آلَ زَغلولَ حَسبُكُم مِن عَزاءٍ

آلَ زَغلولَ حَسبُكُم مِن عَزاءٍ

سُنَّةُ المَوتِ في النَبِيِّ وَآلِه

سُنَّةُ المَوتِ في النَبِيِّ وَآلِه

Family of Zaghlul, sufficient consolation for you is

O Zaghlool, your loss is enough of a consolation

death's law, which held for the Prophet and his family.

Death's law upon the Prophet and his family

في خِلالِ الخُطوبِ ما راعَ إِلّا

في خِلالِ الخُطوبِ ما راعَ إِلّا

أَنَّها دونَ صَبرِكُم وَجَمالِه

أَنَّها دونَ صَبرِكُم وَجَمالِه

Amid calamities, the only marvel was

Amidst calamities it cared for naught

that they fell short of your patience and its beauty.

Except that it fell short of your patience and beauty

حَمَلَ الرُزءَ عَنكُمُ في سَعيدٍ

حَمَلَ الرُزءَ عَنكُمُ في سَعيدٍ

بَلَدٌ شَيخُكُم أَبو أَحمالِه

بَلَدٌ شَيخُكُم أَبو أَحمالِه

The loss of Sa'id was shouldered for you

It took the sadness from you in Sa'eed

by a country whose burdens your elder bears.

A country whose elder is the bearer of its burdens

قَد دَهاهُ مِن فَقدِهِ ما دَهاكُم

قَد دَهاهُ مِن فَقدِهِ ما دَهاكُم

وَبَكى ما بَكَيتُمُ مِن خِلالِه

وَبَكى ما بَكَيتُمُ مِن خِلالِه

His loss struck it as it struck you,

It has stunned him by its loss as it stunned you

and it wept, as you wept, for his virtues.

And he cried what you cried in his agony

فَكَما كانَ ذُخرُكُم وَمُناكُم

فَكَما كانَ ذُخرُكُم وَمُناكُم

كانَ مِن ذُخرِهِ وَمِن آمالِه

كانَ مِن ذُخرِهِ وَمِن آمالِه

For just as he was your treasure and your hope,

Just as he was your treasure and refuge

he was among its treasures and its hopes.

He was among his treasure and hopes

لَيتَ مَن فَكَّ أَسرَكُم لَم يَكِلهُ

لَيتَ مَن فَكَّ أَسرَكُم لَم يَكِلهُ

لِلمَنايا تَمُدُّهُ في اِعتِقالِه

لِلمَنايا تَمُدُّهُ في اِعتِقالِه

Would that the one who freed you from captivity had not entrusted him

If only he who freed you was not destined

to death, to prolong his captivity.

To be handed to death during his detention

حَجَبَت مِن رَبيعِهِ ما رَجَوتُم

حَجَبَت مِن رَبيعِهِ ما رَجَوتُم

وَطَوَت رِحلَةَ العُلا مِن هِلالِه

وَطَوَت رِحلَةَ العُلا مِن هِلالِه

It veiled what you hoped for from his springtime,

It veiled the spring you hoped for

and folded up his journey to glory while his moon was still a crescent.

And folded the journey to glory from its crescent

آنَسَت صِحَّةً فَمَرَّت عَلَيها

آنَسَت صِحَّةً فَمَرَّت عَلَيها

وَتَخَطَّت شَبابَهُ لَم تُبالِه

وَتَخَطَّت شَبابَهُ لَم تُبالِه

It saw his health, yet passed over it,

It glimpsed health and passed it by

and strode beyond his youth, paying him no heed.

And skipped his youth not caring for it

إِنَّما مِن كِتابِهِ يُتَوَفّى ال

إِنَّما مِن كِتابِهِ يُتَوَفّى ال

مَرءُ لا مِن شَبابِهِ وَاِكتِهالِه

مَرءُ لا مِن شَبابِهِ وَاِكتِهالِه

Only by his book of fate is taken in death

Man only dies at his appointed time

a person—not by his youth or middle age.

Not in his prime or at his peak

لَستَ تَدري الحِمامُ بِالغابِ هَل حا

لَستَ تَدري الحِمامُ بِالغابِ هَل حا

مَ عَلى اللَيثِ أَم عَلى أَشبالِه

مَ عَلى اللَيثِ أَم عَلى أَشبالِه

You cannot tell whether death in the forest has hovered

You know not, o dove, whether the eagle carried off

over the lion or over his cubs.

The lion or its cubs

يا سَعيدُ اِتَّئِد وَرِفقاً بِشَيخٍ

يا سَعيدُ اِتَّئِد وَرِفقاً بِشَيخٍ

والِهٍ مِن لَواعِجِ الثُكلِ والِه

والِهٍ مِن لَواعِجِ الثُكلِ والِه

O Sa'id, go slowly, and be gentle with an elder

O Sa'eed, console and be gentle with an

distraught by the burning pangs of bereavement—distraught.

Elderly kinsman suffering the pangs of bereavement

ما كَفاهُ نَوائِبُ الحَقِّ حَتّى

ما كَفاهُ نَوائِبُ الحَقِّ حَتّى

زِدتَ في هَمِّهِ وَفي إِشغالِه

زِدتَ في هَمِّهِ وَفي إِشغالِه

Were the ordeals of right not enough for him, that

His share of the blows of fate did not suffice

you added to his sorrow and his cares?

Until you added to his worries and preoccupations

فَجَأَ الدَهرُ فَاِقتَضَبتُ القَوافي

فَجَأَ الدَهرُ فَاِقتَضَبتُ القَوافي

مِن فُجاءاتِهِ وَخَطفِ اِرتِجالِه

مِن فُجاءاتِهِ وَخَطفِ اِرتِجالِه

Time struck suddenly, so I improvised the rhymes

So time was rough and I improvised these verses

from its sudden blows and the swift snatches of its improvisation.

From its calamities and sudden composition

قُم فَشاهِد لَوِ اِستَطَعتَ قِياماً

قُم فَشاهِد لَوِ اِستَطَعتَ قِياماً

حَسرَةَ الشِعرِ وَاِلتِياعِ خَيالِه

حَسرَةَ الشِعرِ وَاِلتِياعِ خَيالِه

Rise and behold—if you could but rise—

Get up and witness, if you can stand,

poetry's grief and the anguish of its imagination.

The regret of poetry and the dissolution of its imagination

كانَ لي مِنكَ في المَجامِعِ راوٍ

كانَ لي مِنكَ في المَجامِعِ راوٍ

عَجَزَ اِبنُ الحُسَينِ عَن أَمثالِه

عَجَزَ اِبنُ الحُسَينِ عَن أَمثالِه

In you I had, at gatherings, a reciter

You were for me in gatherings a reciter

whose like eluded Ibn al-Husayn.

Ibn Al-Hussein cannot match the likes of you

فَطِنٌ لِلصِحاحِ مِن لُؤلُؤِ القَو

فَطِنٌ لِلصِحاحِ مِن لُؤلُؤِ القَو

لِ وَأَدرى بِهِنَّ مِن لَألائِه

لِ وَأَدرى بِهِنَّ مِن لَألائِه

Discerning the flawless pearls of speech,

Keen in authentic narration from the essence of eloquent speech

and better versed in them than in its glitter.

And more knowledgeable regarding its subtleties than its pearls

لَم يَكُن في غُلُوِّهِ ضَيّقُ الصَد

لَم يَكُن في غُلُوِّهِ ضَيّقُ الصَد

رِ وَلا كانَ عاجِزاً في اِعتِدالِه

رِ وَلا كانَ عاجِزاً في اِعتِدالِه

He was not narrow-hearted in his fervor,

There was no narrowness in his excessiveness

nor was he powerless in his moderation.

Nor was he incapable in his moderation

لا يُعادى وَيُتَّقى أَن يُعادى

لا يُعادى وَيُتَّقى أَن يُعادى

وَيُخَلّي سَبيلَ مَن لَم يُوالِه

وَيُخَلّي سَبيلَ مَن لَم يُوالِه

No one antagonized him, and people feared to do so,

He would not transgress, fearing transgression

and he let those who did not befriend him go their way.

And would leave be who did not support him

فَاِمضِ في ذِمَّةِ الشَبابِ نَقِيّاً

فَاِمضِ في ذِمَّةِ الشَبابِ نَقِيّاً

طاهِراً ما ثَنَيتَ مِن أَذيالِه

طاهِراً ما ثَنَيتَ مِن أَذيالِه

So depart in youth's safekeeping, pure,

Go in the custody of youth, pure

the hems you folded of its robe still spotless.

As long as you folded its train

إِنَّ لِلعَصرِ وَالحَياةِ لَلَوماً

إِنَّ لِلعَصرِ وَالحَياةِ لَلَوماً

لَستَ مِن أَهلِهِ وَلا مِن مَجالِه

لَستَ مِن أَهلِهِ وَلا مِن مَجالِه

There is baseness indeed in this age and life;

Blame the times and life, for you are not

you are neither of its people nor within its sphere.

Of its people, nor of its sphere

صانَكَ اللَهُ مِن فَسادِ زَمانٍ

صانَكَ اللَهُ مِن فَسادِ زَمانٍ

دَنَّسَ اللومُ مِن ثِيابِ رِجالِه

دَنَّسَ اللومُ مِن ثِيابِ رِجالِه

God preserved you from the corruption of an age

May God protect you from the corruption of a time

in which baseness stained some of its men's garments.

That has stained the garments of its men

سَيَقولونَ ما رَثاهُ عَلى الفَض

سَيَقولونَ ما رَثاهُ عَلى الفَض

لِ وَلَكِن رَثاهُ زُلفى لِخالِه

لِ وَلَكِن رَثاهُ زُلفى لِخالِه

They will say he mourned him not for his virtue,

They will say he did not eulogize him for merit

but mourned him to gain favor with his maternal uncle.

Rather, he eulogized him out of loyalty for his uncle

أَيُّهُم مَن أَتى بِرَأسِ كُلَيبٍ

أَيُّهُم مَن أَتى بِرَأسِ كُلَيبٍ

أَو شَفى القُطرَ مِن عَياءِ اِحتِلالِه

أَو شَفى القُطرَ مِن عَياءِ اِحتِلالِه

Which of them has brought Kulayb's head,

Who was it that brought Kulayb's head

or cured the country of the exhaustion of its occupation?

Or cured Egypt of the blindness of its occupation?

لَيسَ بَيني وَبَينَ خالِكَ إِلّا

لَيسَ بَيني وَبَينَ خالِكَ إِلّا

أَنَّني ما حَييتُ في إِجلالِه

أَنَّني ما حَييتُ في إِجلالِه

There is nothing between me and your maternal uncle but

There is nothing between me and your uncle

my reverence for him, for as long as I live.

Except that I lived in reverence of him

أَتَمَنّى لِمِصرَ أَن يَجري الخَي

أَتَمَنّى لِمِصرَ أَن يَجري الخَي

رُ لَها مِن يَمينِهِ وَشِمالِه

رُ لَها مِن يَمينِهِ وَشِمالِه

I wish for Egypt that goodness might flow

I wish for Egypt that good flows

to her from his right hand and his left.

For it from his right and left

لَستُ أَرجوهُ كَالرِجالِ لِصَيدٍ

لَستُ أَرجوهُ كَالرِجالِ لِصَيدٍ

مِن حَرامِ اِنتِخابِهِم أَو حَلالِه

مِن حَرامِ اِنتِخابِهِم أَو حَلالِه

I do not look to him, as other men do, for a catch

I do not wish it like the men for the sake of prey

from their elections, unlawful or lawful.

From their unlawful or legitimate elections

كَيفَ أَرجو أَبا سَعيدٍ لِشَيءٍ

كَيفَ أَرجو أَبا سَعيدٍ لِشَيءٍ

كانَ يُقضى بِكُفرِهِ وَضَلالِه

كانَ يُقضى بِكُفرِهِ وَضَلالِه

How could I look to Abu Sa'id for something

How can I wish for Abu Sa'eed anything

that used to be granted through his unbelief and error?

When disbelief and misguidance were decreed for him?

هُوَ أَهلٌ لِأَن يُرَدَّ لِقَومي

هُوَ أَهلٌ لِأَن يُرَدَّ لِقَومي

أَمرَهُم في حَقيقَةِ اِستِقلالِه

أَمرَهُم في حَقيقَةِ اِستِقلالِه

He is worthy that my people should regain

He is worthy to have my people's affairs returned to them

control of their affairs, in true independence.

In the reality of their independence

وَأَنا المَرءُ لَم أَرَ الحَقَّ إِلّا

وَأَنا المَرءُ لَم أَرَ الحَقَّ إِلّا

كُنتُ مِن حِزبِهِ وَمِن عُمّالِه

كُنتُ مِن حِزبِهِ وَمِن عُمّالِه

And I am a man who never saw the right without

And I am the man who saw no truth but that

being of its party and among its workers.

I was of his party and his worker

رُبَّ حُرٍّ صَنَعتُ فيهِ ثَناءً

رُبَّ حُرٍّ صَنَعتُ فيهِ ثَناءً

عَجِزَ الناحِتونَ عَن تِمثالِه

عَجِزَ الناحِتونَ عَن تِمثالِه

Many a free man have I fashioned praise for,

Many a free man have I praised

whose statue the sculptors could not fashion.

The sculptors are incapable of matching his statue