فَتى العَقلِ وَالنَغمَةِ العالِيَه
مَضى وَمَحاسِنَهُ باقِيَه
The youth of wisdom and sublime melody
Has passed, though his virtues remain
فَلا سوقَةٌ لَم تَكُن أُنسَهُ
وَلا مَلِكٌ لَم تَزِن نادِيَه
No marketplace that was not his companion
No king whose assembly did not weigh his chant
وَلَم تَخلُ مِن طيبِها بَلدَةٌ
وَلَم تَخلُ مِن ذِكرِها ناحِيَه
No town was devoid of his goodness
No region devoid of his mention
يَكادُ إِذا هُوَ غَنّى الوَرى
بِقافِيَةٍ يُنطِقُ القافِيَه
When he sang, he almost made
The cosmos speak in rhyme
يَتيهُ عَلى الماسِ بَعضُ النُحاسِ
إِذا ضَمَّ أَلحانَهُ الغالِيَه
Some of the worthless are confused
By his lofty compositions
وَتَحكُمُ في النَفسِ أَوتارُهُ
عَلى العودِ ناطِقَةً حاكِيَه
His strings rule the soul
Speaking on the oud mimicingly
وَتَبلُغُ مَوضِعَ أَوطارِها
وَتُفشي سَريرَتَها الخافِيَه
And reach the place of his pearls
And reveal his hidden mysteries
وَكَم آيَةٍ في الأَغاني لَهُ
هِيَ الشَمسُ لَيسَ لَها ثانِيَه
And how many signs in his songs
They are the sun, unmatched
إِذا ما تَنادى بِها العارِفونَ
قُلِ البَرقُ وَالرَعدُ مِن غادِيَه
When the gnostics whisper them
Say: The lightning and thunder are from the clouds
فَإِن هَمَسوا بَعدَ جَهرٍ بِها
فَخَفقُ الحُلِيِّ عَلى الغانِيَه
And if they whisper after loudness
The swaying of adornments upon the singer
لَقَد شابَ فَردي وَجازَ المَشيبَ
وَعَيدا شَبيبَتُها زاهِيَه
Indeed, my hair has turned white and youthfulness has faded
Yet its celebration remains lively
تُمَثِّلُ مِصرَ لِهَذا الزَمانِ
كَما هِيَ في الأَعصُرِ الخالِيَه
It represents Egypt in this time
As it was in eras past
وَنَذكُرُ تِلكَ اللَيالي بِها
وَنَنشُدُ تِلكَ الرُؤى السارِيَه
And we recall those nights through it
And chant those visions that flowed
وَنَبكي عَلى عِزِّنا المُنقَضي
وَنَندُبُ أَيّامَنا الماضِيَه
And weep over our lost glory
And mourn our bygone days
فَيا آلَ فَردي نُعَزّيكُمُ
وَنَبكي مَعَ الأُسرَةِ الباكِيَه
Oh House of Farid, we condole you
And weep with the grieving family
فَقَدنا بِمَفقودِكُم شاعِراً
يَقِلُّ الزَمانُ لَهُ راوِيَه
For in your loss, we lost a poet
Whose equal time will scarcely find
