أخذت نعشك مصر باليمين — Ahmed Shawqi

أَخَذَت نَعشَكِ مِصرُ بِاليَمين

وَحَوَتهُ مِن يَدِ الروحِ الأَمين

Egypt took your bier in her right hand,

And received it from the hand of the Trustworthy Spirit.

لَقِيَت طُهرَ بَقاياكِ كَما

لَقِيَت يَثرِبٌ أُمَّ المُؤمِنين

She received your pure remains as

Yathrib received the Mother of the Believers.

في سَوادَيها وَفي أَحشائِها

وَوَراءَ النَحرِ مِن حَبلِ الوَتين

In her two dark pupils and in her innermost depths,

And behind the breast, within the aorta's cord.

خَرَجَت مِن قَصرِكِ الباكي إِلى

رَملَةِ الثَغرِ إِلى القَصرِ الحَزين

She went out from your weeping palace to

Ramla by the port, to the grieving palace.

أَخَذَت بَينَ اليَتامى مَذهَباً

وَمَشَت في عَبَراتِ البائِسين

She took a path among the orphans,

And walked amid the tears of the wretched.

وَرَمَت طَرفاً إِلى البَحرِ تَرى

مِن وَراءِ الدَمعِ أَسرابَ السَفين

And cast a glance toward the sea, seeing

Through the tears, flocks of ships.

فَبَدَت جارِيَةٌ في حِضنِها

فَنَنُ الوَردِ وَفَرعُ الياسَمين

Then a ship appeared, in whose embrace lay

A spray of roses and a bough of jasmine.

وَعَلى جُؤجُئِها نورُ الهُدى

وَعَلى سُكّانِها نورُ اليَقين

Upon her prow was the light of guidance,

And upon her rudder, the light of certainty.

حَمَلَت مِن شاطِئِ مَرمَرَه

جَوهَرَ السُؤدُدِ وَالكَنزَ الثَمين

She carried from the shore of Marmara

The jewel of nobility and the precious treasure.

وَطَوَت بَحراً بِبَحرٍ وَجَرَت

في الأُجاجِ المِلحِ بِالعَذبِ المَعين

And traversed a sea bearing a sea, and sailed

Through bitter, salty water with sweet, flowing water.

وَاِستَقَلَّت دُرَّةً كانَت سَنىً

وَسَناءً في جِباهِ المالِكين

And bore a pearl that had been radiance

And splendor on the brows of rulers.

ذَهَبَت عَن عِليَةٍ صَيدٍ وَعَن

خُرَّدٍ مِن خَفِراتِ البَيتِ عين

She departed from proud nobles, and from

Wide-eyed maidens among the household's modest women.

وَالتَقِيّاتُ بَناتُ المُتَّقي

وَالآميناتُ بُنَيّاتُ الأَمين

And the pious women are daughters of the pious man,

And the trustworthy women, dear daughters of the trustworthy man.

لَبِسَت في مَطلَعِ العِزِّ الضُحى

وَنَضَتهُ كَالشُموسِ الآفِلين

She wore the morning light at the dawn of glory,

And shed it like setting suns.

يَدُها بانِيَةٌ غارِسَةٌ

كَيَدِ الشَمسِ وَإِن غابَ الجَبين

Her hand is a builder and a planter,

Like the sun's hand, though the brow has vanished.

رَبَّةُ العَرشَينِ في دَولَتِها

قَد رَكِبتِ اليَومَ عَرشَ العالَمين

Mistress of the two thrones in her reign,

Today you have mounted the throne of all worlds.

أُضجِعَت قَبلَكِ فيهِ مَريَمٌ

وَتَوارى بِنِساءِ المُرَسَلين

Mary was laid within it before you,

And it vanished from sight with the messengers' wives.

إِنَّهُ رَحلُ الأَوالي شَدَّهُ

لَهُم آدَمُ رُسلِ الآخَرين

It is the saddle of the ancients, fastened

For them by Adam, forefather of the later messengers.

اِخلَعي الأَلقابَ إِلّا لَقَباً

عَبقَرِيّاً هُوَ أُمُّ المُحسِنين

Cast off all titles save one,

A peerless title: Mother of the Benefactors.

وَدَعي المالَ يَسِر سُنَّتَهُ

يَمضِ عَن قَومٍ لِأَيدي آخَرين

And let wealth follow its accustomed course,

Passing from one people to the hands of others.

وَاِقذِفي بِالهَمِّ في وَجهِ الثَرى

وَاِطرَحي مِن حالِقٍ عِبءَ السِنين

And fling your cares into the face of the earth,

And cast from a lofty height the burden of the years.

وَاِسخَري مِن شانِئٍ أَو شامِتٍ

لَيسَ بِالمُخطِئِ يَومُ الشامِتين

And scoff at any hater or gloater;

The gloaters' day never misses its mark.

وَتَعَزّي عَن عَوادي دَولَةٍ

لَم تَدُم في وَلَدٍ أَو في قَرين

And take comfort against the ravages of a reign

That endured neither in a son nor in a consort.

وَاِزهَدي في مَوكِبٍ لَو شِئتِهِ

لَتَغَطّى وَجهُها بِالدارِعين

And disdain a procession: had you desired it,

Her face would have been covered with armored men.

ما الَّذي رَدَّ عَلى أَصحابِهِ

لَيسَ يُحيِ مَوكِبُ الدَفنِ الدَفين

What has it restored to its owners?

A funeral procession does not revive the buried.

رُبَّ مَحمولٍ عَلى المِدفَعِ ما

مَنَعَ الحَوضَ وَلا حاطَ العَرين

Many a man borne on a cannon never

Defended the watering-place or guarded the den.

باطِلٌ مِن أُمَمٍ مَخدوعَةٍ

يَتَحَدّونَ بِهِ الحَقَّ المُبين

A vain show from deluded nations,

With which they challenge the manifest truth.

في فَروقٍ وَرُباها مَأتَمٌ

ذَرَفَت آماقَها فيهِ العُيون

In Faruq and upon its hills is a mourning assembly,

Where eyes wept out their very corners.

قامَ فيها مِن عَقيلاتِ الحِمى

مَلَأٌ بُدِّلنَ مِن عِزٍّ بِهون

There arose, from the noble ladies of the sanctuary,

A company whose glory was exchanged for humiliation:

أُسَرٌ مالَت بِها الدُنيا فَلَم

تَلقَ إِلّا عِندَكِ الرُكنَ الرَكين

Families whom the world had brought low, who did not

Find a steadfast pillar except with you.

قَد خَلا بَيبَكُ مِن حاتِمِه

وَمِنَ الكاسينَ فيهِ الطاعِمين

Bebek stands bereft of its Hatim,

And of those who were clothed and fed there.

طارَتِ النِعمَةُ عَن أَيكَتِه

وَاِنقَضى ما كانَ مِن خَفضٍ وَلين

Bounty has taken flight from its grove,

And its former ease and comfort have ended.

اليَتامى نُوَّحٌ ناحِيَةً

وَالمَساكينُ يَمُدّونَ الرَنين

The orphans wail to one side,

And the poor prolong their lament.

دَولَةٌ مالَت وَسُلطانٌ خَلا

دُوِّلَت نُعماهُ بَينَ الأَقرَبين

A dynasty has waned, and a sultan has departed;

His bounty has passed in turn among the nearest kin.

مُنهِضُ الشَرقِ عَلِيٌّ لَم يَزَل

مِن بَنيهِ سَيِّدٌ في عابِدين

Ali, awakener of the East—there still remains

Among his sons a sovereign in Abidin.

يُصلِحُ اللَهُ بِهِ ما أَفسَدَت

فَتَراتُ الدَهرِ مِن دُنيا وَدين

May God set right through him what was corrupted

By the lapses of time, in worldly life and faith.

أُمَّ عَبّاسٍ وَما لي لَم أَقُل

أُمَّ مِصرَ مِن بَناتٍ وَبَنين

O Mother of Abbas—and why did I not say

Mother of Egypt's daughters and sons?

كُنتِ كَالوَردِ لَهُم وَاِستَقبَلوا

دَولَةَ الرَيحانِ حيناً بَعدَ حين

You were like roses to them, and they welcomed

The reign of sweet basil, time after time.

فَيُقالُ الأُمُّ في مَوكِبِها

وَيُقالُ الحَرَمُ العالي المَصون

So they say: the Mother in her procession,

And they say: the Exalted, Inviolate Consort.

العَفيفِيُّ عَفافٌ وَهُدىً

كَالبَقيعِ الطُهرِ ضَمَّ الطاهِرين

Al-Afifi is chastity and guidance;

Like pure al-Baqi, it has embraced the pure.

اُدخُلي الجَنَّةَ مِن رَوضَتِه

إِنَّ فيها غُرفَةً لِلصابِرين

Enter Paradise from its garden;

Indeed, within it is a chamber for those who endure.