سَكَنَ الظَلامُ وَباتَ قَلبُكَ يَخفِقُ

وَسَطا عَلى جَنبَيكَ هَمٌّ مُقلِقُ

Darkness fell and your heart beats

Restlessly in the midst of your sides lies a disturbing care

حارَ الفِراشُ وَحِرتُ فيهِ فَأَنتُما

تَحتَ الظَلامِ مُعَذَّبٌ وَمُؤَرَّقُ

The bed became hot and I became confused in it while you both

Are tormented and anxious beneath the darkness

دَرَجَ الزَمانُ وَأَنتَ مَفتونُ المُنى

وَمَضى الشَبابُ وَأَنتَ ساهٍ مُطرِقُ

Time passed while you are infatuated with wishes

And youth is gone while you are downcast

عَجَباً يَلَذُّ لَكَ السُكوتُ مَعَ الهَوى

وَسِواكَ يَبعَثُهُ الغَرامُ فَيَنطِقُ

Strangely, silence gives you pleasure along with passion

While it makes everyone else speak out of love

خُلِقَ الغَرامُ لِأَصغَرَيكَ وَطالَما

ظَنّوا الظُنونَ بِأَصغَرَيكَ وَأَغرَقوا

Passion was created for your cheeks and long they

Suspected the suspicions about your cheeks and drowned

وَرَمَوكَ بِالسَلوى وَلَو شَهِدوا الَّذي

تَطويهِ في تِلكَ الضُلوعِ لَأَشفَقوا

And blamed you with laxity, and had they witnessed what

You conceal in those ribs, they would have empathized

أَخفَيتَ أَسرارَ الفُؤادِ وَإِنَّما

سِرُّ الفُؤادِ مِنَ النَواظِرِ يُسرَقُ

You hid the secrets of the heart, and yet

The secret of the heart is stolen from sights

نَفِّس بِرَبِّكَ عَن فُؤادِكَ كَربَهُ

وَاِرحَم حَشاكَ فَإِنَّها تَتَمَزَّقُ

Vent with your Lord the distress of your heart

And have mercy on your cheeks, for they are torn

وَاِذكُر لَنا عَهدَ الَّذينَ بِنايِهِم

جَمَعوا عَلَيكَ هُمومَهُم وَتَفَرَّقوا

And remember for us the era of those who

United their concerns upon you and dispersed

ما لِلقَوافي أَنكَرَتكَ وَلَم تَكُن

لِكَسادِها في غَيرِ سوقِكَ تَنفُقُ

Why did rhymes deny you when they were not

Circulating in any market but yours

ما لِلبَيانِ بِغَيرِ بابِكَ واقِفاً

يَبكي وَيُعجِلُهُ البُكاءُ فَيَشرَقُ

Why did rhetoric stand still at any other door

Weeping with impatience so it shines

إِنّي كَهَمِّكَ في الصَبابَةِ لَم أَزَل

أَلهو وَأَرتَجِلُ القَريضَ وَأَعشَقُ

I have not ceased, like your anxiety in youth,

To indulge in composing and fall in love

نَفسي بِرَغمِ الحادِثاتِ فَتِيَّةٌ

عودي عَلى رَغمِ الكَوارِثِ مورِقُ

My soul despite calamities is youthful

My will despite disasters is flourishing

إِنَّ الَّذي أَغرى السُهادَ بِمُقلَتي

مُتَعَنِّتٌ قَلبي بِهِ مُتَعَلِّقُ

Indeed, the one who tempted the slumber with my eyelids

Is my stubborn heart which clings to him

واثَقتُهُ أَلّا أَبوحَ وَإِنَّما

يَومَ الحِسابِ يُحَلُّ ذاكَ المَوثِقُ

I trusted he will not confess, and yet

On Judgement Day that pact will be untied

وَشَقيتُ مِنهُ بِقُربِهِ وَبِعادِهِ

وَأَخو الشَقاءِ إِلى الشَقاءِ مُوَفَّقُ

And I suffered from his nearness and distance

A brother of misery is destined for misery

صاحَبتُ أَسبابَ الرِضا لِرُكوبِهِ

مَتنَ الخِلافِ لِما بِهِ أَتَخَلَّقُ

I accompanied the causes of consent to ride

The saddle of conflict to acquire what makes me dignified

وَصَبَرتُ مِنهُ عَلى الَّذي يَعيا بِهِ

حِلمُ الحَليمِ وَيَتَّقيهِ الأَحمَقُ

And I patiently endured from him what the forebearing

Endure, and the foolish fear

أَصبَحتُ كَالدَهرِيِّ أَعبُدُ شَعرَهُ

وَجَبينَهُ وَأَنا الشَريفُ المُعرِقُ

I have become like an infatuated man, worshipping his hair

And forehead while I am the honorable refined man

وَغَدَوتُ أَنظِمُ مِن ثَنايا ثَغرِهِ

دُرَراً أُقَلِّدُها المَها وَأُطَوِّقُ

And I have become composing pearls from the crevices of his lips

To adorn the beauties and garland them

صَبري اِستَثَرتَ دَفائِني وَهَزَزتَني

وَأَرَيتَني الإِبداعَ كَيفَ يُنَسَّقُ

My patience has ransacked my treasures and shaken me

And showed me how to excellently coordinate

فَأَبَحتَ لي شَكوى الهَوى وَسَبَقتَني

في مَدحِ عَبّاسٍ وَمِثلُكَ يَسبِقُ

So you revealed to me the passion's complaint and preceded me

In praising Abbas, and the likes of you takes the lead

قالَ الرَئيسُ فَما لِقَولٍ بَعدَهُ

باعٌ تَطولُ وَلا لِمَدحٍ رَونَقُ

The president said, so what value remains for words after it

Merchandise stretched and undeserved praise elegance

شَوقي نَسَبتَ فَما مَلَكتُ مَدامِعي

مِن أَن يَسيلَ بِها النَسيبُ الشَيِّقُ

My passion you attributed, so I did not possess my tears

To flow with them the intimate ardent man

أَعجَزتَ أَطواقَ الأَنامِ بِمَدحِهِ

سَجَدَ البَيانُ لِرَبِّها وَالمَنطِقُ

You exhausted the necks of people in praising him

Rhetoric bowed to its Lord and logic kneeled

لَم تَترُكا لي في المَدائِحِ فَضلَةً

يَجري بِها قَلَمي الضَعيفُ وَيَلحَقُ

You left me no bonus in praise

For my weak pen to flow and catch up

نَفسي عَلى شَوقٍ لِمَدحِ أَميرِها

وَيَراعَتي بَينَ الأَنامِلِ أَشوَقُ

My soul longing to praise its prince

And my caution among people to yearn

ماذا أَقولُ وَأَنتُما في مَدحِهِ

بَحرانِ باتَ كِلاهُما يَتَدَفَّقُ

What can I say while you both regarding his praise

Are two seas both flowing

العَجزُ أَقعَدَني وَإِنَّ عَزائِمي

لَولاكُما فَوقَ السِماكِ تُحَلِّقُ

Incapacity made me sit while my resolves

Were it not for you, above the sky they fly

فَليَهنَئِ العَبّاسُ أَنَّ بِكَفِّهِ

عَلَمَينِ هَزَّهُما الوَلاءُ المُطلَقُ

So alas for Abbas that in his grip

Are two flags shaken by absolute loyalty

وَليَبقَ ذُخراً لِلبِلادِ وَأَهلِها

يَعفو وَيَرحَمُ مَن يَشاءُ وَيُعتِقُ

And let him remain a treasure for the country and its people

Forgiving and having mercy on whom he wishes and pardoning

عَبّاسُ وَالعيدُ الكَبيرُ كِلاهُما

مُتَأَلِّقٌ بِإِزائِهِ مُتَأَلِّقُ

Abbas and Eid are both splendid

Dazzlingly splendid each by the other's side

هَذا لَهُ تَجري الدِماءُ وَذا لَهُ

تَجري القَرائِحُ بِالمَديحِ وَتُعنِقُ

This one blood flows for him and that one

Praises flow for him and embrace

صَدَقَ الَّذي قَد قالَ فيهِ وَحَسبُهُ

أَنَّ الزَمانَ لِما يَقولُ مُصَدِّقُ

Truthful is he who said about him, and it suffices

That time confirms what he says

لَكَ مِصرُ ماضيها وَحاضِرُها مَعاً

وَلَكَ الغَدُ المُتَحَتِّمُ المُتَحَقِّقُ

Yours are Egypt's past and present together

And yours is the destined necessary future