جَلَّ الأَسى فَتَجَمَّلي

وَإِذا أَبَيتِ فَأَجمِلي

Anguish prevails, so beautify yourself,

And if you refuse, then do gracefully.

يا مِصرُ قَد أَودى فَتا

كِ وَلا فَتىً إِلّا عَلي

O Egypt, a knight of yours has perished,

And no knight remains except Ali.

قَد ماتَ نابِغَةُ القَضا

ءِ وَغابَ بَدرُ المَحفِلِ

The star judge has died,

And the full moon of gatherings has set.

وَعَدا القَضاءُ عَلى القَضا

ءِ فَصابَهُ في المَقتَلِ

Fate has turned against fate,

So it met its death.

حَلّالُ عَقدِ المُعضِلا

تِ قَضى بِداءٍ مُعضِلِ

Solver of intricate problems,

He judged with an intricate remedy.

وَيحَ الكِنانَةِ ما لَها

في غَمرَةٍ لا تَنجَلي

Alas for femininity, it has no place

In deep darkness that does not clear.

باتَت وَكارِثَةٌ تَمُر

رُ بِها وَكارِثَةٌ تَلي

One calamity passes by,

While another follows.

يا زَهرَةَ الماضي وَيا

رَيحانَةَ المُستَقبَلِ

O flower of the past, and O basil

Of the future,

كُنّا نُعِدُّكِ لِلشَدا

ئِدِ في الزَمانِ المُقبِلِ

We expected you for feasts

In the coming times.

يا لابِسَ الخُلُقِ الكَري

مِ المُطمَئِنِّ الأَمثَلِ

O you of noble character, reassuring, ideal,

You left us when we needed you, and did not linger.

فارَقتَنا في حينِ حا

جَتِنا وَلَم تَتَمَهَّلِ

O you who endured adversity bravely,

Shooter of the bow of the hero.

يا رامِياً صَدرَ الصِعا

بِ رَماكَ رامي الأَجدَلِ

O you who kept intimate secrets

And were generous in speech.

يا حافِظاً غَيبَ الصَدي

قِ وَيا كَريمَ المِقوَلِ

Which praise is still too little

For your attire, that did not adorn itself?

أَيُّ المَحامِدِ غَضَّةً

بِحُلاكَ لَم تَتَجَمَّلِ

Your peers play foolishly,

While you set yourself apart.

تَلهو لِداتُكَ بِالصِبا

لَهواً وَأَنتَ بِمَعزِلِ

You pursue lasting, righteous deeds,

And climb high indefatigably.

تَسعى وَراءَ الباقِيا

تِ الصالِحاتِ وَتَعتَلي

You attained the knowledge of those gone by

And grasped the superiority of the first ones.

بَينَ المَحابِرِ وَالدَفا

تِرِ دائِباً لا تَأتَلي

Your lowest goal is an ambition

Above the highest summit.

أَدرَكتَ عِلمَ الآخِري

نَ وَحُزتَ فَضلَ الأَوَّلِ

And your highest purpose is to see

Egypt prevail and climb high.

أَدنى مَرامِكَ هِمَّةٌ

فَوقَ السِماكِ الأَعزَلِ

The loved ones have passed on after

Leaving me with grief and sorrow.

وَأَجَلُّ قَصدِكَ أَن تَرى

مِصراً تَسودُ وَتَعتَلي

After them I do not have

A life, and I did not pretend.

دَرَجَ الأَحِبَّةُ بَعدَ ما

تَرَكوا الأَسى وَالحُزنَ لي

Every year I stop and grieve

For the one who has moved on.

لَم يَحلُ لي مِن بَعدِهِم

عَيشٌ وَلَم أَتَعَلَّلِ

I cry with the weeping of bereft women,

And I complain as much as I complain.

لي كُلَّ عامٍ وَقفَةٌ

حَرّى عَلى مُتَرَحِّلِ

The day I lost him, determination

Did not abandon me.

أَبكي بُكاءَ الثاكِلا

تِ وَأَصطَلي ما أَصطَلي

A gloomy day has passed

With a knight in his prime.

لَم يُبقِ لي يَومُ الفَقي

دِ عَزيمَةً لَم تُفلَلِ

Who did not witness its horror

When the decree descended?

يَومٌ عَبوسٌ قَد مَضى

بِفَتىً أَغَرَّ مُحَجَّلِ

He does not know what the breaking of backs is,

Nor the sagging of joints.

مَن لَم يُشاهِد هَولَهُ

عِندَ القَضاءِ المُنزَلِ

O grave, shame on you, what you have done

To his radiant face!

لَم يَدرِ ما قَصمُ الظُهو

رِ وَلا اِنخِزالُ المَفصِلِ

You have frowned at a glow

That was meadows of beauty.

يا قَبرُ وَيحَكَ ما صَنَع

تَ بِوَجهِهِ المُتَهَلِّلِ

And you have corrupted, from him, a innocence

That did not detach.

عَبَّستَ مِنهُ نَضرَةً

كانَت رِياضَ المُجتَلي

O grave, has time played

With the softness of those fingers?

وَعَبَثتَ مِنهُ بِطُرَّةٍ

سَوداءَ لَمّا تَنصُلِ

In distress, I yearn for them, flowing

Like a stream.

يا قَبرُ هَل لَعِبَ البِلى

بِلِطافِ تِلكَ الأَنمُلِ

In hardship, I long for them to solve

Knotty problems.

لَهفي عَلَيها في الطُرو

سِ تَسيلُ سَيلَ الجَدوَلِ

I yearn for them for hope

And for questioning youth.

لَهفي عَلَيها في الجِدا

لِ تَحُلُّ عَقدَ المُشكِلِ

O grave, your guest among us

Was the best expectation.

لَهفي عَلَيها لِلرَجا

ءِ وَلِلعُفاةِ السُؤَّلِ

He did not become stingy when called

Nor pretend to be lowly.

يا قَبرُ ضَيفُكَ بَينَنا

قَد كانَ خَيرَ مُؤَمَّلِ

I made his abode my own,

So I lodged in the best lodging.

لَم يَنقَبِض كِبراً بِنا

ديهِ وَلَم يَتَبَذَّلِ

And I drank from his character,

So I attained the sweetest spring.

إِنّي حَلَلتُ رِحابَهُ

فَنَزَلتُ أَكرَمَ مَنزِلِ

وَنَهِلتُ مِن أَخلاقِهِ

فَوَرَدتُ أَعذَبَ مَنهَلِ