لا غَرْوَ أَنْ صَغُرَتْ عَن قَدْرِكَ الرُّتَبُ

وَقَبْلَها قَصرَتْ عَن شَأْوِكَ الشُّهُبُ

No wonder the ranks fell short of your worth,

And before them the stars failed to match your stature,

مَافَاتَكَ الدَّهْرَ شَيْءٌ فَاتَ ذَا أَمَلٍ

أَدْرَكْتَ والقَومُ قَدْ أعْياهُمُ الطَّلَبُ

Nothing of time escaped you that one with hope could attain,

You reached heights while people grew weary of pursuit,

كَمْ عَظَّمتْكَ مُلُوكُ الأرضِ واعتَرَفَتْ

بِأنَّها قَصَّرَتْ مِن بَعْضِ مَا يَجِبُ

How the kings of earth exalted you and confessed

That they fell short of some of what was due,

وَكانَ ذاكَ لأَسبابٍ يَمُتُّ بها

لا خَيْرَ في رَفْعِ قَدْرٍ مَالَهُ سَبَبُ

And that was for reasons that pass away,

No good in raising a status that has no cause,

أَلبَستَ مِصْراً جَمالاً كانَ قَدْ سُلِبَتْ

قِدْماً وَمَا يَتَسَاوَى اللِّبْسُ والسَّلَبُ

You adorned Egypt with a beauty that was stripped from it,

And wearing is not equal to stripping,

فَما تَراقَصَ هذا النِّيلُ عَن عَبَثٍ

وإنَّما خَفَّ مَسْروراً بهِ الطَّرَبُ

So this Nile did not dance randomly,

But flowed gently, thrilled with joy,

قَدْ ضَمَّ حِلْمُكَ بَرَّيْهَا فَلا عَجَبٌ

هَبْ أَنَّ ذا جِلِّقٌ أوْ أَنّ ذا حَلَبُ

Your patience has forgone blame, so no surprise

Whether a babbler or milker of sheep,

أَحْيَيْتَ ذِكْرَ مُلُوكٍ كانَ فَخرُهُمُ

أَنْ خَلّفُوكَ فَهُمْ بَاقُون مَا ذَهَبُوا

You revived the memory of kings whose pride

Was to succeed you, but they are gone and you remain,