طُف بِالأَريكَةِ ذاتِ العِزِّ وَالشانِ
وَاِقضِ المَناسِكِ عَن قاصٍ وَعَن داني
Circle the throne of glory and prestige,
And perform the rituals for both near and far.
يا عيدُ لَيتَ الَّذي أَولاكَ نِعمَتَهُ
بِقُربِ صاحِبِ مِصرٍ كانَ أَولاني
O festival, if only He who granted you blessings
Were the ruler of Egypt or one close to me.
صُغتُ القَريضَ فَما غادَرتُ لُؤلُؤَةً
في تاجِ كِسرى وَلا في عِقدِ بورانِ
I composed poetry sparing no pearl
In the crown of Chosroes or necklace of Buran.
أَغرَيتُ بِالغَوصِ أَقلامي فَما تَرَكَت
في لُجَّةِ البَحرِ مِن دُرٍّ وَمَرجانِ
I dived with my pens not leaving
In the sea depths a single pearl or coral.
شَكا عُمانُ وَضَجَّ الغائِصونَ بِهِ
عَلى اللَآلي وَضَجَّ الحاسِدُ الشاني
Oman complained and the divers clamored
Over the pearls while the envious blasphemer clamored.
كَم رامَ شَأوي فَلَم يُدرِك سِوى صَدَفٍ
سامَحتُ فيهِ لِنَظّامٍ وَوَزّانِ
How many times did my critics try but only grasped
A shell in which I indulged a composer and weigher.
عابوا سُكوتي وَلَولاهُ لَما نَطَقوا
وَلا جَرَت خَيلُهُم شَوطاً بِمَيدانِ
They blamed my silence, and had I not been silent
Their horses would not have raced a span in the race track.
وَاليَومَ أُنشِدُهُم شِعراً يُعيدُ لَهُم
عَهدَ النَواسِيِّ أَو أَيّامَ حَسّانِ
And today I recite to them poetry that brings back
The era of al-Nawasiy or days of Hassan.
أَزُفُّ فيهِ إِلى العَبّاسِ غانِيَةً
عَفيفَةَ الخِدرِ مِن آياتِ عَدنانِ
I send to Al-Abbas, pure of lineage
From the Ayat of Adnan, an ode chaste of adultery.
مِنَ الأَوانِسِ حَلّاها يَراعُ فَتىً
صافي القَريحَةِ صاحٍ غَيرِ نَشوانِ
Of the beautiful women, the best for a noble man
Of pure talent, an alert poet without drowsiness.
ما ضاقَ أَصغَرُهُ عَن مَدحِ سَيِّدِهِ
وَلا اِستَعانَ بِمَدحِ الراحِ وَالبانِ
The least of his children does not restrict praising his master
Or seek help praising the wind and the full moon.
وَلا اِستَهَلَّ بِذِكرِ الغيدِ مِدحَتَهُ
في مَوطِنٍ بِجَلالِ المُلكِ رَيّانِ
He does not begin his praise by mentioning the rain
In a land overflowing with the majesty of kings.
أَغلَيتَ بِالعَدلِ مُلكاً أَنتَ حارِسُهُ
فَأَصبَحَت أَرضُهُ تُشرى بِميزانِ
You made the kingdom boil with justice, so its land
Became fertile, watered as if by the Scale.
جَرى بِها الخِصبُ حَتّى أَنبَتَت ذَهَباً
فَلَيتَ لي في ثَراهَ نِصفَ فَدّانِ
Abundance flowed through it producing gold—
Would that I had half a faddan in its wealth!
نَظَرتَ لِلنيلِ فَاِهتَزَّت جَوانِبُهُ
وَفاضَ بِالخَيرِ في سَهلٍ وَوِديانِ
You looked upon the Nile so its banks trembled
And it overflowed with goodness on plains and valleys.
يَجري عَلى قَدَرٍ في كُلِّ مُنحَدَرٍ
لَم يَجفُ أَرضاً وَلَم يَعمِد لِطُغيانِ
It flows steadily down every slope
Never leaving a land dry or tyrannizing.
كَأَنَّهُ وَرِجالُ الرِيِّ تَحرُسُهُ
مُمَلَّكٌ سارَ في جُندٍ وَأَعوانِ
As if it and the irrigation workers guarding it
Are a ruler marching among armies and aides.
قَد كانَ يَشكو ضَياعاً مُذ جَرى طَلُقاً
حَتّى أَقَمتَ لَهُ خَزّانَ أَسوانِ
It used to complain of losses since it flowed freely
Until you established for it the Aswan dams.
كَم مِن يَدٍ لَكَ في القُطرَينِ صالِحَةٍ
فاضَت عَلَينا بِجودٍ مِنكَ هَتّانِ
You have in both regions many hands doing good
Which poured upon us your generosity, life-giver.
رَدَدتَ ما سَلَبَت أَيدي الزَمانِ لَنا
وَما تَقَلَّصَ مِن ظِلٍّ وَسُلطانِ
You restored what time had stripped from us
Of shade and sultanate that had shrunk.
وَما قَعَدتَ عَنِ السودانِ إِذ قَعَدوا
لَكِن أَمَرتَ فَلَبّى الأَمرَ جَيشانِ
You did not refrain from the Sudan when they refrained
Rather you commanded and the armies obeyed.
هَذا مِنَ الغَربِ قَد سالَت مَراكِبُهُ
وَذا مِنَ الشَرقِ قَد أَوفى بِطوفانِ
This from the west, its ships already sailed
And that from the east, having braved the floods.
وَلّاكَ رَبُّكَ مُلكاً في رِعايَتِهِ
وَمَدَّهُ لَكَ في خِصبٍ وَعُمرانِ
Your Lord appointed you a caretaker king
Extending prosperity and civilization.
مِن كُردُفانَ إِلى مِصرٍ إِلى جَبَلٍ
عَلَيهِ كَلَّمَهُ موسى بنُ عِمرانِ
From Kurdufan to Egypt to the mountain
Where Moses son of Imran spoke to Him.
فَكُن بِمُلكِكَ بَنّاءَ الرِجالِ وَلا
تَجعَل بِناءَكَ إِلّا كُلَّ مِعوانِ
So be with your kingdom a builder of men, do not make
Your building material anything but faithful helpers.
وَاُنظُر إِلى أُمَّةٍ لَولاكَ ما طَلَبَت
حَقّاً وَلا شَعَرَت حُبّاً لِأَوطانِ
Look to a nation which without you sought no rights
And felt no patriotic love for homelands.
لاذَت بِسُدَّتِكَ العَلياءِ وَاِعتَصَمَت
وَأَخلَصَت لَكَ في سِرٍّ وَإِعلانِ
It sought refuge in your noble cloak and held fast
Loyal to you openly and in secret.
حَسبُ الأَريكَةِ أَنَّ اللَهَ شَرَّفَها
فَأَصبَحَت بِكَ تَسمو فَوقَ كيوانِ
It suffices the throne that God ennobled it
So through you it rises above planets.
تاهَت بِعَهدِ مَليكٍ فَوقَ مَفرِقِهِ
لِمُلكِ مِصرٍ وَلِلسودانِ تاجانِ
It was lost in the era of a king higher than the horizon
For the kingdom of Egypt and the crown of Sudan.
هَذا هُوَ المُلكُ فَليَهنَئ مُمَلَّكُهُ
وَذا هُوَ الشِعرُ فَلتُنشِدهُ أَزماني
This is the kingdom—so let its ruler rejoice,
And this is the poetry—so let eras chant it.
