لي بِالحَياة تَعلق وَتَشدد
وَالعُمر ما بَعدَ المَدى فَسينفد
You cling to life and grow rigid,
Yet life after its span will cease.
نَفسٌ أُردده وَأَعلم أَنَّهُ
لِلمَوت بَينَ جَوانِحي يَتَرَدد
A soul I resist though knowing
Death lurks within me and sways.
وَيَلمُّ بي أَلم أُخاتله بِما
يَصف الطَبيبُ فَيَستَكين وَيَخمَد
Pain grips me that I beguile
With what the doctor prescribes, so it calms and dies.
وَيسرني أَني نَجَوتُ مِن الأَذى
وَيلي كَأَني إِن نَجَوت مخلد
I'm glad I escaped harm
Yet woe that if I escape I'm made immortal,
وَكَأَنَّني ضَلّلتُ سَيرَ مَنيتي
إِن الطَريق إِلى الفَناء معبّد
As though I lost my fate's course
The path to oblivion paved smooth.
هَيهات لَستُ بِخادع عَينُ الرَدى
عَين الرَدى يَقظى وَعَينك تَرقد
Alas! Not deceiving is the eye of destiny,
The eye of destiny wakes while yours slumbers.
أَنا أَنتَ بَعد المَوت لا مُستعبد
حرّاً فَأَحقره وَلا مُستعبَد
I am you after death, neither enslaved
Nor free, so it's paltry, nor enslaved.
وَرَأَيت خَزاف الحَياة يَذلها
فَيَدوسها وَيعزّها فَينضد
I saw life's potter tread it
Underfoot, debase and patch it.
هَل كانَ سَعد كَما علمت مِن الوَرى
فَيَموت كلا إِن سَعدَ لأَوحَد
Was Saad, as I knew, of the world
That each dies? Nay! Saad is peerless.
هَبَت عَواصف نَعيه مصريةً
فَإِذا بِها شَرقية تَتَمَرد
Storms of his eulogy came from Egypt
Yet eastern, rebellious.
وَطَفقت أَسأل يَومه فَإِذا بِهِ
يَومٌ لَعمر المَوت أَبكم أَسوَد
I asked his day, and lo!
A day as dark as death's silence.
وَأَرتبت في الأَقدار لَيلة نَعيه
وَلحدت ريبي يَوم قيل سَيُلحد
I fathomed the stars the night of his eulogy
And destiny's darkness the day he was buried.
فُجِعت بَنو مَصر بِفَقد زَعيمها
اللَهُ أَكبر أَي أَروَع تَفقد
Egypt's sons were distraught at their leader's loss.
God is greatest! What greater unpredictability!
يا سَعد يا ابن النيل رَنَّقَ ماءه
ثكلُ البَنين وَهَل كَسَعدِ يولد
O Saad, Nile's son, its water whimpered.
Bereft of sons! Can one like Saad be born?
مصر الَّتي فَقدتك قَلب خافق
وَالشَرق أَضلعه الَّتي تتَوقَد
Egypt, you who lost him, your throbbing heart,
And East, your ribs flare up,
وَكَأَنَّها كَبد يَصرّعها الأَسى
وَكَأَنَّهُ لَمّا تَعلقها يَد
As if a liver ripped by sadness,
As if a hand that upheld it let go.
عَبدتك مصر وَأَنتَ باعث مَجدها
إِن البُطولة مُنذُ كانَت تعبد
Egypt, you worshipped him, kindler of your glory,
For valor has always been worshipped.
رَب البُطولة عَبدَها قَذَفت بِهِ
شَمل الخُطوب يَبيدها وَيبدد
Lord of valor, it cast its servant
Into dangers to destroy and scatter.
يَلقى الخُطوب وَقَد طَغى تَيارها
فَإِذا بِهِ صَخر هُنالك جَلمد
He faces dangers, their tide overflowed,
Lo! A boulder standing there solid.
وَإِذا بِها لجج تَدافع موجها
فَيصدها فَتحورُ عَنهُ وَيَصمد
Lo! Surging billows crashing,
Repelled, they swerve and he stands fast.
وَإِذا بِهِ فَوقَ الأَكُفِّ مُكَلل
بِالغار يَكبره الوَرى وَيمجد
Lo! Above domes all wreathed
By the honored shrine, extolled, exalted.
وَإِذا بِهِ تَحتَ الصَفيح بِمعبد
وَالكَعبة الغَراء حَيث المَعبد
Lo! Below the Noble Canopy, the Kaaba
Where foreheads prostrate in worship.
وَإِذا بِهِ عَينُ الخُلود وَسره
تَعنو لَهُ حر الوجوه وَتَسجد
Lo! The eye of immortality where his secret lies,
Noble faces humbly bow down in worship.
يا سَعد شَأنك وَالبُطولَةَ أَنَّها
تَجثو لَديك وَأَنتَ أَنتَ السَيد
O Saad, such is your stature, and valor
Bows before you, you alone supreme!
اللَهُ في سَبع وَستين اِنطَوت
وَالمَوت مَضاء العَزيمة يَطرد
God took him at seven and sixty
While death's decree hastens on.
نَصب الحَبائل جمة فَتَقَطَعَت
وَعهدته يَرمي السِهام فَيقصد
He set up battles' nets but they were severed,
And his covenant cast arrows straight and true.
ما كانَ في المَنفى بِأَخفق مِنهُ في
مصر يَريشُ سِهامه وَيسدد
No less in exile than in Egypt
Where he fired his arrows direct.
وَرَأى بطولتك الَّتي صَمدت لَهُ
وَكَأَنَّها درع عَليك مسرَّد
He saw your valor withstand all,
As an impregnable coat of mail.
فَرَمى حَبائِله وَحَطم قَوسه
وَأَتى سَريرك خائِفاً يَتَرصَد
So he shot his bonds and broke his bow,
Crept frightened to your deathbed lying in wait.
فَسَقاك خَمرةَ كَأسِهِ فَعَرفتها
وَجرعتها وَأَنا اِنتَهَيت تردد
He gave you to drink from his cup, and you knew it
And drank it down, though I hesitated.
نعم اِنتَهيتَ وَإِنما تِلكَ القوى
نور يَفيض وَجذوة لا تَهمد
Yes, you finished while that light
Was overflowing radiance never extinguished.
فَهَدت سَبيل الشَرق في ظَلماته
فَجَرى يَغوّر في الحياة وَينجد
You guided the East in its darkness.
The life in it raged and surged.
وَهَوَت بِكلكلها عَلى أَعدائِها
وَتَفَرَغَت مَصرٌ لِمَن يَتَنَمرَد
With its weapons it struck your enemies,
And Egypt turned to those who rebel.
الفرقد الهادي يحجبّه الثَرى
فَمَتى يَؤوب وَأَينَ يَطَلَع فَرقد
The guiding lantern, dust covers it.
When will it return? Where will the lantern rise?
يا حَسرَتاه عَلى البِلاد يَقيمها
غَدر المَنية بِالرَئيس وَيَقعد
Oh what sadness that the lands lament
The President's betrayal by death unseating him!
زَفراتها زَفَراتُ مَصر تَصدَعَت
مِن هولهن قُلوبنا وَالأَكبد
Their groans are Egypt's groans, split
Our hearts and livers by their horror.
عيبال مُنذ تَزَلزَلَت أَركانَه
ما اِنفَك يَسعده نَداك وَيَسعد
Since its pillars shook, my friend,
Your call rejoiced it and brought joy.
عَزَّيته بِمصابه وَوَصلته
حَسبي عَزاؤك نَعمةً لا تَجحد
I consoled it in its tragedy and joined it.
My solace, a gift not to be denied.
جود خَتَمت بِهِ الحَياة وَإِنَّهُ
لختام أَلف صَنيعة لَكَ تَحمد
Noble one, with it you ended life, and it
Caps your thousands of great deeds.
وَلَقَد نَعيت لَهُ فَباتَ وَحُزنه
عَين تَسيل بِهِ وَعَين تَجمد
I eulogized him, so he stayed up grieving
One eye shedding tears, one eye frozen.
هَذا ثَرى مَصرَ الَّتي أَحببتها
نَم هادِئاً يا سَعدُ طابَ المرقد
This is Egypt's soil which you loved.
Sleep peacefully, O Saad, blessed abode!
تَفديك أَفئِدَة تَود لَو أَنَّها
أَمسَت هِيَ الرَمس الَّذي تَتَوسد
Hearts ransom you that wish they were
The sand you pillow or shed.
وَتَود لَو أَن الأَزاهير الَّتي
قَد كَللوك بِها عُيون تَسهد
That wish the flowers that crowned you
Were eyes that keep night vigil.
الروح وَالريحان خَير تَحية
وَالسَلسَبيل وَلَست تَظمأ مَورد
The soul and sweet basil are the best regards.
You need no more water to drink.
لَم يَخل مِنكَ الذكر في وَطَن وَما
بَرِحَت لِذكرك لَوعة تَتَجَدَد
You weren't absent from any land,
Nor did the pain of your memory cease renewing.
