يَقول بِالنَص الصَحيح مَجدي

مبتدئاً باسم المعيد المبدي

With true words Majdi begins

Starting with the name of the innovator

مُصَلياً بَعد الثَنايا وَالحَمد

عَلى نبيٍّ جاء مِن معدّ

Praying after praises and thanks

Upon a prophet who came from Mudar

يَهدي البَرايا بِالرضا وَالبشرِ

في سنّ ست قَد دَخَلت المَكتبا

Guiding the nomads with consent and good news

At six he entered school

وَكانَ في القُرآن لي مُؤدّبا

يَقرأ بِالسَبع وَكُلٌّ قَد صَبا

And in the Quran I had a teacher

Who read with the seven readings and each had grown up

إِلَيهِ لَما صارَ لِلعلم أَبا

يَلفظ مِن فيهِ نَفيسَ الدرِّ

To it when he became a father of knowledge

And utters from his mouth the precious pearls

وَبَعد عامين وَنصف عامِ

خَتنت يَوم مَوسم الخِتامِ

And after two and a half years

I was circumcised on the day of the ceremony

وَفيهِ فازَ الشَيخ بِالمَرامِ

مِن والدي وَرفعة المَقامِ

In which the sheikh won his goal

From my father and the loftiness of his position

وَنالَ مِن عمِّي عَظيم الأَجرِ

وَمُذ بَلغت التسع ماتَت أُمي

And got from my uncle a great reward

And since I reached nine my mother died

وَقَبلَها قَد ماتَ أَيضاً عَمِّي

فَاِزداد مِن هَذا المصاب هَمي

And before her my uncle had also died

So I increased from this affliction my worry

وَالجسم مِني قَد رُمِي بِالسقم

وَمَدمعي أَضحى كَبَحر يَجري

And my body had fallen ill

And my tears had become like a flowing sea

وَكانَ في الخَميس بَعد الواحِدَهْ

مَوتُ أَخٍ لي بَعد فَقد الوالدهْ

And it was on Thursday after one

The death of a brother of mine after the loss of the mother

فَكُنت مِن تِلكَ الخُطوب الزائِدَه

ما لي لسقمي في حَياتي فائِدَه

So I was from those excessive misfortunes

Of no benefit to me is my life with my illness

وَكُدت قَبل الوَقت أَقضي عُمري

وَبَعد ذا دخلت في حلوانِ

And I almost before the time ended my life

And after that I entered Helwan

بِمَكتب الميري مَع الغلمانِ

وَفُزت مِن سَبقي عَلى الأَقران

In El Mir's school with the boys

And I won over my peers

بِرُتبة الجاويش في اِمتِحاني

وَكُنت قَد بَلَغت سنَّ العَشر

With the rank of cavash in my exam

And I had reached the age of ten

وَمِلت عَن حلوان مَع أَمثالي

لِلجيزة الغَرّا بِأَمر الوالي

And I was bored of Helwan with my peers

To El Giza the Bride forcibly by order of the governor

لَكننا عَن هَذِهِ في الحال

سرنا إِلى قَصر مشيد عالي

But we from this now

Traveled to a lofty palace

وَكانَ ذا مِن بَعد سلخ شَهر

وَالقَصر هَذا كانَ قَصر العَيني

And this was after a month and days

And this palace was Ein palace

فيهِ أَقَمت مَعهم يَومينِ

ثُمَ اِنتَحيت لابس الخفين

In it I stayed with them two days

Then I left barefoot

مَدرسة الأَلسُن دُون مينِ

بَعدَ اِمتِحان عاد لي بِالشُكر

The schools of languages without hesitation

After the exam gratitude returned to me

وَلاثنتين بَعدَ خَمسين ظَهرْ

أَن اِنتِقالي كانَ في نُصف صَفرْ

And for two and fifty mornings passed

That my transfer was in the middle of Safar

فَهِمتُ بِالعلم وَلازَمت السَهر

كَي أَجتَني ما طابَ مِن حُلو الثَمَر

So I understood knowledge and stayed up at night

That I harvest what is good from sweet fruits

وَأَكتسي ثَوب العُلا وَالفَخر

وَقَد صَرَفت أَنفُس الأَوقات

And dress in the clothes of supremacy and pride

And I have spent the most precious times

في حفظ ما دَقَّ مِن اللُغات

وَكُنت في الدُروس بِالتِفات

In memorizing whatever accurate languages

And in the lessons attentively

أَروي صَحيح القَول عَن ثِقات

مِن كُل يَعروفٍ لَبيب حبر

I narrate the authentic speech from the trusted

From every knowledgeable eloquent scholar

وَكُل فَن مِن فُنون العربِ

بَلَغت فيهِ بِاجتِهادي أَربي

And every art from the arts of the Arabs

I have reached in it with my diligence the utmost skill

لا سِيما فَنّ غَريب الأَدَب

فَإِنَّني دوّنته في كُتب

Especially the art of rare literature

For I have recorded it in books

تَبقى بِلا طيّ لِيَوم النَشر

وَفي الفرنساوي تَعالى نجمي

To remain flawless until publication day

And in French my star rose high

وَمِنهُ قَد أَحرَزت أَوفى سَهم

وَمن مَعانيه تَحلّى فهمي

And from it I have gained the most loyal share

And from its meanings my understanding was adorned

بِحلية الدُر البَديع النظم

وَجَوهَر اللَفظ العَجيب النَثر

With the jewelry of the beautifully composed pearl

And the essence of the wondrous prose and poetry

وَفي ثَلاث بَعد خَمسين مَضى

لي مِن أَبي أَخ كَبير بِالقَضا

And in three after fifty passed

I had from my father an elder brother in fate

إِلى وصال الحور في دار الرضا

لَكنهُ أَجَّجَ لي نار الغَضا

To the union of houris in the abode of bliss

But he sparked in me the fire of sorrow

لَما تَوارى جسمه في القَبر

وَكانَ هَذا الأَخ في المَصالح

When his body was buried in the grave

And this brother was in matters

قُبطان غَليون بِظَهر المالح

وَكانَ ذا عَزم وَرَأى ناجح

The captain of Ghalion at sea

And he was of resolve, successful insight

وَمَتجر في كُل شَيء رابح

وَخبرة في سَيره بِالبَحر

And profitable trade in everything

And expert in his travels at sea

أَما أَبي فَإِنَّهُ لفقده

ما عاشَ إِلا حجةً مِن بَعده

As for my father, because of his loss

He did not live except a year after him

وَقَد ثَوى برحمة في لَحده

فَراعَني لِمَوته بِبُعده

And he rested in mercy in his grave

So his death from afar disturbed me

وَعيل مِن هَذا المُصاب صَبري

وَمُذ عَدمت الأَهل وَالأَقاربا

And I had patience for this affliction

And since I lost my family and relatives

أَصبَحت وَحدي عَن وُجودي غائِبا

وَلَم أَجد مِن بَعدهم لي صاحِبا

I became, while they were absent from my being

And after them I did not find a companion for myself

وَلا مُعيناً يَدفَع المَصائِبا

عَني وَيَسعى في تَلافي أَمري

Nor a helper to deflect adversities

From me and strive to remedy my affair

وَالعلة اِستَولت عَلى فؤادي

شَهراً وَأَلقتني عَلى وسادي

And the illness overcame my heart

For a month and laid me in my bed

لَكنَّني مَع ذاكَ لاجتهادي

ما جَفَّ في هَذا العَيا مدادي

But despite that with my diligence

My ink did not dry up in this life

وَلا طَرحت الدَرس خَلف الظَهر

وَعندَما تَوجه الشِفاءُ

Nor did I neglect study behind my back

And when recovery came

وَأَثمَر الدوا وَزال الداءُ

And the medicine worked and the illness went away