ألا فادعُ الذي ترجو ونادى

بُحبك وإن تكن في أيّ نادي

Oh you who I hope for, call out

With your love, wherever you may be

فمن غَرس الرجا في قلب حُرٍ

أصابَ جَنى النجا غِبّ الحصاد

Whoever plants hope in a free heart

Will reap the fruits of salvation, however scarce the harvest

ومن حُسن الخلائق سله صنعاً

جميلا فهو أوفى بالوداد

And whoever has good manners, ask him for

A beautiful creation, for he is truest in affection

وحدثْ عن وفا خلٍ وفّى

بمرسلٍ حُبه في القلب بَادي

And talk of the loyalty of a sincere friend

Whose love in the heart is apparent

ورب أخ تلاهى عنك يوما

فربّ وداده أبداً ودادي

And there is a brother who may be distracted from you one day

Yet his affection is eternal affection

بنو الآدابِ إخوانٌ جميعاً

وأخدانٌ بمختلف البلاد

The people of refinement are all brothers

And companions across different lands

خلائفُ عنصرٍ كل تغذى

بأثداء العلا دونَ اقتصاد

Heirs of an element, each fed

By the breasts of sublime knowledge without moderation

وآدابُ الفتى تعليه يوماً

إلى الأنجاد من بعد الوهاد

And the manners of the youth will raise him one day

To high ranks after low ones

وآدابِي تُسامى بي الدراري

على شعثى وتبلغني مُرادي

And my manners elevate me among the noble

Over my dishevelment, and grant me my purpose

ومالي لا أتيه بها دلالا

وقد دلتْ على نَهج الرشاد

And why would I not guide them as evidence

When they have guided the path of righteousness

إلى سُبل الفخار تقود حزمي

وفي ميدانه عزمُ انقيادي

To the paths of pride my resolve leads me

And in its field is my will to comply

عِصاميٌّ طريفُ المجد سعياً

عظاميُّ شريفٌ بالتِّلاد

My determination is lively in pursuing glory

My bones are noble in reconstruction

سوى نسب العلوم لي انتسابٌ

إلى خير الحواضرِ والبوادي

I have no lineage except the ascription

Of knowledge, to the best settlements and lands

حُسينيُّ السلالة قاسميُّ

بطهطا معشري وبها مهادي

I am Husseini in origin, Qasimi

In Tihtah is my tribe and there my rest

لسان العرب يُنسب لي نجاراً

ويدنيني إلى قُسّ الإياد

The Arabic language attributes carpentry to me

And brings me close to the bending of the pegs

وحسبي أنني أبرزت كتباً

تبيدُ كتائباً يوم الطراد

And it suffices me that I have produced books

That will eliminate battalions on the day of battle

فمنها منبعُ العرفان يجري

وكم طرسٍ تَحبَّر بالمداد

From which the fountain of mysticism flows

And how many leaves have been dried by the ink

على عدد التواترِ مُعرباتي

تفي بفنون سلم أو جهاد

My translations, equal to the number of recurrences

Are enough in the techniques of peace or war

وملطبرون يشهدُ وهو عدل

ومنتسكو يقرُّ بلا تمادي

And the proofreaders testify, and they are just

And the publishers acknowledge without transgression

ومغترفو قراح فراتِ درسي

قد اقترحوا سِقاية كل صادي

And the drawers of the drafts of my lesson

Have suggested quenching the thirst of every wanderer

ولاح لسان بَاريسٍ كشمسٍ

بقاهرة المعزّ على عبادي

The tongue of Paris shone like a sun

In Cairo under my rule of the servants

ومحيي مصرَ أحيا كان قدري

وكافأني على قدر اجتهادي

And the reviver of Egypt revived what was my destiny

And rewarded me according to my effort

سأشكرُ فضلَه ما دمتُ حياً

وما شكري لدى تلك الأيادي

I will thank his grace as long as I live

And my gratitude to those hands

رعى الحنان عهدَ زمان مصر

وأمطرَ ربعَها صوب العهاد

He maintained the covenant of the days of Egypt

And sprinkled its expanse towards the worshippers

رحلتُ بصفقة المغبون عنها

وفضلي في سِواها في المزاد

I traveled with the deal of the cheated one from it

And my superiority over others is in the auction

وما السودانُ قطُ مُقامُ مثلي

ولا سَلماي فيه ولا سَعادي

And the Sudan was never an abode like me

Nor in it my safety or happiness

بها ريحُ السمومُ يشم منه

زفيرَ لظى فلا يُطفيه وادي

In it the winds of poisons blow

The groan of intense heat that no valley can extinguish

عواصفها صباحاً أو مساءً

دواماً في اضطراب واطّراد

Its storms morning or evening

Are always in turmoil and acceleration

ونصفُ القوم أكثره وحوشٌ

وبعضُ القوم أشبهُ بالجماد

And half of the people are mostly beasts

And some of the people most resemble inanimates

فلا تعجبْ إذا طبخوا خليطا

بمخ العظم مع صافي الرماد

So do not wonder if they cooked a mixture

Of bone marrow with the strainings of ashes

ولطخُ الدُّهْنِ في بَدنٍ وشعر

كدهن الإبل من جَرب القراد

And the smearing of fat on a body and hair

Like the camel’s grease from the itching of lice

ويُضربُ بالسياط الزوجُ حتى

يُقال أخو ثَباتٍ في الجلاد

And the husband is beaten with whips until

It is said, “Steadfast brother under scourging”

ويرتق ما بزوجتهِ زماناً

ويصعبُ فتقُ هذا الإنسداد

And the husband mounts what belongs to his wife periodically

And this blockage becomes difficult to penetrate

وإكراهُ الفتاة على بغاءٍ

مع النهى ارتضوْه باتحاد

And coercing the girl to prostitution

With prohibition, they accepted in unanimity

نتيجته المولّدُ وهو غالٍ

به الرغباتُ دوماً باحتشاد

Its consequence is the newborn, who is expensive

For whom desires are always accumulating

لهم شغفٌ بتعليم الجَواري

على شبقٍ مجاذبة السفاد

They have a lust to teach the female slaves

On a desire, pulling the curtains of dissoluteness

وشرحُ الحال منه يضيقُ صَدري

ولا يُحصيه طرسي أو مِدادي

And explaining the situation saddens my chest

And my notebook cannot enumerate it or my ink

وضبطُ القول فالأخيارُ نُزْرُ

وشرُ الناس منتشرُ الجراد

And speaking properly—the virtuous are few

And the evil of people is proliferating like locusts

ولولا البيضُ من عُرْبٍ لكانوا

سواداً في سوادٍ في سواد

And were it not for the whites among the Arabs, they would be

Darkness within darkness within darkness

وحسبي فتكها بنصيف صحبي

كأن وظيفتي لبسُ الحِداد

And it suffices me, their harm to half of my companions

As if my function is wearing mourning clothes

وقد فارقتُ أطفالا صغاراً

بطهطا دونَ عَوْدي واعتيادي

And I have left small children

In Tihtah without my return or habit

أفكر فيهم سراً وجهراً

ولا سَمرى يطيب ولا رقادي

I think of them secretly and openly

And neither night talk nor sleep comfort me

وعادت بهجتي بالنأي عنهم

بلوعة مهجةٍ ذاتِ اتقادِ

And my joy in being away from them

Returned with the agony of an inflamed inner depth

أريد وصَالَهم والدهرُ يأبى

مواصلتي ويطمعُ في عنادي

I want their company but fate refuses

My staying with them and is greedy for my obstinacy

وطالت مدةُ التغريب عنهم

ولا غنمٌ لدىّ سوى الكساد

And the duration of my estrangement from them was long

And I have no profit save destitution

وما خلتُ العزيزَ يريدُ ذلي

ولا يُصغى لأخصامٍ حدادِ

And I did not neglect the precious one who wants me

Nor listened to adversarial morticians

لديه سعوا بألسنةٍ حدادٍ

فكيف صغى لألسنةٍ حدادٍ

They stretched their tongues, which are destructive

So how could he listen to tongues that vilify?

مهازيلُ الفضائل خَادعوني

وهل في حربهم يكبو جوادي

Weavers of virtuous traits deceived me

And could their war ever curb my steed?

وزخرفُ قولهم إذْ مَوهوهُ

على تزييفه نادى المنادي

And the ornament of their words, when it deluded

Announced upon its falsification

فهل من صَيرفي المعنى بصير

صحيحِ الانتقاء والانتقاد

Is there someone perceptive in meaning, of sound

Discernment and criticism?

قياسُ مدارسي قالوا عقيمُ

بمصر فما النتيجةُ في بعادي

They said the assessment of my schools is fruitless

In Egypt, so what is the conclusion of my estrangement?

وكان البحرُ منهجَ سفن عزمي

فكدتُ الآن أغْرقُ في الثَّمادِ

And the sea was the path of the ships of my determination

So now I almost drown in the mud

ثلاثُ سنين بالخرطوم مرت

بدون مدارس طبق المراد

Three years in Khartoum have passed

Without schools, as intended

وكيف مدارس الخرطوم تُرجى

هناك ودونَها خَرطُ القتاد

And how can the schools of Khartoum be hoped for

There, and without them the shaving of the stubbles?

نعم تُرجَى المصانعُ وهي أحرى

لتأييد المقاصد بالمبادي

Yes, the factories are more worthy of being hoped for

To support the purposes through assets

علومُ الشرع قائمةٌ لديهم

لمرغوب المعاش أو المعاد

The religious sciences are established with them

For the desired livelihood or final abode

خدمتُ بموطني زمناً طويلا

ولي وصفُ الوفاء والاعتماد

I served my homeland a long time

And the description of loyalty and reliance belongs to me

فكنتُ بمنحة الإكرام أوْلى

بقدرٍ للتعيش مُستفاد

So I was most worthy with the gift of honor

Of means to live advantageously

وغايةُ مطلبي عَوْدي لأهلي

ولو من دون راحلةٍ وزادي

And the object of my request is my return to my family

Even without means of transport or supplies

وصبري ضاع منذ اشتدّ خطبي

وهوْنُ الخطب عند الاشتداد

And my patience was lost since my troubles intensified

And troubles seem easier upon intensification

وكم حسناً دعوتُ لحسن حَالي

وكم نادى فؤادي يا فؤادي

And how often I supplicated for the betterment of my state

And how often my heart cried, “Oh my heart!”

وأرجو صدرَ مصر لشرح صدري

وجهد الطول في طول النجاد

And I hope for Egypt’s chest to relieve my chest

And the effort of rising to the height of glory

وكم بُشرتُ أن عزيزَ مصر

تفوهَ بالفكاك ولم يفاد

And how often I was given the good tidings that the precious one of Egypt

Spoke of deliverance, but nothing came of it

وحاشا أن أقولَ مقال غيري

وذلك ضد سرّي واعتقادي

And forbid that I should say the speech of others

For that is against my secret and belief

لقد أسمعتَ لو ناديتَ حياً

ولكن لا حياةَ لمن تُنادي

You would have heard if you had called out while alive

But there is no life to the one you call to

وفي دار العزازةِ لي عياذٌ

يَقيني نشبَ أظفار العوادي

And in the Abode of Nobles I have a protection

My certainty has dug its claws steadfastly

أميرُ كبار أرباب المعالي

فنى في شرعة العرفان هادي

The prince of the masters of supremacy

Perished in the avenue of mysticism, a guide

عروفُ ألمعي لا يُباري

بمضمار العلا طلقُ الجياد

His known virtues have no peer

In the racecourse of knowledge, untethered steeds

يوافر فضله الركبانُ سارتْ

وغَنىّ باسمه حادٍ وشاد

His superior grace provides for travelers when they set out

And his name has made both settler and nomad rich

وقالوا في معارفه فريدٌ

فقلتُ وفي الرياسة ذو انفراد

And they said about his knowledge, he is unique

So I said, “And in leadership, exclusively singular”

وفي الأحكام قالوا لا يُضاهَى

فقلتُ وذو تحر واجتهاد

And in judgments, they said he has no equal

So I said, “And he has insight and diligence”

وقالوا في الذكاء ذكا فقلنا

وثاقبُ ذهنه وارى الزناد

And they said in intelligence, he is intelligent, so we said

“And penetrating in mind, farsighted”

وقالوا وفقَ الحسنُ المُسَمَّى

فقلت وكم حدا بالوصف حاد

And they said good fortune has accompanied Al-Hasan Al-Musamma

So I said, “And how many stray with description!”

وبحر حجاه يبدو منه در

لغوّاصِ العلوم بلا نفاد

And the sea of his bounty appears from which a pearl

For the diver of knowledge without depletion

فيا حسنَ الفعال أغثْ أسيرا

بسجن الزنج يحكي ذا القياد

So oh best of actions, help a prisoner

In the prison of the Zanj narrating this arrest

عليه دوائرُ الأسواء دارتْ

وطالتْ وفقَ أهواء الأعادي

Upon him the spheres of calamities revolved

And they lasted, in line with the whims of enemies

وقد فوضتُ للمولى أموري

وذا عينُ الإصابة والسداد

And I have entrusted my affairs to the Protector

And this is the source of precision and righteousness

عسى المولى يقول امضُوا بعبدي

فيقضى لي بتقريب ابتعادي

May the Protector say, “Continue with My servant”

So He judges my estrangement to be drawn near

وما نظمُ القريض برأْسِ مالي

ولا سَندي أراهُ ولا سِنادي

And it is not with my capital that I compose poetry

Nor do I see my support or backing

وافرُ بحره إن جاد يوماً

فممدوحي له وصف الجواد

His abundant sea, if it flows one day

Then my eulogized one has the description of generosity

وليس لبكر فكري من صداقٍ

سوى تلطيف عودي في بلادي

And Bakr’s mind has no friendship for me

Other than softening my return to my home

فا أسمى ذراها من بيوتٍ

رَزانٍ في حماستها شداد

So oh highest of its noble houses

Steadfast in their zeal, forceful

ومسكُ ختامها صلوات ربي

على طه المُشَفَّعِ في المعاد

And the seal of its conclusion, may God’s prayers

Be upon Taha, the intercessor of the final return

وآل والصحابة وكلَّ وقت

مواصلةٍ إلى يوم التنادِ

And His family, companions and at all times

Continuation until the day of calling.