ثَمَنُ المَجدِ وَالمَحامِدِ غالي

آلُ زَغلولَ فَاِصبِروا لِلَيالي

The price of glory and praise is dear

O clan of Zaghloul, have patience for nights

قَد هَوى مِنكُمُ ثَلاثَةُ أَقما

رٍ خَلَت مِنهُمُ بُروجُ المَعالي

Three lights among you have fallen

Towers of grandeur have passed from them

ماتَ فَتحي وَمَن لَنا بِحِجاهُ

وأَفانينَ فِكرِهِ الجَوّالِ

Fathi died, and who can match his stature?

And the horizons of his roving thoughts

كانَ أُعجوبَةَ الزَمانِ ذَكاءً

وَمَضاءٍ في كُلِّ أَمرٍ عُضالِ

He was the marvel of the era in intelligence

And illumination in every complex matter

وَسَعيدٌ وَكانَ غُصناً نَدِيّاً

فُتِّحَت فيهِ زهرَةُ الآمالِ

And Sa'id - he was a tender branch

In whom the flower of hopes blossomed

وَقَضى عاطِفٌ وَكانَ عَظيماً

صادِقَ العَزمِ مُطمَأَنَّ الخِلالِ

And Atef fulfilled his duty and was great

True of purpose, composed in discord

يَهزِلُ الناسُ وَالزَمانُ وَيَأبى

غَيرَ جِدٍّ مُواصِلٍ وَنِضالِ

People jest and time refuses

Anything but serious, ceaseless striving

ساهِدُ الرَأيِ نائِمُ الحِقدِ لاهٍ

عَن مَلاهي الوَرى عَفيفُ المَقالِ

Wakeful of mind, dormant of rancor, aloof

From life's vain things, chaste of speech

قَد جَلا سَيفَ عَزمِهِ صَقيلُ النَفـ

ـيِ فَأَربى عَلى السُيوفِ الصِقالِ

He had polished the sword of his resolve to a sheen -

So it excelled over polished swords

وَنَمَت رَأيَهُ التَجارِبُ حَتّى

باتَ أَمضى مِن نافِذاتِ النِبالِ

And experience grew his wisdom until

It became sharper than piercing arrows

يا شَهيدَ الإِصلاحِ غادَرتَ مِصراً

وَهيَ تَجتازُ هَولَ دَورِ اِنتِقالِ

O martyr of reform, you left Egypt

As it was passing through a horrific transitional phase

لَو تَرَيَّثتَ لَاِستَطالَ بِكَ النيـ

ـلُ عَلى هَذِهِ الخُطوبِ التَوالي

Had you tarried, the Nile could have drawn upon you

During these successive tribulations

غَيرَ أَنَّ الرَدى وَإِن كَثُرَ النا

سُ حَريصٌ عَلى البَعيدِ المَنالِ

But destiny - though many people -

Is keen to reach the distant goals

كُلَّما قامَ مُصلِحٌ أَعجَلَتهُ

عَن مُناهُ غَوائِلُ الآجالِ

Whenever a reformer rises, contingencies

Hasten him from his duties with death

يُخطَفُ النابِغُ النَبيهُ وَيَبقى

خامِلُ الذِكرِ في نَعيمٍ وَخالِ

The brilliant genius is snatched away

While the witless remains in bliss and repose

أَيَعيشُ الرِئبالُ في الغابِ جيلاً

وَيَمُرُّ الغُرابُ بِالأَجيالِ

Can jackals live for generations in the forest

And ravens pass through generations?

كُنتَ فَوقَ الفِراشِ وِالسَقمُ بادٍ

لَهفَ نَفسي عَلَيكَ وَالجِسمُ بالِ

You were bedridden while illness raged

My soul yearned for you though your body was weak

لَم يُزَحزِحكَ عَن نُهوضِكَ بِالأَعبا

ءِ داءٌ يُهِدُّ أُسدَ الدِحالِ

No disease that felled the lions of the wild

Could deter your rising to the burdens

شَغَلَتكَ الجُهودُ وَالداءُ يَمشي

فيكِ مَشيَ المُحاذِرِ المُغتالِ

Worries busied you, and illness walked in you

With the gait of a lurking assassin

لَم يَدَع مِنكَ غَيرَ قُوَّةِ نَفسٍ

تَتَجَلّى في هَيكَلٍ مِن خَيالِ

It left you with no strength but your will

Which shone in a body made of mirage

عَجِزَ السُقمُ عَن بُلوغِ مَداها

فَمَضَت في سَبيلِها لا تُبالي

Illness fell short of reaching its extent

So you went your way, heedless

لَم تَزَل في بِناءَةِ النَشءِ حَتّى

هَدَمَ المَوتُ عُمرَ باني الرِجالِ

You persisted in building the generation

Until death demolished the architect of men

عَجِبَ الناسُ أَن رَأَوا سَرَطانَ الـ

ـبَحرِ قَد دَبَّ في رُؤوسِ الجِبالِ

People were amazed to see the crab of the sea

Creep into the peaks of mountains

مَن رَأى عاطِفاً وَقَد وَصَلَ الأَشـ

ـغالَ بَعدَ الهُدُوِّ بِالأَشغالِ

Whoever saw Atef when he took up tasks

After rest through the tasks, thought

ظَنَّ أَو كادَ أَنَّ أَوَّلَ نَومٍ

نامَهُ كانَ تَحتَ تِلكَ الرِمالِ

Or almost thought the first sleep

He slept was beneath those sands

أَو رَأى قُوَّةَ العَزيمَةِ فيهِ

وَهوَ فَوقَ الفِراشِ بادي الهُزالِ

Or saw the strength of will in him

While he was bedridden, emaciated

ظَنَّ بَأسَ الحَديدِ فارَقَ مَثوا

هُ اِجتِواءً وَحَلَّ عودَ الخِلالِ

Thought the might of iron had left its abode

To settle the unease of discord

قَد تَبَيَّنتَ كُلَّ مَعنىً فَأَنكَر

تَ عَلى السالِفينَ مَعنى المُحالِ

You discerned every meaning, so you denied

What the ancients thought impossible

رُمتَ في أَشهُرٍ صَلاحَ أُمورٍ

دَمَّرَتها يَدُ العُصورِ الخَوالي

You sought in months to set right

What the hands of years had spoiled

رُمتُ إِصلاحَ ما جَنَت يَدُ دَنلو

بَ عَلى العِلمِ السِنينَ الطِوالِ

You sought to reform what Cromer had planted

In knowledge, over the long years

وَقَليلٌ عِندي لَها نِصفُ جيلٍ

لِمُجِدٍّ مُوَفَّقٍ فَعّالِ

And I see that half a lifetime

Would be little for a successful reformer

لَم تَكُن مِصرُ بِالعَقيمِ وَلَكِن

قَد رَماها أَعداؤُها بِالحَيالِ

Egypt was not barren, but its enemies

Had cast their tricks upon it

أَفسِحوا لِلجِيادِ فيها مَجالاً

قَد أَضَرَّ الجِيادَ ضيقُ المَجالِ

Make way in it for the thoroughbreds

For the thoroughbreds were harmed by narrowness

أَصبَحَت في القُيودِ تَمشي الهُوَينا

كَسَفينٍ يَعبُرنَ مَجرى القَنالِ

Shackled, they walked like ships

Crossing the course of the canal

فَاِصدَعوا هَذِهِ القُيودَ وَخَلّو

ها تَبارى في السَبقِ ريحَ الشَمالِ

So smash these shackles, and let them

Compete freely in the race of the north wind

عَرَفَ الغَربُ كَيفَ يَستَثمِرُ الجِد

دَ فَيَبني بِفَضلِهِ كُلَّ غالِ

The West knew how to exploit seriousness

And build with it every glory

وَدَرى الشَرقُ كَيفَ يَستَمرِئُ اللَه

وَ فَيُفضي بِهِ إِلى شَرِّ حالِ

And the East knew how to make light

Of God, so He abandoned it to misery

فَاِترُكوا اللَهوَ في الحَياةِ وَجِدّوا

إِنَّ في اِسمِ الرَئيسِ أَيمَنَ فالِ

Leave jest in life and be serious

For in the name of the president there is good fortune

فَاِصنَعوا صُنعَ عاطِفٍ وَاِذكُروهُ

آيَةَ المَجدِ ذِكرَةَ الأَبطالِ

So emulate Atef's deeds and remember him

The verse of glory, memento of heroes

يا مُحِبَّ الجِدالِ نَم مُستَريحاً

لَيسَ في المَوتِ مَنفَذٌ لِلجِدالِـ

O lover of debate, sleep peacefully

For in death there is no recourse to debate -

ـصامِتٌ يُسكِتُ المُفَوَّهَ فَاِعجَب

وَبَطيءٌ يَبِزُّ خَطوَ العِجالِ

Silent, silencing the articulate - so marvel

And slow, surpassing the steps of the hasty

كُلُّ شَيءٍ إِلّا التَحِيَّةَ يُرجى

فَهيَ لِلَّهِ وَالدُنا لِلزَوالِ

All things but greeting are hoped for

For greeting is for God and the world for ruin

إِن بَكَت غَيرَكَ النِساءُ وَأَذرَفـ

ـنَ عَلَيهِ الدُموعَ مِثلَ اللَآلي

If others cry for him and women shed tears

On him like torrents

فَعَلى المُصلِحينَ مِثلِكَ تَبكي

ثُمَّ تَبكي جَلائِلُ الأَعمالِ

It is for reformers like you they cry

Then for great deeds they cry