رَحِمَ اللَهُ صاحِبَ النَظَراتِ

غابَ عَنّا في أَحرَجِ الأَوقاتِ

May God have mercy on the man of insights

He left us at the most precarious of times

يا أَميرَ البَيانِ وَالأَدَبِ النَضـ

ـرِ لَقَد كُنتَ فَخرَ أُمِّ اللُغاتِ

O prince of eloquence and of refined literature

You were truly the pride of the mother of languages

كَيفَ غادَرتَنا سَريعاً وَعَهدي

بِكَ يا مُصطَفى كَثيرِ الأَناةِ

How hastily you left us when I had a pact with you

O Mustafa, so gentle and kind

أَقفَرَت بَعدَكَ الأَساليبُ وَاِستَر

خى عِنانُ الرَسائِلِ المُمتِعاتِ

After you, styles became desolate and the reins

Of entertaining missives went slack

جَمَحَت بَعدَكَ المَعاني وَكانَت

سَلِساتِ القِيادِ مُبتَدَراتِ

Without you, meanings were confused and the smooth

Ways of leadership became impulsive

وَأَقامَ البَيانُ في كُلِّ نادٍ

مَأتَماً لِلبَدائِعِ الرَائِعاتِ

And eloquence held in every association

A funeral service for the most splendid subtleties

لَطَمَت مَجدُلينُ بَعدَكَ خَدَّيـ

ـها وَقامَت قِيامَةُ العَبَراتِ

After you, the two Magdalenes struck their cheeks

And the day of tears was resurrected

وَاِنطَوَت رِقَّةُ الشُعورِ وَكانَت

سَلوَةَ البائِسينَ وَالبائِساتِ

And the gentleness of feeling collapsed, it was

The solace of the miserable, both men and women

كُنتَ في مِصرَ شاعِراً يَبهَرُ اللُبـ

ـبَ بِآياتِ شِعرِهِ البَيِّناتِ

In Egypt you were a poet who dazzled minds

With verses of clear poetry

فَهَجَرتَ الشِعرَ السَرِيَّ إِلى النَثـ

ـرِ فَجِئتَ الكُتّابَ بِالمُعجِزاتِ

You then abandoned covert poetry for prose

And brought the writers miracles

مُتَّ وِالناسُ عَن مُصابِكَ وَشُغ

لٍ بِجُرحِ الرَئيسِ حامي الحُماةِ

While people were busy with your tragedy

And the president was occupied with the protector’s wounds

شُغِلوا عَن أَديبِهِم بِمُنَجّيـ

ـهِم فَلَم يَسمَعوا نِداءَ النُعاةِ

They were distracted from their literary man by their savior

And did not hear the cry of the mourners

وَأَفاقوا بَعدَ النَجاةِ فَأَلفَوا

مَنزِلَ الفَضلِ مُقفَرَ العَرَصاتِ

And when they found safety, they returned

To find the abode of virtue deserted

قَد بَكاكَ الرَئيسُ وَهوَ جَريحٌ

وَدُموعُ الرَئيسِ كَالرَحَماتِ

The president cried for you while he was wounded

And a president’s tears are like mercy

لَم تُبَقِّ يا فَتى المَحامِدِ مالاً

فَلَقَد كُنتَ مُغرَماً بِالهِباتِ

O boy of praise, you left no money behind

For you were enamored with giving

كَم أَسالَت لَكَ اليَراعَةُ سَيلاً

مِن نُضارٍ يَفيضُ فَيضَ الفُراتِ

How often did excellence send torrents of vigor

Cascading through you like the Euphrates

لَم تُؤَثِّل مِما كَسَبتَ وَلَم تَحـ

ـسِب عَلى ما أَرى حِسابَ المَماتِ

You did not hoard what you earned and you never

Calculated, from what I see, the count of death

مِتَّ عَن يافِعٍ وَخَمسِ بَناتٍ

لَم تُخَلِّف لَها سِوى الذِكرَياتِ

You died while still youthful, leaving five girls

For whom you left nothing but memories

وَتُراثُ الأَديبِ في الشَرقِ حُزنٌ

لِبَنيهِ وَثَروَةٌ لِلرَواةِ

In the East, a writer's legacy is sorrow

For his children and wealth for the narrators

لا تَخَف عَثرَةَ الزَمانِ عَلَيهِم

لا وَلا صَولَةَ اللَيالي العَواتي

Do not fear the pitfalls of time upon them

Nor the ravages of vicious nights

عَينُ سَعدٍ تَرعاهُمُ بَعدَ عَينِ الـ

ـلَهِ فَاِهدَأ فَقَد وَجَدتَ المُواتي

Saad's eye looks after them after God’s

So be reassured for you have found care.