سلام يا وزير المال مني

إليك ومن جميع المخلصينا

Greetings, O Minister of Finance, from me

to you, and from all the sincere.

وتكرمة لقدرك من شيوخ

ونواب جزاء العاملينا

And honor for your standing from senators

and deputies, as a reward for those who serve.

ويا ابن الكابر الموفي قديماً

لمصر ويا شقيق الكابرينا

And O son of the eminent man who long ago fulfilled his duty

to Egypt, O brother of the eminent men.

تخيرك المحيط بكل أمر

فكنت له وكان لك المعينا

The one versed in every affair chose you,

so you stood by him, and he was your helper.

له ولك التقى الحزبان صحباً

فكانوا القادة المتكافئينا

For him and you, the two parties met as companions,

and became leaders of equal standing.

وقد جمعتهمُ للخير نجوى

كجمع الأم أبرار البنينا

And private counsel brought them together for good,

as a mother gathers her dutiful sons.

ومن يفخر بكثرته اعتداداً

فهم بكما السراة الأكثرونا

And whoever boasts proudly of his numbers—

they, through you both, are the nobles more numerous still.

نصرت الأولين وهم رفاق

ومنك اليوم نصر الآخرينا

You aided the former when they were comrades,

and from you today comes aid for the latter.

وفارقت الذين مضوا يساراً

وسايرت الذين مضوا يمينا

And you parted from those who went leftward,

and kept pace with those who went rightward.

وما للخارجين عليك دعوى

سوى دعوى الرواة المرجفينا

Those who rise against you have no claim

beyond the claims of tellers of alarming rumors.

ولم نر في الذي اعتادوه عذراً

لهم إلا الوساوس والظنونا

We have seen no excuse in what they habitually do

for them, except misgivings and suspicions.

تركتهمُ كما تركوك عتباً

وأنت وهم لعُتْبَى عائدونا

You left them, as they left you, in reproach,

and you and they will return to reconciliation.

وما زالت قلوبهمُ صحاحاً

وما فقدوا البصائر والعيونا

And their hearts have remained sound,

and they have not lost discernment or their eyes.

وما هم حاملون عليك حقداً

وإن كانوا أشد الحاسبينا

And they bear you no grudge,

even if they are the sternest in holding you to account.

وما شغلتك نذر الحرب عنهم

وقد أوسعتهم بأساً ولينا

Nor have the portents of war distracted you from them,

and you have shown them firmness and gentleness in full measure.

إذا أرضيت أمتك اطمأنت

إليك وهان شر الغاضبينا

If you satisfy your nation, it will feel secure

with you, and the harm of the angry will count for little.

وزير المال تجمعه حلالاً

وتقسمه بعدل الحازمينا

Minister of Finance, you collect wealth lawfully,

and distribute it with the justice of the resolute.

جبيت خراجه من كل مثرٍ

فكان زكاته للمعوزينا

You collected its tax revenue from every wealthy person,

and it became the alms due on that wealth for the needy.

فروضٌ ما تحصل لا مكوسٌ

تؤديها وتقضيها أمينا

Prescribed dues are what you collect, not oppressive levies;

you pay them out and discharge them faithfully.

وإن كانت هبات أو قروضاً

فقد وجدت لها منك الضمينا

And whether they are gifts or loans,

they have found in you their guarantor.

لهم منهم أخذت وهم سواء

أمامك يدفعون ويأخذونا

For their benefit you took from them, and they are equal

before you, paying and receiving.

وما يعطون من عرض معادٌ

إليهم جوهراً حسناً ثمينا

Whatever worldly goods they give are returned

to them as a fine and precious jewel.

وما تبقى بما دفعوه إلا

صلاح حياتهم دنياً ودينا

And with what they paid, you preserve nothing but

the welfare of their lives, in this world and in faith.

ومنفق واحدٍ مما اقتناه

لأمته سيرجعه مئينا

And whoever spends a single unit of what he has acquired

for his nation will regain it in hundreds.

ومن ثقلت ضرائبه عليه

فأنت له الكفيل بأن تهونا

And whoever finds his taxes burdensome,

you guarantee that they will grow lighter for him.

ومعطى الملك مهجته أيبقى

عليه بما حوت يده ضنينا

And one who gives the realm his lifeblood—will he remain

grudging toward it with what his hand holds?

وأية شرعة لا بد منها

خلت من طائعين وكارهينا

And what indispensable law

has been without the willing and the unwilling?

ومن أين اتهامك في كنوز

جعلت لها الملائك حارسينا

And whence comes any accusation against you over treasures

for which you appointed angels as guardians?

وتلك خزائن اللّه استزادت

فكنت لها أعف المالئينا

And those are God's treasuries, which asked for more,

so you were the most incorruptible of those who filled them.

وما الدينار بين يديك يسعى

سوى الجنديّ يحتل الحصونا

And the dinar moving between your hands is nothing

but a soldier occupying fortresses.

ولولا المال لم تملك سبيلاً

إلى الآمال أيدي المصلحينا

Without money, no path could be secured

toward their hopes by the hands of reformers.

رأت منك الديار ومن عليها

عياناً فوق ما علمت يقينا

The land and those upon it have seen from you

with their own eyes more than they knew for certain.

بنفسك بعد أهلك في حماها

بلغت مكانك الرحب المكينا

By your own efforts, after your family, within its bounds,

you attained your spacious, firmly established station.

وأفضل طيباتك وهي شتَّى

من الوادي نصيب الزارعينا

And the best of your benefactions, varied as they are,

is the cultivators' share from the valley.

قضيت الدين عنهم فاستعادوا

مرافقهم وما يستثمرونا

You settled their debt for them, and they regained

their resources and what they put to productive use.

وما بأس الغزاة على ديار

بأثقل من قيود الدائنينا

The onslaught of invaders upon a land is not

heavier than the shackles of creditors.

وأنت محل ما ترجو وترضى

بلادك وهي عقبى الماهرينا

And you are the object of the hopes and approval

of your country—such is the reward of the skillful.