ما الشمس أملح من ساقٍ بها خطرا

ما الشمس أملح من ساقٍ بها خطرا

حلو الشمائل ينفي ريقه الخطرا

حلو الشمائل ينفي ريقه الخطرا

The sun is no lovelier than a cupbearer swaying with it,

No sun is brighter than a leg with a trace of danger,

sweet in manner, whose saliva banishes danger.

Sweet are the traits which make its spit dangerous,

مهفهف القد معسول اللمى غنجٍ

مهفهف القد معسول اللمى غنجٍ

حي اللثام إذا ناجيته سحرا

حي اللثام إذا ناجيته سحرا

Slender of figure, with honeyed, dusky lips, coquettish;

Slender of body, honeyed of touch, supple,

salute the veil when you whisper to him before dawn.

Alive are the wraps when I whisper to it secretly,

قوامه لبني الريان منتسبٌ

قوامه لبني الريان منتسبٌ

ووجهه لبني بدرٍ إذا سفرا

ووجهه لبني بدرٍ إذا سفرا

His figure claims kinship with the sons of al-Rayyan, the well-watered one,

Its figure is attributed to the moons of meadows,

and his face, when unveiled, with the sons of Badr, the full moon.

And its face to the full moons, when traveling,

إن ماس يوماً على الجلاس تحسبه

إن ماس يوماً على الجلاس تحسبه

موشَّحاً بعيون الناس متَّزرا

موشَّحاً بعيون الناس متَّزرا

If ever he sways before the seated guests, you would think him

If it stands for a day amongst the seated, you'd think

draped in people's eyes and girdled with them.

It's cloaked with the eyes of people and wearing robes,

هات اسقنيها على ريحان عارضه

هات اسقنيها على ريحان عارضه

لنوهم الليل أنا نشرب السحرا

لنوهم الليل أنا نشرب السحرا

Bring it; let me drink it to the basil of his cheek,

Give me the cup over its cheek's basil,

so we may fool the night into thinking we are drinking dawn.

To pretend for the night that I'm drinking magic,

ولا تحن لدار غير مصر فما

ولا تحن لدار غير مصر فما

أحلى الحنين لدارٍ تمقت الكدرا

أحلى الحنين لدارٍ تمقت الكدرا

And yearn for no land but Egypt, for how

Don't yearn for any land but Egypt, for what

sweet is longing for a land that abhors distress!

Sweetest yearning than for a land free of discontent,

ترابها ذهب في نيلها عجبٌ

ترابها ذهب في نيلها عجبٌ

أترابها لعبٌ ولدانها شُعَرا

أترابها لعبٌ ولدانها شُعَرا

Her soil is gold; in her Nile there is wonder.

Its soil is gold and its Nile is wonder,

Her maidens are dolls; her boys are poets.

Its people are cubs and its boys are hair,

فهي الولود التي بالبُهمِ ما حملت

فهي الولود التي بالبُهمِ ما حملت

يوماً ولا ولدت إلّا أسود شرى

يوماً ولا ولدت إلّا أسود شرى

For she is the prolific mother who never conceived lambs

She's the mother who with her desolation never

at any time, nor bore anything but lions of Shara.

Bore or gave birth except to noble blacks,

وهي التي يخطب التيجان صاحبها

وهي التي يخطب التيجان صاحبها

وتاجه لم نجد كفوءاً له بشرا

وتاجه لم نجد كفوءاً له بشرا

And she is the land whose lord is courted by crowns;

She's the one whose crown is sought by Caliphs

and we have found no mortal equal to his crown.

And we've never found one worthy of it among men,

حيث التفت ترى ماءً وفاكهةً

حيث التفت ترى ماءً وفاكهةً

فيها ونار قِرىً تذكو ونور قرى

فيها ونار قِرىً تذكو ونور قرى

Wherever you turn, you see water and fruit

Wherever you turn you see fruits and water in it

within her, and hospitality's fire ablaze, and the light of villages;

And lit villages, and villages shining bright,

وعالماً عاملاً أو شادناً غرداً

وعالماً عاملاً أو شادناً غرداً

يستعجل الكأس أو يستنطق الوترا

يستعجل الكأس أو يستنطق الوترا

and a scholar acting on his learning, or a tuneful young gazelle,

With a scholar working or a singer singing,

hurrying the cup along, or making the string speak.

Quickening the cups or making the strings speak,

سامى بنور ابن سامي كلَّ نيرة

سامى بنور ابن سامي كلَّ نيرة

وقال يا ليلُ صبحي حاضرٌ فسرى

وقال يا ليلُ صبحي حاضرٌ فسرى

With his light, Ibn Sami rivaled every shining star,

Sublime, the light of Ibn Sami lit all lamps

and said, 'O night, my dawn is here!'—and the night departed.

And said: O night, dawn is here, so be gone!

وأشرق الكون من لألاء غرته

وأشرق الكون من لألاء غرته

إشراق أحكامه بالعدل وازدهرا

إشراق أحكامه بالعدل وازدهرا

And the world shone with the brilliance of his brow,

The universe shone from the radiance that stunned it,

as his rulings shone with justice, and the world flourished.

The shining of his justice and good judgment,

فهو الوزير الذي حيث استوى جلب ال

فهو الوزير الذي حيث استوى جلب ال

أفراح وانتزع الأتراح والكدرا

أفراح وانتزع الأتراح والكدرا

For he is the minister who, wherever he takes his seat, brings the

He's the minister who brought joys wherever stationed

joys, and uproots sorrows and distress.

And seized distresses and sorrows away,

ذو المكرمات التي عاش الرجاء بها

ذو المكرمات التي عاش الرجاء بها

والمكرمات وباد الشح واندثرا

والمكرمات وباد الشح واندثرا

Possessor of noble deeds through which hope has lived,

Known for his gifts which hopes have lived by,

and noble deeds too; stinginess has perished and vanished.

Gifts that made stinginess expire and perish,

والواضع السيف يوم الروع موضعه

والواضع السيف يوم الروع موضعه

والمنزل الجود أحياءً له وقرى

والمنزل الجود أحياءً له وقرى

And he who puts the sword where it belongs on the day of dread,

The one who sheathed swords when fear peaked,

and who makes clans and villages dwellings for generosity.

And generosity resided in villages giving them life,

من ليس يفتك سيف من صوارمه

من ليس يفتك سيف من صوارمه

إلّا بهامة طاغٍ لج أو كفرا

إلّا بهامة طاغٍ لج أو كفرا

He whose keen swords deal no deadly blow

None of the sharp swords he possesses

save at the head of a tyrant who is obstinate or unbelieving.

Attacks except the forehead of an oppressor or blasphemer,

لا دك باريه سوراً من مهابته

لا دك باريه سوراً من مهابته

ولا ثنى منه ليثاً يقرأ السورا

ولا ثنى منه ليثاً يقرأ السورا

May his Maker never raze a rampart of his majesty,

No lion with readings of protection spells

nor bend the lion in him who recites the surahs.

Or walls can stand against his awe,

به تذكرت أوطاني ومرتبعي

به تذكرت أوطاني ومرتبعي

وحظ مصر وقومي السادة الكبرا

وحظ مصر وقومي السادة الكبرا

Through him I recalled my native lands and my springtime home,

With him I recalled my home and apartments

and Egypt's good fortune, and my people, the great lords.

And fortune of Egypt and my noble people,

وقلت يا ليت عيني ما رأت همجاً

وقلت يا ليت عيني ما رأت همجاً

في الشام تشبه من أوباشها البقرا

في الشام تشبه من أوباشها البقرا

And I said: ah, if only my eye had never seen rabble

And said: Would that my eyes hadn't seen nomads

in al-Sham, from its riffraff, resembling cattle,

In Damascus, resembling its bovine riffraff,

ولم تذق بعد ماء النيل راحلتي

ولم تذق بعد ماء النيل راحلتي

من نهر باياس ماءً خاثراً قذرا

من نهر باياس ماءً خاثراً قذرا

and my mount, after the Nile's water, had never tasted

And that after Nile water, my she-camel's mouth

thick, filthy water from the Bayas River.

Hadn't tasted the brackish water of Barada River,

هي المقادير لا مصر التي أمرت

هي المقادير لا مصر التي أمرت

أن نسكن الشام باريها الذي أمرا

أن نسكن الشام باريها الذي أمرا

It was fate, not Egypt, that decreed

It's the fates, not Egypt, that ordered us

that we dwell in al-Sham; her Maker gave the command.

To live in Damascus with its ruler that commanded us,

كأنها علمت ذلي ومسكنتي

كأنها علمت ذلي ومسكنتي

فأرسلت لسروري سيد الوزرا

فأرسلت لسروري سيد الوزرا

As though she knew my humiliation and my destitution,

As if they knew my plight and dwelling

so she sent the lord of ministers to bring me joy.

And sent the master of ministers to bring me joy,