تَبَّدت نجومُ الفنِّ في أُفُقِ الغَربِ

وأشرقَ شمسا بينَها يُوسُفُ وَهبي

The stars of art shone on the horizon of the West,

And a sun rose among them, Yousef Wahbi.

وما الشَّمسُ إلا نورُها ومَسِيرُها

فَتَطلعُ مِن شرقٍ وتسطَعُ في الغَربِ

The sun is but its light and its course,

Rising from the east, radiating in the west.

نعَم حلَّ وهبِي بينَنا ورِفاقُهُ

فحلُّوا مَحَلَّ السُّوَيدَاءِ مِن القلبِ

Yes, Wahbi came among us and his comrades,

And they took the place of the beloved in our hearts.

ضُيُوفا أجِلاَّءً كِرَاما أعِزَّةً

علَى الرَّحبِ يا خيرَ الضُّيُوف علَى الرَّحبِ

Noble guests, generous, honored,

In the open space—O best of guests in the open space!

حلَلتُم بقُطرٍ شَيِّقٍ مُتَشَوِّقٍ

لرُؤيتكُم شوقَ الظَّمِيء إلى الشُّربِ

You came to a keen, eager, longing country,

Longing to see you like the thirsty long for water.

يُبادِلُكُم صفوَ المَودَّةِ أهلُه

مُشَاهَدَةً لا بالرَّسائل والكُتبِ

Its people reciprocate the sincerity of affection with you,

Witnessing, not through letters and books.

ونِلتُم أسمَى حُظوةٍ ومكَانةٍ

لَدَى المِلكِ الحامِي الحِمَى عاهِلِ الشَّعبِ

And you attained the highest favor and status

With the protective king, guardian of the sanctuaries, ruler of the people—

مَليكٍ درَى قَدرَ الفنُونِ وأهلِها

وذَا اللُّبِّب منهَا فاعتنَى بِذوي اللُّبِّ

A king who knew the merit of the arts and their masters,

And the gifted among them, so he cared for the gifted—

أدَامَه ربُّ العرشِ لِلعرشِ مَفخَراً

وذِكرُه للتقدِيس في العُجم والعُربِ

May the Lord of the Throne make him a pride of the throne forever,

And his mention a sanctification among non-Arabs and Arabs.

ويمَّمتُمُ الحمرَاءَ يحدُو رَكَابَكُم

تَشَوُّقُ أهلِيها إلى ذَلِكَ الرَّكبِ

And you headed for the Red Sea, your mounts urged on

By the eagerness of its people for that caravan.

فأهلاً بكُم عندَ الأوِدَّاءِ مرَّةً

وألفاً لَدى البَاشا أليفِ العُلَى النَّدبِ

So welcome, among loving friends once,

And a thousand times welcome to the Pasha, intimate of the exalted and refined—

حفيٌ وفيىٌ يُنعِشُ القلبَ رُؤيَةً

كمَا يُنعِشُ الأزهارَ مُنسَكبُ الصَّوبِ

A loyal and faithful one who gladdens the heart in seeing him,

As cascading rain gladdens the flowers.

إذا السُّحبُ تهمِي مرَّةً بعدَ مرَّةٍ

فراحتُهُ أهمَى دَواما من السُّحبِ

When at times the clouds gather threat’ningly,

His cheerfulness is more important than the clouds.

حَلَلتُم ببُرجِ السَّعدِ في سَيرِكُم وقد

تَحُلُّ بِبُرجِ السَّعدِ نَيٍِّرَةٌ الشُّهبِ

You came in the constellation of good fortune on your journey, and will

Come in the constellation of good fortune, O meteors of August!

أتَيتُمُ بالتَّمثيلِ جَنَّاتِ ناظرٍ

نُمتِّعُ طرفا في حَداِئقها الغُلبِ

You brought, in your representation, gardens with which an onlooker is delighted,

We entertain the gaze in their thickets and bushes.

ونجِني ثِمارَ النُّصحِ والرُّشدِ والمُنَى

وَنَنهَلُ مِن سلسَال مَورِدِه الهذبِ

And we harvest the fruits of advice, guidance and purpose,

And we drink from the soft, sweet chain of its spring.

ونُبصِرُ وَهبِي مُفرَدا متَعَدِّدا

فيبدُو كمَا يَهوَى بشخصِيَة تَسبِي

And we see Wahbi singularly manifold,

Appearing as he desires in a captivating persona—

يَغوصُ بِبَحرِ الفَنِّ غَوصةً قادرٍٍ

فيخرُجُ منه نادِر اللُّؤلُؤِ الرَّطبِ

He dives into the sea of art with the dive of one able,

And emerges from it with rare, moist pearls.

فلسنَا نُطيقُ الصَّبرَ بعدَ فِرَاقِكم

وعندَ اشتِدَاد الحُبِّ لا صَبرَ للصَّبِّ

We cannot endure patience after your leaving,

And with the intensity of love, there is no patience for the patient one!

نعَم واذكرُوا العهدَ المقدَّسَ ذكرُهُ

ولا تنسَوا الأحبابَ في البُعدِ والقُربِ

Yes, and remember the sacred covenant—remember it—

And do not forget the loved ones in distance or nearness.

وبلِّغ تحَايَانا لِمصرَ وأهلِهَا

وبلِّغ تحيَّاتِي إلى مَعشَرِ الصَّحبِ

And convey my greetings to Egypt and her people,

And convey my greetings to the company of friends.