صونوا يَراعَ عَلِيٍّ في مَتاحِفِكُم
وَشاوِروهُ لَدى الأَرزاءِ وَالنُوَبِ
Guard Ali's morals in your consciences,
And consult with him at times of adversity and fortune,
وَاِستَلهِموهُ إِذا ما الرَأيُ أَخطَأَكُم
يَومَ النِضالِ عَنِ الأَوطانِ وَالنَشَبِ
And seek inspiration from him when opinions misguide you,
On the day of struggle, for homelands and for ideals.
قَد كانَ سَلوَةَ مِصرٍ في مَكارِهِها
وَكانَ جَمرَةَ مِصرٍ ساعَةَ الغَضَبِ
He was Egypt's solace in her tribulations,
And Egypt's ember in times of anger.
في شِقِّهِ وَمَراميهِ وَريقَتِهِ
ما في الأَساطيلِ مِن بَطشٍ وَمِن عَطَبِ
In his determination, his principles, and his disposition,
None of the fleet possessed his might and excellence.
كَم رَدَّ عَنّا وَعَينُ الغَربِ طامِحَةٌ
مِنَ الرَزايا وَكَم جَلّى مِنَ الكُرَبِ
How much he warded off intrigues from us when the West coveted,
Of troubles and calamities he cleared many a heap!
لَهُ صَريرٌ إِذا جَدَّ النِزالُ بِهِ
يُنسي الكُماةِ صَليلَ البيضِ وَالقُضُبِ
When war intensified he had a clanging din,
That made seasoned warriors forget the clashing of swords and spears.
ما ضَرَّ مَن كانَ هَذا في أَنامِلِهِ
أَن يَشهَدَ الحَربَ لَم يَسكُن إِلى يَلَبِ
No harm to one whose hands contained such prowess,
If he witnessed war and did not incline to rest.
فَلَو رَآهُ اِبنُ أَوسٍ ما قَرَأتَ لَهُ
السَيفُ أَصدَقُ أَنباءٍ مِنَ الكُتُبِ
Had Ibn Aws* seen him, his sword would have conveyed
Tidings truer than books contain.
أَلا فَتىً عَرَبِيٌّ تَستَقِلُّ بِهِ
بَعدَ الفَقيدِ وَيَحمي حَوزَةَ الأَدَبِ
Oh, a noble Arab to succeed the deceased,
Who can independently guard the citadel of literature,
وَيَمنَعُ الحَقَّ أَن يُغشي تَبَلُّجَهُ
ما في السِياسَةِ مِن زورٍ وَمِن كَذِبِ
And prevent the truth from being clouded
By the deception and lies politics contain.
أَودى فَتى الشَرقِ بَل شَيخُ الصَحافَةِ بَل
شَيخُ الوَفائِيَّةِ الوَضّاحَةِ الحَسَبِ
The East's knight - nay, the sheikh of journalism - nay,
The sheikh of evident, unambiguous loyalty has passed.
أَقامَ فينا عِصامِيّاً فَعَلَّمَنا
مَعنى الثَباتِ وَمَعنى الجِدِّ وَالدَأَبِ
He established among us principles and taught us
The meaning of steadfastness, determination, and hard work.
وَراحَ عَنّا وَلَم تَبلُغ عَزائِمُنا
مَدى مُناها وَلَم تَقرُب مِنَ الأَرَبِ
He left us before our aspirations
Reached their extent or approached fulfillment.
قالوا عَجِبنا لِمِصرٍ يَومَ مَصرَعِهِ
وَقَد عَجِبتُ لَهُم مِن ذَلِكَ العَجَبِ
They exclaimed wonder at Egypt when he died,
Yet I wondered at them for that wonder.
إِنَّ الأُلى حَسِبوها غَيرَ جازِعَةٍ
لا يَنظُرونَ إِلى الأَشياءِ مِن كَثَبِ
They thought the High Land** did not quake
For they do not closely observe events.
تَاللَهِ ما جَهِلَت فيهِ مُصيبَتَها
وَلا الَّذي فَقَدَت مِن كاتِبِ العَرَبِ
By God she was not ignorant of her misfortune,
Nor of the loss of the Arabs' writer.
لَكِنَّها أَلِفَت وَالأَمرُ يَحزُبُها
فَقدَ الرِجالِ وَمَوتَ السادَةِ النُجُبِ
Rather, she had grown accustomed as events confounded her
To the loss of men and the death of esteemed nobles.
وَعَلَّمَتها اللَيالي أَن تُصابِرَها
في الحادِثاتِ وَإِن أَمعَنَّ في الحَرَبِ
The nights taught her to show resilience
In adversities, however severely war flared up.
كَم أَرجَفوا بَعدَ مَوتِ الشَيخِ وَاِرتَقَبوا
مَوتَ المُؤَيَّدِ فينا شَرَّ مُرتَقَبِ
How great was their alarm after the Sheikh's*** death as they anticipated
The death of the Supported One**** among us - a terrible anticipation!
وَإِن يَمُت تَمُتِ الآمالُ في بَلَدٍ
لَولا المُؤَيَّدُ لَم يَنشَط إِلى طَلَبِ
If he dies, hopes in a country die,
Without the Supported One it would not have aspired to quests.
صُبابَةٌ مِن رَجاءٍ بَينَ أَضلُعِنا
قَد باتَ يَرشُفُ مِنها كُلُّ مُغتَصِبِ
A youthful spirit of hope resides in our hearts
From which each usurper wished to drink.
أَلَم يَكُن لِبَني مِصرٍ وَقَد دُهِموا
مِن ساسَةِ الغَربِ مِثلَ المَعقِلِ الأَشِبِ
Did not the people of Egypt, when abused
By Western politicians, have a bastion like an impregnable fortress?
كَمِ اِنبَرَت فيهِ أَقلامٌ وَكَم رُفِعَت
فيهِ مَنائِرُ مِن نَظمٍ وَمِن خُطَبِ
How many pens rose in it, and how many pulpits
Of prose and verse were erected!
وَكانَ مَيدانَ سَبقٍ لِلأُلى غَضِبوا
لِلدينِ وَالحَقِّ مِن داعٍ وَمُحتَسِبِ
It was a racecourse for the passionate to compete
For religion and truth, each a preacher and moral enforcer.
فَكَم يَراعِ حَكيمٍ في مَشارِعِهِ
قَدِ اِلتَقى بِيَراعِ الكاتِبِ الأَرِبِ
How many a wise man's endeavors met
The endeavors of the Arabs' prolific writer!
أَيُّ الصَحائِفِ في القُطرَينِ قَد وَسِعَت
رَدَّ الإِمامِ مُزيلِ الشَكِّ وَالرِيَبِ
Which newspapers in both countries contained
Rebuttals dispelling doubt, led by the Imam.*****
أَيّامَ يَحصِبُ هانوتو بِفِريَتِهِ
وَجهَ الحَقيقَةِ وَالإِسلامِ في نَحَبِ
The days Hanotaux****** spewed his deceits
And turned the face of truth and Islam into frowns.
ما لي أُعَدِّدُ آثارَ الفَقيدِ لَكُم
وَالشَرقُ يَعرِفُ رَبَّ السَبقِ وَالغَلَبِ
Why should I enumerate to you the deceased's works
When the East knows the lord of precedence and conquest?
لَولا المُؤَيَّدُ ظَلَّ المُسلِمونَ عَلى
تَناكُرٍ بَينَهُم في ظُلمَةِ الحُجُبِ
Without the Supported One, Muslims would have remained
Estranged from each other, veiled in darkness.
تَعارَفوا فيهِ أَرواحاً وَضَمَّهُمُ
رَغمَ التَنائي زِمامٌ غَيرُ مُنقَضِبِ
Through him kindred spirits got acquainted
And despite divergence an unsevered bond unified them.
في مِصرَ في تونِسٍ في الهِندِ في عَدَنٍ
في الروسِ في الفُرسِ في البَحرَينِ في حَلَبِ
In Egypt, Tunisia, India, Aden,
Russia, Persia, Bahrain, Aleppo.
هَذا يَحِنُّ إِلى هَذا وَقَد عُقِدَت
مَوَدَّةٌ بَينَهُم مَوصولَةُ السَبَبِ
This one yearns for that one - ties of affection
Were established between them with interconnected strands.
أَبا بُثَينَةَ نَم يَكفيكَ ما تَرَكَت
فينا يَداكَ وَما عانَيتَ مِن تَعَبِ
Father of Buthaina! What your hands left in us suffices,
And what tribulations you endured from exertion.
جاهَدتَ في اللَهِ وَالأَوطانِ مُحتَسِبا
فَاِرجِع إِلى اللَهِ مَأجوراً وَفُز وَطِبِ
You strove in God's cause and the homelands' as one who seeks reward,
So return to God rewarded, successful, and serene.
وَاِحمِل بِيُمناكَ يَومَ النَشرِ ما نَشَرَت
تِلكَ الصَحيفَةُ في دُنياكَ وَاِنتَسِبِ
And carry, with your right hand on Resurrection Day,
What that newspaper spread in your world, and affiliate with it!
