اليَومَ أَصعَدُ دونَ قَبرِكَ مِنبَرا

وَأُقَلِّدُ الدُنيا رِثاءَكَ جَوهَرا

Today I ascend a pulpit by your grave

And adorn the elegy of you with gems

وَأَقُصُّ مِن شِعري كِتابَ مَحاسِنٍ

تَتَقَدَّمُ العُلَماءَ فيهِ مُسَطَّرا

And I recount from my poetry a book of virtues

Leading scholars have it inscribed

ذِكراً لِفَضلِكَ عِندَ مِصرَ وَأَهلِها

وَالفَضلُ مِن حُرُماتِهِ أَن يُذكَرا

Mentioning your merit in Egypt and its people

Merit is inviolable so it must be mentioned

العِلمُ لا يُعلي المَراتِبَ وَحدَهُ

كَم قَدَّمَ العَمَلُ الرِجالَ وَأَخَّرا

Knowledge alone does not raise ranks

Often deeds advance men and humiliate others

وَالعِلمُ أَشبَهُ بِالسَماءِ رِجالُهُ

خُلِطَت جَهاماً في السَحابِ وَمُمطِرا

And knowledge is most like the sky, its men

Are mixed with clouds, rain-bearing and prolific

طُفنا بِقَبرِكَ وَاِستَلَمنا جَندَلاً

كَالرُكنِ أَزكى وَالحَطيمِ مُطَهَّرا

We circumambulated your grave and received a pillar

As if the Holy House, pure and sanctified

بَينَ التَشَرُّفِ وَالخُشوعِ كَأَنَّما

نَستَقبِلُ الحَرَمَ الشَريفَ مُنَوَّرا

Between reverence and humility as though

We greet the glorious sanctuary illuminated

لَو أَنصَفوكَ جَنادِلاً وَصَفائِحاً

جَعَلوكَ بِالذِكرِ الحَكيمِ مُسَوَّرا

If they equated you with shrouds and panels

They would have fortified you with wise mention

يا مَن أَراني الدَهرُ صِحَّةَ وُدِّهِ

وَالوُدُّ في الدُنيا حَديثٌ مُفتَرى

O you whom time showed me sincere affection

While affection in the world is often contrived

وَسَمِعتُ بِالخُلُقِ العَظيمِ رِوايَةً

فَأَرانِيَ الخُلُقَ العَظيمَ مُصَوَّرا

And I heard the narration of your noble manners

So it showed me your noble manners captured

ماذا لَقيتَ مِنَ الرُقادِ وَطولِهِ

أَنا فيكَ أَلقى لَوعَةً وَتَحَسُّرا

What did you meet of long rest

While I meet in you agony and regret

نَم ما بَدا لَكَ آمِناً في مَنزِلٍ

الدَهرُ أَقصَرُ فيهِ مِن سِنَةِ الكَرى

You slept unafraid in a home

While time in it is shorter than a wink

ما زِلتَ في حَمدِ الفِراشِ وَذَمِّهِ

حَتّى لَقيتَ بِهِ الفِراشَ الأَوثَرا

You never ceased praising wakefulness and criticizing sleep

Until you met the most abundant sleep

لا تَشكُوَنَّ الضُرَّ مِن حَشَراتِهِ

حَشَراتُ هَذا الناسِ أَقبَحُ مَنظَرا

Do not complain of its vermin

The creatures of mankind are uglier sights

يا سَيِّدَ النادي وَحامِلَ هَمِّهِ

خَلَّفتَهُ تَحتَ الرَزِيَّةِ موقَرا

O chief of the club bearing its concerns

You left it honored beneath presidency

شَهِدَ الأَعادي كَم سَهِرتَ لِمَجدِهِ

وَغَدَوتَ في طَلَبِ المَزيدِ مُشَمِّرا

Your enemies testify how you stayed up for its glory

And rose seeking more, resolved

وَكَمِ اِتَّقَيتَ الكَيدَ وَاِستَدفَعتَهُ

وَرَمَيتَ عُدوانَ الظُنونِ فَأَقصَرا

And how you were cautious of plots and repelled them

And cast off the aggression of suspicious minds

وَلَبِثتَ عَن حَوضِ الشَبيبَةِ ذائِداً

حَتّى جَزاكَ اللَهُ عَنهُ الكَوثَرا

And you remained, banning from the basin of youth

Until God recompensed you with abundance

شُبّانُ مِصرَ حِيالَ قَبرِكَ خُشَّعٌ

لا يَملِكونَ سِوى مَدامِعِهِم قِرى

The youth of Egypt are humble at your grave

Possessing nothing but their flowing tears

جَمَعَ الأَسى لَكَ جَمعَهُم في واحِدٍ

كانَ الشَبابَ الواجِدَ المُستَعبِرا

Grief has gathered them into one

The passionate youth, lamenting

لَولاكَ ما عَرَفوا التَعاوُنَ بَينَهُم

فيما يَسُرُّ وَلا عَلى ما كَدَّرا

Were it not for you they would not have known cooperation

In what gladdens or what ever marred

حَيثُ اِلتَفَتَّ رَأَيتَ حَولَكَ مِنهُمُ

آثارَ إِحسانٍ وَغَرساً مُثمِرا

Wherever you glanced you saw around you from them

Traces of benevolence and fertile plantation

كَم مَنطِقٍ لَكَ في البِلادِ وَحِكمَةٍ

وَالعَقلُ بَينَهُما يُباعُ وَيُشتَرى

How much eloquence and wisdom you had in the country

While intellect amongst them is sold and bought

تَمشي إِلى الأَكواخِ تُرشِدُ أَهلَها

مَشيَ الحَوارِيّينَ يَهدونَ القُرى

You walk to the shacks to guide their people

Like the disciples guiding the villages

مُتَواضِعاً لِلَّهِ بَينَ عِبادِهِ

وَاللَهُ يُبغِضُ عَبدَهُ المُتَكَبِّرا

Humble before God among His servants

And God despises His arrogant servant

لَم تَدرِ نَفسُكَ ما الغُرورُ وَطالَما

دَخَلَ الغُرورُ عَلى الكِبارِ فَصَغَّرا

Your soul never knew arrogance though often

Arrogance diminishes even the great

في كُلِّ ناحِيَةٍ تَخُطُّ نِقابَةً

فيها حَياةُ أَخي الزِراعَةِ لَو دَرى

In every direction you sketch an association

In it is the life of farming O brother if you but knew

هِيَ كيمِياؤُكَ لا خُرافَةُ جابِرٍ

تَذَرُ المُقِلَّ مِنَ الجَماعَةِ مُكثِرا

It is your chemistry not the myths of Geber

Leaving the group with little, multiplying

وَالمالُ لا تَجني ثِمارَ رُؤوسِهِ

حَتّى يُصيبَ مِنَ الرُؤوسِ مُدَبِّرا

And money bears no fruit unless

It meets with managing heads

وَالمُلكُ بِالأَموالِ أَمنَعُ جانِباً

وَأَعَزُّ سُلطاناً وَأَصدَقُ مَظهَرا

And wealth makes a kingdom's position firmer

Its authority more precious and its image truer

إِنّا لَفي زَمَنٍ سِفاهُ شُعوبِهِ

في مُلكِهِم كَالمَرءِ في بَيتِ الكِرا

We are in times whose people's frivolity

In their kingdom is like man inside his house of ants

أَسِواكَ مِن أَهلِ المَبادِىءِ مَن دَعا

لِلجِدِّ أَو جَمَعَ القُلوبَ النُفَّرا

I ask who of the people of principles called

For commitment or gathered estranged hearts

المَوتُ قَبلَكَ في البَرِيَّةِ لَم يَهَب

طَهَ الأَمينُ وَلا يَسوعُ الخَيِّرا

Death before you in the wilderness blew

Neither Moses the Trusted nor Jesus the Good

لَمّا دُعيتُ أَتَيتُ أَنثُرُ مَدمَعي

وَلَوِ اِستَطَعتَ نَثَرتُ جَفني في الثَرى

When I was called I came to shed my tears

If I could, I would shed my eyelids into the soil

أَبكي يَمينَكَ في التُرابِ غَمامَةً

وَالصَدرَ بَحراً وَالفُؤادَ غَضَنفَرا

I weep for your right hand in the dust, clouded

My chest an ocean and my heart a grove

لَم أُعطَ عَنكَ تَصَبُّراً وَأَنا الَّذي

عَزَّيتُ فيكَ عَنِ الأَميرِ المَعشَرا

I was not stoic about you though I

Consoled about the well-regarded prince

أَزِنُ الرِجالَ وَلي يَراعٌ طالَما

خَلَعَ الثَناءَ عَلى الكِرامِ مُحَبَّرا

I appraise men and I have a shepherd who long

Shed praise on the generous gilded

بِالأَمسِ أَرسَلتُ الرِثاءَ مُمَسَّكاً

وَاليَومَ أَهتِفُ بِالثَناءِ مُعَنبَرا

Yesterday I sent the elegy gripped

Today I shout praise from the pulpit

غَيَّرتَني حُزناً وَغَيَّرَكَ البِلى

وَهَواكَ يَأبى في الفُؤادِ تَغَيُّرا

You changed me in sorrow and decay changed you

Though my passion refuses change within me

فَعَلَيَّ حِفظُ العَهدِ حَتّى نَلتَقي

وَعَلَيكَ أَن تَرعاهُ حَتّى نُحشَرا

So keeping my vow is upon me until we meet

And upon you to observe it until we are gathered