.

With qualities that He has kept from anywhere else,

لَم يَكفِها بَحرَها العَجاجُ باتَت طَرابُلسُ

لَم يَكفِها بَحرَها العَجاجُ باتَت طَرابُلسُ

مِصراً يَقصِرُ عَنها كُلَّ ما يَبسا

مِصراً يَقصِرُ عَنها كُلَّ ما يَبسا

Its surging sea did not suffice it; Tripoli became

Its sea did not suffice it so Tripoli remained

a metropolis before which all dry land falls short.

An Egypt whose breadth falls short of all dry lands,

ناهيكَ بِالرافِعيِينَ الَّذينَ لَهُم

ناهيكَ بِالرافِعيِينَ الَّذينَ لَهُم

مِنَ المَآثِرِ ما يَستَنطِقُ الخَرَسا

مِنَ المَآثِرِ ما يَستَنطِقُ الخَرَسا

Suffice it to mention the Rafi‘is, whose

Not to mention the Rafa‘is whose

glorious deeds would make the mute speak.

Achievements make even the mute speak,

الرافِعينَ مِنَ الأَعلامِ أَرفَعَها

الرافِعينَ مِنَ الأَعلامِ أَرفَعَها

وَالخافِضينَ مِنَ الأَعداءِ ما رَأَسا

وَالخافِضينَ مِنَ الأَعداءِ ما رَأَسا

Those who raise the loftiest banners,

The Rafa‘is, the highest of all standards,

and bring low any enemy who rises to leadership.

And foes they lower, whatever their station,

لَقَد رَعَوا تَلَعات المَجدِ أَجمَعَها

لَقَد رَعَوا تَلَعات المَجدِ أَجمَعَها

وَجَدَّدوا مِن دُروسِ العِلمِ ما دَرَسا

وَجَدَّدوا مِن دُروسِ العِلمِ ما دَرَسا

Indeed, they have tended every height of glory,

They have harvested all the fruits of glory

and renewed the lessons of learning that had faded,

And revived the lessons of knowledge that were lost,

وَآثَروا مِن أَيادي الفَضلِ ما قَرَّبتَ

وَآثَروا مِن أَيادي الفَضلِ ما قَرَّبتَ

ثِمارَهُ وَمِنَ العَلياءِ ما قَعَسا

ثِمارَهُ وَمِنَ العَلياءِ ما قَعَسا

and favored those benefactions of virtue for which you brought near

They chose from the hands of merit what drew near

their fruits, and those lofty honors that stood unassailable.

Its fruits, and from the lofty what was out of reach.

ساروا عَلى أَثَرِ الفاروقِ جَدَّهُم

ساروا عَلى أَثَرِ الفاروقِ جَدَّهُم

وَلَن يَضِلَّ الَّذي مِن نورِهِ اِقتَبَسا

وَلَن يَضِلَّ الَّذي مِن نورِهِ اِقتَبَسا

They walked in the footsteps of al-Faruq, their forefather,

They followed in the footsteps of their grandfather the Faruq,

and whoever has drawn from his light will never go astray.

Those who drew light from his light will not go astray,

مِثلَ السُيوفِ المَواضي في ضَرائِبِها

مِثلَ السُيوفِ المَواضي في ضَرائِبِها

صَفّاً أُقيمَت لِشَرعِ المُصطَفى حَرَسا

صَفّاً أُقيمَت لِشَرعِ المُصطَفى حَرَسا

Like keen-edged swords in their blows,

Like bared swords in their sharp edges,

arrayed in a rank as guards for the Chosen One’s law.

A rank erected to guard the Law of Mustafa.

وَكُلُّ ذي أَدَبٍ يَبغي الكَمالَ فَمِن

وَكُلُّ ذي أَدَبٍ يَبغي الكَمالَ فَمِن

عَبدِ الحَميدِ يَرومُ الأُذُنَ مُلتَمِسا

عَبدِ الحَميدِ يَرومُ الأُذُنَ مُلتَمِسا

And every man of letters who seeks perfection turns to

And so every man of letters who seeks perfection—

Abd al-Hamid, petitioning to gain his ear.

From ‘Abdulhamid he hopes the ear will take note—

الشاعِرُ الفَذُّ لَو جاءَت قَريحَتُهُ

الشاعِرُ الفَذُّ لَو جاءَت قَريحَتُهُ

تَعارَضَ العارِضُ الهَطّالُ ما اِنبَجَسا

تَعارَضَ العارِضُ الهَطّالُ ما اِنبَجَسا

The peerless poet—were his inspiration to come

That consummate poet, if his talent came

to rival the pouring raincloud, that cloud would not gush forth.

To contend, the sublime rhymester would not prevail,

تَغدو عِذاري المَعاني قَيدَ خاطِرِهِ

تَغدو عِذاري المَعاني قَيدَ خاطِرِهِ

وَطالَما اِمتَنَعَت عَن غَيرِهِ شُمُسا

وَطالَما اِمتَنَعَت عَن غَيرِهِ شُمُسا

The virgins of meaning become captives of his mind,

The meanings are captives to his thoughts at dawn,

though long they have resisted others, untamable.

And have long refused any but him to harness them.

مِن مَعدِنٍ كُلُّهُ صافٍ وَلا عَجَبُ

مِن مَعدِنٍ كُلُّهُ صافٍ وَلا عَجَبُ

مَن تِلكُمُ النَفسِ نُلقي ذَلِكَ النَفسا

مَن تِلكُمُ النَفسِ نُلقي ذَلِكَ النَفسا

From a mine wholly pure—and no wonder

From a mine entirely unalloyed, small wonder

that from such a soul we encounter such a breath.

We get this soul when we expend that breath!

إِنّي أَقولُ وَخَيرَ القَولِ مُجمَلَهُ

إِنّي أَقولُ وَخَيرَ القَولِ مُجمَلَهُ

لَو جاءَ في عَصرِهِ الكِندِيُّ ما نَبَسا

لَو جاءَ في عَصرِهِ الكِندِيُّ ما نَبَسا

I say—and the best speech is the briefest—

I say outright, and best of sayings is the briefest:

had al-Kindi appeared in his age, he would not have uttered a word.

If al-Kindi came in his time he would not have measured up!

هَذِهِ طَرابُلسَ الفَيحاءَ حافِلَةٌ

هَذِهِ طَرابُلسَ الفَيحاءَ حافِلَةٌ

تَختالُ في حُلَلٍّ مِن عيدِهِ وَكُسا

تَختالُ في حُلَلٍّ مِن عيدِهِ وَكُسا

Here is spacious Tripoli, thronged,

This is illustrious Tripoli, decked out

strutting in robes and raiment for his jubilee.

In gowns of festival from her Eid.

عيدٌ لِخَمسينَ حولاً قَد تُنجِزَها

عيدٌ لِخَمسينَ حولاً قَد تُنجِزَها

في خِدمَةِ اللُغَةِ الفُصحى صَباحَ مَسا

في خِدمَةِ اللُغَةِ الفُصحى صَباحَ مَسا

A jubilee for fifty years you have completed

A fiftieth Eid it is soon to complete

in service to the eloquent Arabic tongue, morning and evening.

In the service of the eloquent Arabic language,

وَقَد أَبَتِ غَربَتي أَنّي أَرى وَطَني

وَقَد أَبَتِ غَربَتي أَنّي أَرى وَطَني

وَأَن أُشاهِدَ فيهِ ذَلِكَ العُرُسا

وَأَن أُشاهِدَ فيهِ ذَلِكَ العُرُسا

And my exile has kept me from seeing my homeland,

Though my exile refused me to see my homeland

and from witnessing that wedding celebration there.

And witness in it that wedding feast.