يا يَومَ تَكريمِ حِفني

أَرهَفتَ لِلقَولِ ذِهني

O day of honoring Hifni

You have sharpened my mind for poetry

فَيا قَريضُ أَجِبني

وَيا بَيانُ أَعِنّي

So answer my verse, O poetry

And aid me, O eloquence

عَلّي أَفي بَعضَ دَيني

إِن كانَ ذَلِكَ يُغني

Help me fulfill some of my debt

If that would suffice

يا مَن ضَرَبتَ بِسَهمٍ

في كُلِّ عِلمٍ وَفَنِّ

O you who excelled

In every science and art

بَنَيتَ لِلشِعرِ فينا

وَالنَثرِ أَعظَمَ رُكنِ

You built for poetry in us

And for prose, a great pillar

وَما خُلِقتَ لَعَمري

في الشَرقِ إِلّا لِتَبني

By my life, you weren’t created

In the East except to build

فَكُلُّ رَبِّ يَراعٍ

في مِصرَ خِرّيجُ حِفني

So every eastern poet

Is a graduate of Hifni

إِن قالَ شِعراً فَراحٌ

تُدارُ في يَومِ دَجنِ

If he composes poetry, it circulates

On the day of gathering

أَو قالَ نَثراً فَرَوحٌ

يَجتازُنا غِبَّ مُزنِ

Or if he composes prose, a spirit

Crosses us, remote and distressed

فَإِن بَدَأتَ بِقَولٍ

مِنهُ فَبِالكَأسِ ثَنِّ

So if you begin with words

Of which, then with a cup, delight

وَطِر إِلى اللَهوِ وَاِرغَب

عَن حِكمَةِ المُتَأَنّي

And incline towards frivolity and desire

Away from the wisdom of calm

فَالعَيشُ في بِنتِ فِكرٍ

تُجلى وَفي بِنتِ دَنِّ

For living in the daughter of thought

Clarifies, and in the daughter of lowliness

وَإِن طَلَبتَ مَزيداً

فَفي مُناجاةِ خِدنِ

And if you seek more

Then in the intimacy of pillows

لَولا الحَياءُ وَلَولا

ديني وَعَقلي وَسِنّي

If not for my shyness, religion, reason and age

I would on Hifni's day

لَقُمتُ في يَومِ حِفني

أَدعو لِسَكرَةِ يَنّي

Call for the intoxication of wine

And not say to Hifni

وَلا أَقولُ لِحِفني

ما قيلَ قِدماً لِمَعنِ

What was said before to Ma'n

Do not forget a life that turned

لا تَنسَ عَيشاً تَوَلّى

ما بَينَ شَرحٍ وَمَتنِ

Between explanation and text

Your youth turned in it

وَلّى شَبابُكَ فيهِ

ما بَينَ مَدٍّ وَغَنِّ

Between extension and melody

And you tasted what came from increase

وَذُقتَ مِن جاءَ زَيدٌ

وَمِن شُروحِ الشُمُنّي

And from the explanations of Al-Shumuni

And from the marginalia of the supercommentaries

وَمِن حَواشي الحَواشي

عَلى مُتونِ اِبنِ جِنّي

On the texts of Ibn Jinni

What the nights did not let you taste

ما لَم تُذِقكَ اللَيالي

قَلَبنَ ظَهرَ المِجَنِّ

Turned the back of the aged

Days the sultan trifles

أَيّامَ سُلطانُ يَلهو

بِمَشِّهِ وَيُغَنّي

With his entertainment and sings

He spends the night conversing what I will not

يَبيتُ يَقصَعُ ما لَم

أُسَمِّهِ أَو أُكَنّي

Name or allude to

He complains to you and you complain

يَشكو إِلَيكَ وَتَشكو

إِلَيهِ عيشَةَ غَبنِ

To him of a life of injustice

Days Hifni calls you

أَيّامَ يَدعوكَ حِفني

مِنَ الحَياةِ أَجِرني

From life - deliver me!

Give me a pistol - I'm tired

هاتِ المُسَدَّسَ إِنّي

سَئِمتُ مَشّي وَجُبني

Of walking around scared

Who can give me a coin for some meat

مَن لي بِدِرهَمِ لَحمٍ

عَلَيهِ حَبَّةُ سَمنِ

Sprinkled with a dab of grease

By God, I'm famished until

قَرِمتُ وَاللَهِ حَتّى

صاحَت عَصافيرُ بَطني

The birds in my stomach screamed

Days your feast day is one

أَيّامَ عيدُكَ يَومٌ

تَفوزُ فيهِ بِدُهنِ

In which you win with oils

Days more delicious to you

أَيّامَ مَهيَأَ أَشهى

إِلَيكَ مِن سَن جُوَنّي

Than the tooth of a youth

I say this though I

أَقولُ هَذا وَإِنّي

لَمُحسِنٌ فيكَ ظَنّي

Think well of you

So if you become minister one day

فَإِن غَدَوتَ وَزيراً

يَوماً وَجِئنا نُهَنّي

And we come to congratulate

Then do not be unreachable

فَلا تَكُن ذا حِجابٍ

وَلا تُطِل في التَجَنّي

Or prolong avoidance

Nor say arrogantly

وَلا تَقُل مِن غُرورٍ

يا أَيُّها الناسُ إِنّي

"O people, I am...”

I fear death upon you

أَخشى عَلَيكَ المَنايا

حَتّى كَأَنَّكَ مِنّي

As if you're from me

If you complain of a headache

إِذا شَكَوتَ صُداعاً

أَطَلتُ تَسهيدَ جَفني

I prolong my condolences

And if you're stricken with frailty

وَإِن عَراكَ هُزالٌ

هَيَّأتُ لَحدي وَقُطني

I prepare my coffin and shroud

And if I supplicate for a living one

وَإِن دَعَوتُ لِحَيٍّ

يَوماً فَإِيّاكَ أَعني

It’s you I mean

My life is hostage to yours

عُمري بِعُمرِكَ رَهنٌ

فَعِش أَعِش أَلفَ قَرنِ

So live, live a thousand years

We'll spend it while Iblis is in it

نَبقى وَإِبليسَ فيها

نُبلي اللَيالي وَنُفني

Wearing out the nights and perishing

I have been excessive in joking, so forgive

أَسرَفتُ في المَزحِ فَاِصفَح

يا سَيِّدي وَاِعفُ عَنّي

My master and pardon me

For the sin is the sin of my passion

فَالذَنبُ ذَنبُ شُدودي

فَاِلعَن شُدودي وَدَعني

So curse my passion and leave me

It has established among us joking

قَد سَنَّ فينا مُزاحاً

عَلى الحَقيقَةِ يَجني

That reaps the truth

I have tasted the two from it

ذُقتُ الأَمَرَّينِ مِنهُ

فَسَل سَليماً وَسَلني

So ask Salim and ask me

And listen to the praise of a loving one

وَاِسمَع مَديحَ مُحِبٍّ

يُطري بِحَقٍّ وَيُثني

Who flies with truth and extols

You have gathered traits

لَقَد جَمَعتَ خِلالاً

تَضَمَّنَت كُلَّ حُسنِ

That encompass all beauty

Inspector, jurist

مُفَتِّشاً وَفَقيهاً

وَقاضِياً وَاِبنَ فَنِّ

Judge and man of art

Knowledge has triumphed

إِنَّ المَعارِفَ فازَت

بِمُنيَةِ المُتَمَنّي

With the death of the covetous

With decency, aloofness

بِحِشمَتٍ وَعَلِيٍّ

أَبي الفُتوحِ وَحِفني

My father of victories, and Hifni