أَيا دَهر جَل الخَطب كَيفَ تَعللى
وَكَيفَ سُروري وَهُوَ عَني بِمَعزل
O Time, how strange are your tribulations!
How can I be happy when sorrow is my lot?
وَأَنتَ خَؤون لا تَزال مُعانِداً
وَعَن فعل ما قَد رَمَت لَم تَتَحول
You remain hostile, never ceasing
To bring to pass what you have plotted.
تَصول وَتَسطو بِالخُطوب وَلِلوَرى
تَريش سِهاماً ضَمَها شَر مَقتَل
You rage and dominate with troubles,
Letting loose arrows clutched in evil's grip.
فَما وَاحد في الناس أَصبَح آمِنا
وَما أَن أَرى مِنكَ الغِواية تَنجَلي
No single soul remains secure,
Nor do I see your misguidance come to an end.
فَما كانَ يَصفو الود مِنكَ لِواحد
وَلا نالَ مِنكَ القَصد كُل مُؤمل
Your love was never pure for anyone,
Nor did any hopeful attain their goal from you.
جَعَلت المَنايا لِلبَرايا حَبائِلاً
فَكَم صَدت مِن أَعلى الأنام وَأَسفَل
You made snares for mankind
And thus ensnared many from high and low.
وَأَوقعت في فَخ الأَسى كُل مَن عَلا
كَجلمود صَخر حَطَه السَيل مِن عل
You made the lofty fall into the pit of grief
Like boulders swept off cliffs by raging floods.
وَأَخفَيت مِنا ماجِداً بَعدَ ماجد
بِسقط اللَوى بَينَ الدُخول فَحومل
You hid the glorious after their glory
With shrouds of dust between their rise and fall.
وَكَم جَرَت حَتى لَم تَدَع لِمؤمل
لَدَى الستر إِلّا لَبسة المُتَفَضل
You left the hopeful nothing to hope for
Except the charity of the generous.
وَكَم مِنكَ غدر صَير الطَفل شائِباً
وَكَم مِنكَ لِلعَليا عَفا كُل مَنزل
How much betrayal of yours made children gray
And stripped the eminent of every high station!
وَكَم أَنتَ أَهلَكت الألى وَجَعَلتهم
بَعيد التَسامي في حَضيض التَسفل
How many noble souls you destroyed,
Casting them down from the heights to deepest lows!
وَكَم حادِثات مِنكَ كَرب بِجَيشِها
عَلي الخَلق فَاِنقادوا لِطوع التَذَلل
How many disasters of yours brought hosts of sorrows
Upon creation, till they bent to utter submission!
فَأَبن أَنو شَروان كِسرى وَقَيصر
وَأَين نَبي لِلوَرى خَير مُرسل
Where is Anushirvan, where Caesar and Kisra?
Where is the Prophet, best of Messengers?
وَأَين شَفيق نَجل مَنصور مِن عُلا
بِهمته العَليا لِمَجد مُؤثل
Where is the compassionate son of Mansur -
With his grand ambition for magnificent deeds?
هُوَ العلم الفَرد الَّذي نالَ شُهرة
وَكَان بِعَرش الفَضل خَير مُبَجل
He was the unique scholar who gained fame
And on the throne of virtue was most revered.
وَكَان جَميع القُطر مُفتَخر بِهِ
فَأَضحى كَثَكلي حُزنه غَير منجلى
The entire region was proud to claim him,
Yet my sadness for him will not abate.
وَكانَ خَبيراً بِالسِياسة عالِماً
وَيَحكُم أَحكاماً بِغَير تَقول
He was wise in politics and steeped in knowledge,
Judging matters with neither haste nor delay.
وَقَد كانَ في الدُنيا لِكُل قَضية
أَبا حسن مِن رَأيه فَصل مُشكل
For every issue in this world, his insight
Resolved complexities like none other could.
وَمُذ فارق الدُنيا وَفارق أَهلَها
بَكَت أَعيُن العَليا بِدَمع مُهطل
Since he left this world, leaving its people behind,
The eyes of the eminent wept copious tears.
وَحَق لَها تَبكي عَلَيهِ لِأَنه
أَبوها المربى في حُجور التَجَمُل
Rightfully they weep for him, for he was
Their nurturing father in the lap of honor.
وَلَيسَ عَلَيها اللَوم إِن كَثُر البُكا
فَلَيسَ الشَجي بَينَ البَرية كَالخلى
They cannot be blamed for profuse crying -
Grief for the exceptional is not like grief for peers.
وَقَد ناحَت الأَقلام مِن بَعد فَقده
وَسارَت بِحُزن في سَبيل التَعَلُل
Since his loss, pens have wailed in mourning
And drifted sadly into meaningless scribbles.
وَكَم أَظهَرت في أَنَّها وَصَريرها
أَسى وَجوي عَنها بَعيد التَرحل
How much their scratching exhibits their torment,
Far from being assuaged or coming to terms!
وَكَم لَبست ثَوب الحِداد تَأسفاً
عَلَيهِ وَكَم تَشكو الضَنا بِتَذلل
How much they don mourning clothes in sorrow for him,
Complaining of estrangement in sheer humility!
وَكَتب المَعالي مَزقت ثَوب عزها
وَشَقَت جُيوباً بَعد طُول التَحَمُل
The eminent tore their robes of dignity
And rent their garments after such patience.
قَضى نحبه بَين البَرايا وَقَد قَضى
عَلَي بِأَنواع الهُموم لَيَبتَلي
He passed away, breaking my heart and leaving me
To suffer all kinds of worries and tribulations.
وَكَم دَمع عَيني حَسرة قَد أَسلته
عَلى النَحر حَتّى بَل دَمعي مَحملي
How many tears of regret my eyes unleashed
Down my breast, till my tears filled their courses!
وَبَيت صَفائي صارَ بِالحُزن دارِساً
وَهَل عِندَ رَسم دارس مِن معول
My serenity became a devastated abode,
Can any foundation survive total demolition?
فَلَو كانَ يَغذى بِالنُفوس فَدَيته
وَلَكن قَضاء اللَه غَير مبدل
If souls could nourish the departed I would ransom him,
But God's decree cannot be changed.
وَيا لَيتَني قَد كُنت رَوضاً أَضمه
وَأَحظى بِأُنس مِن شَريف مكمل
Oh, if only I were a garden for him to enter
And enjoy the company of this noble master!
وَلَكن هَذا مُستَحيل وُجوده
وَأَن كانَ لا يَأباه مَأوى التَخيل
But this is impossible, though not beyond imagining,
I offer condolences to Egypt and her people,
وَإِني أَعزى فيهِ مَصر وَأَهلَها
خُصوصاً أَباه مَن سَما في تَفَضل
His father especially, eminent in nobility.
God multiplied rewards for his loss,
وَقَد عَظم اللَه الأُجور بِفَقده
وَمِن رَحمة قَد نالَ أَعذَب منهل
And through His mercy, he attained the sweetest fountain.
Since God's mercy shone forth, Heaven laid out
وَمُنذُ تَبدى رَحمة اللَه أَرخَت
شَفيق لَكَ الفَردوس أَكرَم مَنزل
For you, O Shafiq, its most honorable abode!
