سِر أَبا صالِحٍ إِلى اللَهِ وَاِترُك
مِصرَ في مَأتَمٍ وَحُزنٍ شَديدِ
Travel silently to God and leave
Egypt in deep grief and sorrow
هَذِهِ غايَةُ النُفوسِ وَهَذا
مُنتَهى العَيشِ مُرِّهِ وَالرَغيدِ
This is the goal of souls and this is
The end of bitter and pleasant life
هَل تَرى الناسَ في طَريقِكَ إِلّا
نَعشَ كَهلٍ تَلاهُ نَعشُ الوَليدِ
Do you see people on your path except
A bier of an old man followed by a bier of a child
إِنَّ أَوهى الخُيوطِ فيما بَدا لي
خَيطُ عَيشٍ مُعَلَّقٌ بِالوَريدِ
Surely the weakest of threads in my view
Is the thread of life hanging by a vein
مُضغَةٌ بَينَ خَفقَةٍ وَسُكونٍ
وَدَمٌ بَينَ جَريَةٍ وَجُمودِ
A morsel between a heartbeat and stillness
And blood between flowing and clotting
أَنزَلوا في الثَرى الوَزيرَ وَوارَوا
فيهِ تِسعينَ حِجَّةً في صُعودِ
They lowered the minister in the ground and watered
Ninety arguments over him as he rose
كُنتَ فيها عَلى يَدٍ مِن حَريرِ
لِلَّيالي فَأَصبَحَت مِن حَديدِ
You were in a land of silk for nights
But it became of iron in the morning
قَد بَلَوناكَ في الرِياسَةِ حيناً
فَبَلَونا الوَزيرَ عَبدَ الحَميدِ
We tested you in leadership for a while
So we tested the minister Abdel Hamid
آخِذاً مِن لِسانِ فارِسَ قِسطاً
وافِرَ القَسمِ مِن لِسانِ لَبيدِ
Taking from the tongue of the eloquent Persian
Abundant shares from the tongue of Labid
في ظِلالِ المُلوكِ تُدني إِلَيهِم
كُلَّ آوٍ لِظِلِّكَ المَمدودِ
In the shadows of kings everyone in need
Draws near to your outstretched shadow
لَستَ مَن مَرَّ بِالمَعالِمِ مَرّاً
إِنَّما أَنتَ دَولَةٌ في فَقيدِ
You are not one who passed landmarks
Rather, you are a state in a constitution
قُم فَحَدِّث عَنِ السِنينِ الخَوالي
وَفُتوحِ المُمَلَّكينَ الصيدِ
Stand up and speak of bygone years
And the conquests of mighty hunters
وَالَّذي مَرَّ بَينَ حالٍ قَديمٍ
أَنتَ أَدرى بِهِ وَحالِ جَديدِ
That which passed between an ancient state
You know it best and the state of the new
وَصِفِ العِزَّ في زَمانِ عَلِيٍّ
وَاِذكُرِ اليُمنَ في زَمانِ سَعيدِ
Describe the glory in Ali's time
And remember Yemen in Sa'eed's time
كَيفَ أُسطولُهُم عَلى كُلِّ بَحرٍ
وَسَراياهُمُ عَلى كُلِّ بيدِ
How their ships were on every sea
And their horsemen in every wasteland
قَد تَوَلَّوا وَخَلَّفوكَ وَفِيّاً
في زَمانٍ عَلى الوَفِيِّ شَديدِ
They turned against you and left you loyal
In a time most difficult on the loyal
فَاِلحَقِ اليَومَ بِالكِرامِ كَريماً
وَاِلقَهُم بَينَ جَنَّةٍ وَخُلودِ
So join today the noble ones nobly
And meet them between Heaven and immortality
وَتَقَبَل وَداعَ باكٍ عَلى فَق
دِكَ وافٍ لِعَهدِكَ المَحمودِ
And accept the farewell of one weeping over
Your loss, faithful to your blessed covenant
