يا أَوحد الدَهر في حَزم وَفي حَسبِ

وَمُفرد العَصر في عَزم وفي نَسَبِ

O unmatched in the age in wisdom and nobility,

And singular of the time in resolve and lineage,

وَراغِباً في عُموم النَفع لِلوَطن ال

مألوف بِالهمة المَمدودة الطنب

Seeking the general good of the nation tirelessly,

Known for the outstretched ambition and glory,

وَمَن بِتَدبيره للملك سادَ عَلى

ذَوي المَناصب مِن عُجمٍ وَمِن عرب

By whose governance supremacy was attained

Over the titled of non-Arabs and Arabs,

وَمَن بِهِ مَصرنا الغَرّاء طالعها

أَضحى سَعيداً وَفازَت مِنهُ بِالأَرَب

By whom our radiant Egypt’s rising star

Became happy and gained from him the profits,

وَمِن سِياسته أَحيا بها بَلَداً

مَيتاً وَأَنقذه مِن آفة العطب

By whose politics he revived a dead country

And saved it from the bane of defects,

وَمِن رياسته سارَت بشهرتها ال

ركبان سير جِياد الخَيل وَالسُحب

By whose leadership its fame spread

Like the course of racing steeds and clouds,

وَمِن مُروءته كَالشَمس قَد طلعت

لَكنها ما تَوارَت قَط بِالحجب

By whose gallantry like the sun it rose

Though it never set behind obstacles,

وَمن إِذا لحظت عبداً عنايتُه

أَغنتهُ عَن فضة بَيضا وَعَن ذَهَب

When his care glanced upon a slave

It made him needless of silver and gold,

وَمَن مَدائحه في الكَون قَد مُلئت

بِبعضها سائر الأَسفار وَالكتب

Whose praises the realms became filled with

Some of which suffused books and chronicles,

وَمَن لكل امرئ في ظل نعمته

أَمنٌ مِن الخَوف وَالفاقات وَالنَوب

For everyone in the shade of his bounty

There is safety from fear, poverty, and evil,

وَمَن عَلَيهِ اِعتِمادي بَعدَ خالقه

إذ منه لي ذمة مَوصولة السَبَب

After my Creator, my reliance is on him

For through him I have a connected covenant,

وَمَن جَوائزه لِلوافدين عَلى

عَلياه جَلت عن الإحصا بِلا رَيب

His gifts to visitors at his lofty abode

Are too many to be counted, without doubt,

لا أَرتجيك لإنجازِ الَّذي وَعدت

بِهِ مَعاليك مِن بَذلٍ وَمِن رُتب

I do not beg you to fulfill what

Your excellencies promised in rank and office,

فَأَنتَ غَيث وَإِن الغَيث عادته

يَأتي فَيَروي بَلا وَعد وَلا طَلَب

For you are rain, and rain’s way is

To come and irrigate without promise or request,

وَلَم تَكُن مِنكَ عَين العَدل نائِمة

عَني وَإِن أَدرَكتني حرفة الأَدب

The eye of justice was not closed to me from you

Though the trade of literature befell me,

فَإِنَّها حرفة ما أَدرَكت أَحَداً

إِلّا رُمي بِالشَقا وَالضرّ وَالنصب

A trade that befell none but cast them

Into misery, harm, and ordeals,

فَاِسمَح بِما أَنتَ يا ذخر الأَنام لَهُ

أَهلٌ وَعَنيَ نَفّس بِالسَخا كربي

So forgive, O treasure of mankind, what you

Are worthy of, and relieve my weary soul,

وَجد برفعة راج في الثَنا نُشِرت

رَاياتُه لَكَ في نظم وَفي خُطب

Jaad found bliss in praising your ascent—

His standards raised for you in verse and speech—

كَيما يقال فلان حازَ جائِزة

في عُمره أَذهبت ما كانَ مِن وَصب

That it be said: So-and-so won a prize

In his life that did away with his troubles,

وَيَستقيم بِها حالي وَيَنظر لي

دَهري بِعَين الرضا مِن بَعد ذا الغَضَب

That my state be upright and my days

Look upon me kindly after that anger,

وَلا تكلني إِلى قَولي لعلّ وَلَو

وَلَيتَ حَيث شَبابي ضاعَ في تَعَب

Do not leave me to my “perhaps” and “if only”—

Would that my youth had not been wasted in toil!

وَامنُن برفعة مِقدارٍ وَأَفدنةٍ

يؤول مَحصولُها بَعدي إِلى عقبي

Bestow on Jaad a raised status and usefulness

Whose outcome will pass onto my descendants,

وَلي استجب دَعوة للَه قَد رُفِعت

بِها يَدي لَيلةَ المِعراج في رجب

And answer my prayer to God raised up

The night of ascension in the month of Rajab,

فَقَد جَعلت عَلى علياك أَمدحتي

وَقفاً لغيرك لَم يَصلح وَلم يَجب

For I made my praise of your eminence

A endowment—no other deserves or is proper,

وَهاك مني عَلى صدق المَقال يَدي

فيما عَهدت بِلا مينٍ وَلا كذب

And here is my hand in truthful speech

Without bending or lies in what I vowed,

وَحَسبي الآن أَني قَد قَصَدت حمى

مَن أَمَّهُ راجياً جَدواك لَم يَخب

It suffices me now that I approached the sanctuary

Of one whose petitioner hoping for your munificence will not be disappointed,

لا زلت مع نَجلك المَحمود مبتهجاً

بِطول عمر وإقبال مَدى الحقب

I still rejoice with your praiseworthy son

In long life and favorable days to come,

وَلا برحت بِهذا الشبل محتفلاً

مؤيداً بِذَكاء مِنكَ مكتسب

And persist in supporting this cub

With the intelligence gained from you,

حَتّى يَكون مشيراً عَن يَمينك في

كُل الأُمور وَيَأتي مِنهُ بِالعجب

Until he becomes your counselor on the right

In all affairs, impressing wonderfully,

وَيَقتدي بِكَ في سبق إلى شرف

بِحسن رَأيٍ لَهُ أَمضى مِن الشُهب

And follows your lead in preceding to the honor

Of sounder judgment than flaming meteors,

ما قُلت في مَطلَعي بِالمَدح مُبتَدئِاً

يا أَوحد الدَهر في حزم وَفي حَسَب

What I said in my praise at the start

O unmatched in the age in wisdom and nobility,