ما أَنتَ أَوَّلُ كَوكَبٍ

في الغَربِ أَدرَكَهُ المَغيب

You are not the first star

in the West to be overtaken by setting;

فَهُناكَ أَقمارُ المَشا

رِقِ قَد أُتيحَ لَها الغُروب

for there are moons of the East

to which setting, too, has been allotted.

داسَ الحِمامُ عَرينَ خا

لِكَ وَهوَ مَرهوبٌ مَهيب

Death trampled the lair of your maternal un—

—cle, though it was dreaded and awe-inspiring.

لَم يَثنِهِ عَنكَ الرَئيـ

ـسُ وَلا رَمى عَنكَ الخُطوب

The lead—

—er did not turn it aside from you, nor ward calamities away.

يا سَعدُ كَيفَ قَضى سَعيـ

ـدٌ وَهوَ مِن سَعدٍ قَريب

O Saʿd, how did Saʿ—

—īd perish when he was so close to Saʿd?

عَجَباً أَتَحمي أُمَّةً

وَتَخافُ جانِبَكَ الخُطوب

How strange! Do you protect a nation

while calamities fear to approach your side,

وَيُغالُ ضَيفُكَ وَاِبنُ أُخـ

ـتِكَ وَهوَ عَن مِصرٍ غَريب

yet your guest is slain—your sis—

—ter’s son—while far from Egypt?

نُبِّئتُ أَنَّكَ قَد بَكَيـ

ـتَ وَهالَكَ اليَومُ العَصيب

I was told that you had wept

for a young man—and the grievous day appalled you.

وَإِذا بَكى سَعدٌ بَكَت

لِبُكائِهِ مِنّا القُلوب

And when Saʿd weeps, there weep

our hearts at his weeping.

يا آلَ زَغلولٍ ذَوى

مِن رَوضِكُم غُصنٌ رَطيب

O House of Zaghlul, there withered

from your garden a tender branch.

فَقَدَت بِهِ مِصرٌ فَتىً

أَخلاقُهُ مِسكٌ وَطيب

Through him Egypt lost a youth

whose character was musk and perfume.

يا آلَ زَغلولٍ وُعو

دُكُمُ عَلى الجُلّى صَليب

O House of Zaghlul, your prom—

—ises amid grave trials stand firm.

إِنّي لَأَخجَلُ أَن أُعَز

زِيَكُم وَكُلُّكُمُ أَريب

I am ashamed to offer you con—

—dolences, when every one of you is discerning,

شاكي سِلاحِ الصَبرِ مُمـ

ـتَحِنٌ لِدُنياهُ لَبيب

armed with patience as a weapon, test—

—ed by life and wise.

خَطبُ الكِنانَةِ في فَقيـ

ـدِكُمُ لِخَطبِكُمُ يُشيب

Al-Kinānah’s grief over your lost—

—one melts in sympathy with your grief.

لَم يَبقَ مِنّا واحِدٌ

إِلّا لَهُ مِنهُ نَصيب

Not one of us remains

without a share in it.