سِر أَبا صالِحٍ إِلى اللَهِ وَاِترُك

سِر أَبا صالِحٍ إِلى اللَهِ وَاِترُك

مِصرَ في مَأتَمٍ وَحُزنٍ شَديدِ

مِصرَ في مَأتَمٍ وَحُزنٍ شَديدِ

Go, Abu Salih, to God, and leave

Travel silently to God and leave

Egypt in mourning and deep sorrow.

Egypt in deep grief and sorrow

هَذِهِ غايَةُ النُفوسِ وَهَذا

هَذِهِ غايَةُ النُفوسِ وَهَذا

مُنتَهى العَيشِ مُرِّهِ وَالرَغيدِ

مُنتَهى العَيشِ مُرِّهِ وَالرَغيدِ

This is the destination of souls, and this

This is the goal of souls and this is

the end of life, its bitterness and its ease.

The end of bitter and pleasant life

هَل تَرى الناسَ في طَريقِكَ إِلّا

هَل تَرى الناسَ في طَريقِكَ إِلّا

نَعشَ كَهلٍ تَلاهُ نَعشُ الوَليدِ

نَعشَ كَهلٍ تَلاهُ نَعشُ الوَليدِ

Do you see the people along your path as anything but

Do you see people on your path except

a middle-aged man's bier followed by an infant's bier?

A bier of an old man followed by a bier of a child

إِنَّ أَوهى الخُيوطِ فيما بَدا لي

إِنَّ أَوهى الخُيوطِ فيما بَدا لي

خَيطُ عَيشٍ مُعَلَّقٌ بِالوَريدِ

خَيطُ عَيشٍ مُعَلَّقٌ بِالوَريدِ

Indeed, the frailest of threads, as it seems to me,

Surely the weakest of threads in my view

is the thread of life, hanging by the jugular vein:

Is the thread of life hanging by a vein

مُضغَةٌ بَينَ خَفقَةٍ وَسُكونٍ

مُضغَةٌ بَينَ خَفقَةٍ وَسُكونٍ

وَدَمٌ بَينَ جَريَةٍ وَجُمودِ

وَدَمٌ بَينَ جَريَةٍ وَجُمودِ

a lump of flesh between a heartbeat and stillness,

A morsel between a heartbeat and stillness

and blood between flowing and congealing.

And blood between flowing and clotting

أَنزَلوا في الثَرى الوَزيرَ وَوارَوا

أَنزَلوا في الثَرى الوَزيرَ وَوارَوا

فيهِ تِسعينَ حِجَّةً في صُعودِ

فيهِ تِسعينَ حِجَّةً في صُعودِ

They lowered the minister into the earth and buried

They lowered the minister in the ground and watered

in it ninety years of ascent.

Ninety arguments over him as he rose

كُنتَ فيها عَلى يَدٍ مِن حَريرِ

كُنتَ فيها عَلى يَدٍ مِن حَريرِ

لِلَّيالي فَأَصبَحَت مِن حَديدِ

لِلَّيالي فَأَصبَحَت مِن حَديدِ

During them you rested on a hand of silk,

You were in a land of silk for nights

the hand of the nights, now turned to iron.

But it became of iron in the morning

قَد بَلَوناكَ في الرِياسَةِ حيناً

قَد بَلَوناكَ في الرِياسَةِ حيناً

فَبَلَونا الوَزيرَ عَبدَ الحَميدِ

فَبَلَونا الوَزيرَ عَبدَ الحَميدِ

We tested you for a time in leadership,

We tested you in leadership for a while

and found in you the minister Abd al-Hamid,

So we tested the minister Abdel Hamid

آخِذاً مِن لِسانِ فارِسَ قِسطاً

آخِذاً مِن لِسانِ فارِسَ قِسطاً

وافِرَ القَسمِ مِن لِسانِ لَبيدِ

وافِرَ القَسمِ مِن لِسانِ لَبيدِ

taking a share from Persia's tongue,

Taking from the tongue of the eloquent Persian

with an ample share of Labid's tongue.

Abundant shares from the tongue of Labid

في ظِلالِ المُلوكِ تُدني إِلَيهِم

في ظِلالِ المُلوكِ تُدني إِلَيهِم

كُلَّ آوٍ لِظِلِّكَ المَمدودِ

كُلَّ آوٍ لِظِلِّكَ المَمدودِ

In the shade of kings, you brought close to them

In the shadows of kings everyone in need

everyone who sought refuge in your outspread shade.

Draws near to your outstretched shadow

لَستَ مَن مَرَّ بِالمَعالِمِ مَرّاً

لَستَ مَن مَرَّ بِالمَعالِمِ مَرّاً

إِنَّما أَنتَ دَولَةٌ في فَقيدِ

إِنَّما أَنتَ دَولَةٌ في فَقيدِ

You are not one who merely passed by the landmarks;

You are not one who passed landmarks

rather, you are a state embodied in one departed man.

Rather, you are a state in a constitution

قُم فَحَدِّث عَنِ السِنينِ الخَوالي

قُم فَحَدِّث عَنِ السِنينِ الخَوالي

وَفُتوحِ المُمَلَّكينَ الصيدِ

وَفُتوحِ المُمَلَّكينَ الصيدِ

Rise, and tell of the years gone by,

Stand up and speak of bygone years

and the conquests of the proud, crowned rulers,

And the conquests of mighty hunters

وَالَّذي مَرَّ بَينَ حالٍ قَديمٍ

وَالَّذي مَرَّ بَينَ حالٍ قَديمٍ

أَنتَ أَدرى بِهِ وَحالِ جَديدِ

أَنتَ أَدرى بِهِ وَحالِ جَديدِ

and what passed between an old order,

That which passed between an ancient state

which you know best, and a new order.

You know it best and the state of the new

وَصِفِ العِزَّ في زَمانِ عَلِيٍّ

وَصِفِ العِزَّ في زَمانِ عَلِيٍّ

وَاِذكُرِ اليُمنَ في زَمانِ سَعيدِ

وَاِذكُرِ اليُمنَ في زَمانِ سَعيدِ

And describe the glory in Ali's time,

Describe the glory in Ali's time

and recall the good fortune in Sa'id's time:

And remember Yemen in Sa'eed's time

كَيفَ أُسطولُهُم عَلى كُلِّ بَحرٍ

كَيفَ أُسطولُهُم عَلى كُلِّ بَحرٍ

وَسَراياهُمُ عَلى كُلِّ بيدِ

وَسَراياهُمُ عَلى كُلِّ بيدِ

how their fleet was upon every sea,

How their ships were on every sea

and their detachments on every desert plain.

And their horsemen in every wasteland

قَد تَوَلَّوا وَخَلَّفوكَ وَفِيّاً

قَد تَوَلَّوا وَخَلَّفوكَ وَفِيّاً

في زَمانٍ عَلى الوَفِيِّ شَديدِ

في زَمانٍ عَلى الوَفِيِّ شَديدِ

They have departed and left you loyal

They turned against you and left you loyal

in an age harsh to the loyal.

In a time most difficult on the loyal

فَاِلحَقِ اليَومَ بِالكِرامِ كَريماً

فَاِلحَقِ اليَومَ بِالكِرامِ كَريماً

وَاِلقَهُم بَينَ جَنَّةٍ وَخُلودِ

وَاِلقَهُم بَينَ جَنَّةٍ وَخُلودِ

So join the noble today, yourself noble,

So join today the noble ones nobly

and meet them amid paradise and eternity.

And meet them between Heaven and immortality

وَتَقَبَل وَداعَ باكٍ عَلى فَق

وَتَقَبَل وَداعَ باكٍ عَلى فَق

دِكَ وافٍ لِعَهدِكَ المَحمودِ

دِكَ وافٍ لِعَهدِكَ المَحمودِ

And accept the farewell of one weeping over the loss

And accept the farewell of one weeping over

of you, faithful to your honored bond.

Your loss, faithful to your blessed covenant