قَبرَ الوَزيرِ تَحِيَّةَ وَسَلاما

قَبرَ الوَزيرِ تَحِيَّةَ وَسَلاما

الحِلمُ وَالمَعروفُ فيكَ أَقاما

الحِلمُ وَالمَعروفُ فيكَ أَقاما

O minister's grave, greetings and peace!

The minister's grave, greetings and peace

Forbearance and benevolence have dwelt in you.

Wisdom and kindness in you resided

وَمَحاسِنُ الأَخلاقِ فيكَ تَغَيَّبَت

وَمَحاسِنُ الأَخلاقِ فيكَ تَغَيَّبَت

عاماً وَسَوفَ تُغَيَّبُ الأَعواما

عاماً وَسَوفَ تُغَيَّبُ الأَعواما

And the virtues of character have lain hidden within you

And good morals in you have vanished

For a year, and will remain hidden for years to come.

For a year, though years will make them vanish

قَد كُنتَ صَومَعَةً فَصِرتَ كَنيسَةً

قَد كُنتَ صَومَعَةً فَصِرتَ كَنيسَةً

في ظِلِّها صَلّى المُطيفُ وَصاما

في ظِلِّها صَلّى المُطيفُ وَصاما

Once you were a hermitage, then became a church,

You were a monastery, now a church

In whose shade the visitor prayed and fasted.

In whose shade the wandering prayed and fasted

وَالقَومُ حَولَكَ يا اِبنَ غالي خُشَّعٌ

وَالقَومُ حَولَكَ يا اِبنَ غالي خُشَّعٌ

يَقضونَ حَقّاً واجِباً وَذِماما

يَقضونَ حَقّاً واجِباً وَذِماما

And the people around you, O son of Ghali, are reverent,

And the people around you, oh precious son

Fulfilling a binding duty and honoring a bond of loyalty.

Praying a duty and obligation sincerely

يَسعَونَ بِالأَبصارِ نَحوَ سَريرِهِ

يَسعَونَ بِالأَبصارِ نَحوَ سَريرِهِ

كَالأَرضِ تَنشُدُ في السَماءِ غَماما

كَالأَرضِ تَنشُدُ في السَماءِ غَماما

Their eyes strain toward his bier,

They glance towards his bier

Like the earth seeking clouds in the sky.

Like the land seeking clouds in the sky

يَبكونَ مَوئِلَهُم وَكَهفَ رَجائِهِم

يَبكونَ مَوئِلَهُم وَكَهفَ رَجائِهِم

وَالأَريحِيَّ المُفضِلِ المِقداما

وَالأَريحِيَّ المُفضِلِ المِقداما

They mourn their refuge and the cave of their hopes,

They weep for their refuge and source of hope

And the generous, beneficent, intrepid man.

And the courageous, preferred protector

مُتَسابِقينَ إِلى ثَراكَ كَأَنَّهُم

مُتَسابِقينَ إِلى ثَراكَ كَأَنَّهُم

ناديكَ في عِزِّ الحَياةِ زِحاما

ناديكَ في عِزِّ الحَياةِ زِحاما

Racing one another to your dust, as though they

Competing to your burial place as though

Were thronging your assembly in life's full glory.

They called you in life’s prime, crowding

وَدّوا غَداةَ نُقِلتَ بَينَ عُيونِهِم

وَدّوا غَداةَ نُقِلتَ بَينَ عُيونِهِم

لَو كانَ ذَلِكَ مَحشَراً وَقِياما

لَو كانَ ذَلِكَ مَحشَراً وَقِياما

They wished, the morning you were carried before their eyes,

They wished the morn you were carried before their eyes

That this had been the Gathering and Resurrection.

It were judgement day and the awakening

ماذا لَقيتَ مِنَ الرِياساتِ وَالعُلا

ماذا لَقيتَ مِنَ الرِياساتِ وَالعُلا

وَأَخَذتَ مِن نِعَمِ الحَياةِ جِساما

وَأَخَذتَ مِن نِعَمِ الحَياةِ جِساما

What high office and eminence you attained,

What have you gained of glory and prestige

And what great blessings of life you received!

And taken of the bounties of life, bodily

اليَومَ يُغني عَنكَ لَوعَةُ بائِسٍ

اليَومَ يُغني عَنكَ لَوعَةُ بائِسٍ

وَعَزاءُ أَرمَلَةٍ وَحُزنُ يَتامى

وَعَزاءُ أَرمَلَةٍ وَحُزنُ يَتامى

Today a poor man's anguish avails you,

Today, a miserable one’s agony consoles you

And a widow's mourning, and the grief of orphans.

And a widow’s solace and orphans’ sorrow

وَالرَأيُ لِلتاريخِ فيكَ فَفي غَدٍ

وَالرَأيُ لِلتاريخِ فيكَ فَفي غَدٍ

يَزِنُ الرِجالَ وَيَنطِقُ الأَحكاما

يَزِنُ الرِجالَ وَيَنطِقُ الأَحكاما

And judgment of you belongs to history; for tomorrow

And the view for history regarding you, so tomorrow

It will weigh men and pronounce its verdicts.

It will weigh men and speak judgements

يَقضي عَلَيهِم في البَرِيَّةِ أَو لَهُم

يَقضي عَلَيهِم في البَرِيَّةِ أَو لَهُم

وَيُديمُ حَمداً أَو يُؤَيِّدُ ذاما

وَيُديمُ حَمداً أَو يُؤَيِّدُ ذاما

It rules against them or for them among humankind,

Judging for or against them in the wild

And perpetuates praise or upholds censure.

Or lasting praise or supporting blame

أَنتَ الحَكيمُ فَلا تَرُعكَ مَنِيَّةٌ

أَنتَ الحَكيمُ فَلا تَرُعكَ مَنِيَّةٌ

أَعَلِمتَ حَيّاً غَيرَ رِفدِكَ داما

أَعَلِمتَ حَيّاً غَيرَ رِفدِكَ داما

You are wise; let no death alarm you.

You are wise, so do not fret over death

Have you known any living thing but your bounty to endure?

You knew in life, your heritage everlasting

إِنَّ الَّذي خَلَقَ الحَياةَ وَضِدَّها

إِنَّ الَّذي خَلَقَ الحَياةَ وَضِدَّها

جَعَلَ البَقاءَ لِوَجهِهِ إِكراما

جَعَلَ البَقاءَ لِوَجهِهِ إِكراما

Indeed, He who created life and its opposite

Indeed, He who created life and its opposite

Reserved everlastingness for His own countenance in honor.

Made permanence for His sake, honoring

قَد عِشتَ تُحدِثُ لِلنَصارى أُلفَةً

قَد عِشتَ تُحدِثُ لِلنَصارى أُلفَةً

وَتُجِدُّ بَينَ المُسلِمينَ وِئاما

وَتُجِدُّ بَينَ المُسلِمينَ وِئاما

You lived fostering amity among Christians,

You lived creating affinity amongst Christians

And renewing harmony among Muslims.

And harmony amongst Muslims, reconciling

وَاليَومَ فَوقَ مَشيدِ قَبرِكَ مَيتاً

وَاليَومَ فَوقَ مَشيدِ قَبرِكَ مَيتاً

وَجَدَ المُوَفَّقُ لِلمَقالِ مَقاما

وَجَدَ المُوَفَّقُ لِلمَقالِ مَقاما

And today, above your lofty tomb, as you lie dead,

And today, above your erected grave, deceased

One rightly guided has found an occasion to speak.

The eloquent found scope for words

الحَقُّ أَبلَجُ كَالصَباحِ لِناظِرٍ

الحَقُّ أَبلَجُ كَالصَباحِ لِناظِرٍ

لَو أَنَّ قَوماً حَكَّموا الأَحلاما

لَو أَنَّ قَوماً حَكَّموا الأَحلاما

Truth is bright as morning to one who looks,

The truth is evident like dawn to a seer

If only people would make reason their judge.

If only a people judged dreams

أَعَهِدتَنا وَالقِبطُ إِلّا أُمَّةٌ

أَعَهِدتَنا وَالقِبطُ إِلّا أُمَّةٌ

لِلأَرضِ واحِدَةٌ تَرومُ مَراما

لِلأَرضِ واحِدَةٌ تَرومُ مَراما

Have you known us and the Copts as anything but a nation,

You entrusted us, Copts being but a nation

United for this land, pursuing a common aim?

To the land, one, seeking purpose

نُعلي تَعاليمَ المَسيحِ لِأَجلِهِم

نُعلي تَعاليمَ المَسيحِ لِأَجلِهِم

وَيُوَقِّرونَ لِأَجلِنا الإِسلاما

وَيُوَقِّرونَ لِأَجلِنا الإِسلاما

We exalt Christ's teachings for their sake,

We revere Jesus’ teachings for their sake

And for our sake they revere Islam.

And they revere Islam for ours

الدينُ لِلدَيّانِ جَلَّ جَلالُهُ

الدينُ لِلدَيّانِ جَلَّ جَلالُهُ

لَو شاءَ رَبُّكَ وَحَّدَ الأَقواما

لَو شاءَ رَبُّكَ وَحَّدَ الأَقواما

Religion belongs to the Judge—exalted is His majesty.

Religion is for the Judge, Majestic is His Majesty

Had your Lord willed, He would have made the peoples one.

If your Lord willed, He would unite peoples

يا قَومُ بانَ الرُشدُ فَاِقصوا ما جَرى

يا قَومُ بانَ الرُشدُ فَاِقصوا ما جَرى

وَخُذوا الحَقيقَةَ وَاِنبُذوا الأَوهاما

وَخُذوا الحَقيقَةَ وَاِنبُذوا الأَوهاما

O people, right guidance is clear; set aside what has passed,

Oh people, righteousness is clear, so reflect on what transpired

And embrace the truth and cast away illusions.

And take the truth, forsaking delusions

هَذي رُبوعُكُمُ وَتِلكَ رُبوعُنا

هَذي رُبوعُكُمُ وَتِلكَ رُبوعُنا

مُتَقابِلينَ نُعالِجُ الأَيّاما

مُتَقابِلينَ نُعالِجُ الأَيّاما

Here are your dwellings, and there are ours,

Facing time, side by side

Facing one another, we wrestle with the days.

Adjacent skulls and bones

هَذي قُبورُكُمُ وَتِلكَ قُبورُنا

هَذي قُبورُكُمُ وَتِلكَ قُبورُنا

مُتَجاوِرينَ جَماجِماً وَعِظاما

مُتَجاوِرينَ جَماجِماً وَعِظاما

Here are your graves, and there are ours,

So by sanctity of the deceased and their due right

Side by side, as skulls and bones.

Live as neighborliness decrees, nobly

فَبِحُرمَةِ المَوتى وَواجِبِ حَقِّهِم

فَبِحُرمَةِ المَوتى وَواجِبِ حَقِّهِم

عيشوا كَما يَقضي الجِوارُ كِراما

عيشوا كَما يَقضي الجِوارُ كِراما

So by the sanctity of the dead and the rights owed them,

Live nobly, as neighborliness demands.