يا أَوحد الدَهر في ملكٍ وفي حسبِ

وَمفرد العَصر بَين العَجم وَالعَرَبِ

O unique of the age in sovereignty and lineage

And singular of the time between non-Arabs and Arabs

وَمَن بِهِ مصرُهُ الغرّاء طالعُها

أَضحى سَعيداً وَفازَت مِنهُ بِالأَرَب

And he whose star ascends, Egypt flourishes through him

Has become fortunate and gained from it great profit

لا أَرتجيك لإنجاز الَّذي وَعدت

بِهِ مَعاليك مِن بَذلٍ وَمِن رُتب

I do not hope from you to fulfill what

Your excellencies have promised of generosity and ranks

فَأَنتَ غَيثٌ وَإِن الغَيثَ عادته

يَأتي فَيَروي بَلا وَعد وَلا طَلَب

For you are a rain, and it is the rain's habit

To come and irrigate without promise or request

وَإِن طائِفة المعمار بي ظَفَرَت

مِن بَعد يَأس وَأَودَت بي إِلى الوَصَب

And though the band of architects has gained

Victory over me after despair and wanted me for rubble

وَكُنتُ مِن كَيدِها في راحةٍ وَغِنى

عَن مَنزل هدّ في مَبناه مكتسبي

And I was safe and content from their plots

Without a gifted residence built with my earnings

وَكانَ مَع ضَيقه بدء البِناء بِهِ

في شَهر مَولدك السامي عَلى رَجَب

And though its construction's beginning with it

Was in the month of your noble birthday, Rajab

وَلَيتَها مُذ رَأتني قلّ ما بيدي

خلت سَبيليَ في ذا المَنزل الخَرب

If only since it saw me, destitute,

It had left me alone in this ruined residence

بَل أَقسَمت أَنَّها فَوراً تتمِّمُه

وَلو بلا أُجرة هَذا مِن العَجَب

But it swore that immediately it would complete it

Even without pay, this is wondrous

فَلم أَزَل أَقترض حَتّى رُميت بِما

قَد كاد لولاك يُفضي بي إِلى العَطب

So I did not cease borrowing until I was thrown into what

Had nearly, were it not for you, led me to ruin

وَلم تَكُن مِنكَ عَينُ العَدل نائِمةً

عَني وإَِن أَدرَكتني حرفةُ الأَدب

And your eye of justice was not sleeping from me

Even though the profession of literature reached me

وَحاصرتني دُيونٌ لَيسَ يَدفعها

عَني سِوى الفضة البَيضاء وَالذَهَب

And debts besieged me that nothing could deflect

Save white silver and gold

وَأَينَ لي بِهما إِلّا إِذا صَدَرَت

إرادة نُورُها يَجلو دُجى الكرَب

And where could I get them except if

The light of your will which dispels the gloom of worries poured forth

لا زِلت تجبر كَسر العالمين عَلى

طُول الزَمان بِما تُوليه مِن نشب

You have not ceased to mend the brokenness of the two worlds across

The ages with what you grant of prosperity

ما اِزداد تَشريف مَدح فيكَ قَد ملِئَت

بِهِ سِجلات ما يُتلى مِن الكُتُب

The panegyrics' ennoblement of you did not increase, for you have

Filled the scrolls of what is recited from books