أَليَوْمَ عِيدُ الْبَائِسِ المُتَأَلِّمِ
وَاليَوْمَ عِيدُ الْخَافِضِ المُتَنَعِّمِ
Today is the festival of the wretched suffering one,
And today is the festival of the humbling indulged one,
عِيدَانِ لا نَدْرِي أَأَوْفَرُ فِيِهِمَا
جَذَلُ المُزَكِّي أَمْ سُرُورُ المُعْدِمِ
Two festivals where we know not which of the two
Has more lowliness of the self-righteous or joy of the destroyer
قُسِمَتْ حُظُوظُ النَّاسِ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ
لا حَظَّ فِي الدُّنِيَا كَحَظِّ المُنْعِمِ
People's fortunes are apportioned except that
None has a fortune in life like that of the indulged one
طُوبَاكَ يَا سَمْعَانُ إِنَّ مِنَ النَّدَى
مَا لا يُقَوِّمُهُ حِسَابُ مُقَوِّمِ
Blessed are you O Simeon, verily of the dew
There is that which no calculator's reckoning can evaluate
طوبَاكَ يَا ابْنَ سَلِيمَ فَاهْنَأْ وَاغْتَبِطْ
بِجَمِيلِ حَظِّكَ فِي حَيَاتِكَ وَاسْلمِ
Blessed are you O son of Salim, so delight and rejoice
In the beauty of your fortune in your life and resign
مِنْ نِصْفِ قَرْنٍ شَاءَ رَهْطُ أَعِزَّةٍ
فِي قَوْمِهِمْ تَأْسِيسَ هَذَا المَعْلَمِ
For half a century a group of dignitaries
Willed in their people the founding of this school
بِيَقِينِ أَنَّ الْبِرَّ لَيْسَ بِبَالِغٍ
غَايَاتِهِ إِنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ مُنَظَّمِ
With the certainty that benevolence does not
Attain its goals if it is not organized
مَا أَحْسَنَ الإِحْسَانَ وَهْوَ مُصَرَّفٌ
فِي وَجْهِهِ تَصْرِيفَ رَأْيٍ مُحْكَمِ
How excellent is beneficence when it is dispensed
In its aspect the dispensing of wise judgment
نَهَجُوا الصِّرَاطَ المُسْتَقِيمَ وَلَيْسَ فِي
سُبُلِ المُرُوءةِ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ أَقْوَمِ
They trod the straight path and in the
Ways of integrity there is no path more upright
وَتَطَوَّعُوا مُتَبَرِّعِينَ بِمَالِهِمْ
وَبِوَقْتِهِمْ نُبْلاً وَمَحْضَ تَكَرُّمِ
They volunteered donating with their wealth
And their time, nobility and sheer generosity
مَنْ وَسَّعَ المَوْلَى عَلَيْهِ بِرِزْقِهِ
أَيَضِنُّ بِالدِّينَارِ أَوْ بِالدِّرْهَمِ
Whoever is given plenty of sustenance by his Master
Is stingy with the dinar or the dirham?
للهِ مَا لاقَوْهُ أَوُّلَ أَمْرِهِمْ
مِنْ كُلِّ ثَانٍ وَجْهَهُ مُتَبَرِّمِ
Many were the frowning faces that met their call
Initially and their souls did not grow weary
وَمُحَاوِلٍ مُتَفَلْسِفٍ وَمُطَاوِلٍ
مُتَعَسِّفٍ وَمُمَاطِلٍ مُتَحَكِّمِ
They were patient and no struggle made them
Grim-faced like the grimness of that struggle
صَبَرُوا وَمَا فِي مَطْلَبٍ مُتَجَشِّمٍ
كَعَنَاءِ ذَاكَ المَطْلَبِ المُتَجَشَّمِ
Taking on the most resolute of matters for
Their souls though their souls did not tire
مُتَكَلِّفِينِ مِنَ الأُمُورِ أَمَضَّهَا
لِنُفُوسِهِمْ وَنُفُوسُهُمْ لَمْ تَسْأَمِ
Their call spread so their appeal returned
With a response, the credit is to the first movers
ذَاعَتْ دِعَايَتُهُمْ فَعَادَ نِدَاؤُهُمْ
بِإِجَابَةٍ وَالْفَضْلُ لِلْمُتَقَدِّمِ
And constancy built its structure until it became
The hope of the suffering with its majesty
وَبَنَى الثَّبَاتُ بِنَاءهُ حَتَّى غَدَا
بِجَلالِهِ أُمْنِيَّةَ المُتَلَوِّمِ
The presidents succeed each other and those who
Outline their policies in the outlined approach
يَتَعَاقَبُ الرُّؤَسَاءُ وَالمَتَرَسِّمُو
آثَارِهِمْ فِي المَنْهَجِ المُتَرَسَّمِ
Assembled in a charitable organization, the pride
Of the pillar through it like the pride of its affiliate
مُتَأَلِّبِينَ عِصَابَةً خَيْرِيَّةً
فَخْرُ الْعَمِيدِ بِهَا كَفَخْرِ المُنْتَمِي
It brought together the people of zeal and dew
The people of wisdom and conclusive discourse
جَمَعَتْ إِلَى أَهْلِ الْحَمِيَّةِ وَالنَّدَى
أَهْلَ الْكِيَاسَةِ وَالمَقَالِ المُفْحِمِ
From an observatory endowed with which a sanctuary
Was made and refuge for the destitute and the shelter-seeker
مِن مُرْصِدٍ وَقْفاً أُعِدَّ بِهِ حِمًى
وَمَبَاءةٌ لِلْمُعْتَفِي وَالمُحْتَمِي
And contributor to good fulfilling his share
Who throws the excuses of misery with arrows
وَمُسَاهِمٍ فِي الْبِرِّ مُوفٍ قِسْطَهُ
يَرْمِي مَعَاذِيرَ الشَّقَاءِ بِأَسْهُمِ
And the beautiful striving from which aid is derived
For a neglected orphan girl or a widow
وَجَمِيلِ سَعِيٍ يُسْتَمَدُّ مَعُونَةً
لِيَتِيمَةٍ مَنْبُوذَةٍ أَوْ أَيِّمِ
And the praiseworthy defense against dignities which
The cruelty of fate violated, blemished
وَحَمِيدِ ذَوْدٍ عَنْ كِرَامٍ مُسَّهُمْ
إِيْذَاءُ دَهْرٍ لِلْكِرَامِ مُذَمَّمِ
They persisted supporting the struggle and their
Resolve is shared and the march is one of progress
ظَلُّوا يُوَالُونَ الْجِهَادَ وَعَزْمُهُمْ
مُتَوَافِرٌ وَالسَّيْرُ سَيْرُ تَقَدُّمِ
Anticipating the calamities of the world with what
They were given of the wisest, most prudent opinion
مُتَدَارِكِينَ عَوَادِي الدُّنْيَا بِمَا
أُوتُوا مِنَ الرَّأْيِ الأَسَدِّ الأَحْزَمِ
By the virtue of what they did, every arising
Need was met for each resolute one
فَبِفَضْلِ مَا صَنَعُوا تَقَضَّتْ حَاجَةٌ
فِي كُلِّ طَارِئَةٍ لِكُلِّ مُيَمِّمِ
They built with what was in their capacity a hospital
For curing the sick and the disabled
شَادُوا بِمَا فِي وُسْعِهِمْ مُسْتَوْصَفاً
لِشِفَاءِ مُعْتَلٍّ وَبُرْءِ مُكَلَّمِ
And they cared about spreading knowledge at a time
Which for whoever does not learn became a war against him
وَعُنُوا بِنَشْرِ العِلْمِ فِي زَمَنٍ غَدَا
حَرْباً عَلَى مَنْ لَيْسَ بِالمُتَعَلِّمِ
And they forestalled violations against honor that
The violations of an age implicate in wrongdoing might befall it
وَتَدَارَكُوا الأَعْراضَ أَنْ تَنْتَابَهَا
أَعْرَاضُ عَصْرٍ فِي المَآرِبِ مُتْهَمِ
Many are their celebrated deeds and were I
To detail them they would be long and the description incomplete
كُثْرٌ مَآثِرُهُمْ وَلَوْ فَصَّلْتُهَا
طَالَتْ وَظَلَّ الْوَصْفُ غَيْرُ مُتَمِّمِ
And had I to enumerate the first ones they benefited from
News of the numbers would escape the counter
وَلَوْ أَنَّنِي أُحْصِي الأولى انْتَفَعُوا بِهَا
لَنَبَا عَنِ الأَرْقَامِ حَدُّ المِرْقَمِ
And that I enumerate the first ones they freely gave
I would list what the letters of the lexicon encompassed
وَأَنَّنِي أحصي الأُولَى جَادُوا لَهَا
لَسَرَدْتُ مَا وَسِعَتْ حُرُوفُ المُعْجَمِ
But in our affections their names
Flow, their memory flows like blood
لَكِنَّ فِي مُهْجَاتنَا أَسْمَاءهُمْ
تَجْرِي بِهَا ذِكْرَاهُمُ مَجْرَى الدَّمِ
Alas, gratitude cannot fully reward the merits
Of the openly generous or the discreet among them
هَيْهَاتَ يُوْفِي الشُّكْرُ حَقَّ مُجَاهِرٍ
مِنْهُمْ بِمَا أَسْدَاهُ أَوْ مُتَكَتِّمِ
For merit is the loftiest goal if it remains hidden
And merit is the finest example if it is known
ألفَضْلُ أَرْفَعُ غَايَةٍ إِنْ يَسْتَتِرْ
وَالفَضْلُ أَرْوَعَ قُدْوَةٍ إِنْ يُعْلَمِ
O throngs whose attributes
Reflect the radiance of humankind for the distinguished
يَا أَيُّهَا الْحَشْدُ الَّذِينَ سِمَاتُهُمْ
تَجْلُو بَريقَ الْبِشْرِ لِلْمُتَوَسِّمِ
Is there in seasons the like of what you find
In the soul of the joys of this season?
هَلْ فِي المَوَاسِمِ مِثْلُ مَا تَجِدُونَهُ
فِي النَّفْسِ مِنْ بَهَجَاتِ هَذَا المَوْسِمِ
Your gathering alone is sufficient glory that
It be seen from it the shine in the sublime place
يَكْفِي اجْتِمَاعُكُمْ جَلالاً أَنْ يُرَى
مِنْهُ كُرُلُّلسُ فِي المَقَامِ الأَسْنَمِ
Magnify with this chosen patriarch
A lord of high station, venerated
أَعْظِمْ بِهَذَا البَطْرِيَرْكِ المُجْتَبَى
مِنْ سَيِّدٍ عَالِي الْجَنَابِ مُعَظَّمِ
Builder of the new to the extent of what
The efforts of a person and renovator of the ruined can achieve
بَانِي الْجَدِيدِ بِقَدْرِ مَا يَسْطِيعُهُ
جُهْدُ امْرِئٍ وَمُجَدِّدِ المُتَهَدِّمِ
He combined eloquence in his virtues and
Left the echo to the eloquence of the speaker
جَمَعَ الْبَلاغَةَ فِي مَنَاقِبِهِ وَقَدْ
تَرَكَ الصَّدَى لِفَصَاحَةِ المُتَكَلِّمِ
May his Creator keep him well and keep chosen ones
Among them he is like the full moon among stars
حَيَّاهُ بَارِئُهُ وَحَيَّى صَفْوَةً
هُوَ بَيْنَهُمْ كَالبَدْرِ بَيْنَ الأَنْجُمِ
Religion and world showed them favor
Not equaled in a gathering more majestic and benevolent
ألدِّينُ وَالدُّنْيَا أَعَارَهُمْ سَنًى
لَمْ يُزْهَ فِي حَفْلٍ أَجَلَّ وَأَكْرَمِ
Nobility, beloved one, and whoever emulated you
Of latecomers in time and early movers
شَرَفاً حَبِيبُ وَمَنْ جَرَى مَجْرَاكَ مِنْ
مُتَأَخِّرٍ عَهْداً وَمِنْ مُتَقَدِّمِ
In God's mercy the early ones gave freely for them
A paradise and whoever shows mercy to the poor is shown mercy
فِي رَحْمَةِ اللهِ الأُولَى بَدَرُوا لَهُمْ
عَدْنٌ وَمَنْ يَرْحَمْ فَقِيراً يُرْحَمِ
And in His preservation the remaining ones gained blessings
Repeated for what they previously gave of blessings
وَبِحِفْظِهِ الْبَاقُونَ زِيدُوا أَنْعُماً
تَتْرَى بِمَا قَدْ أَسْلَفُوا مِنْ أَنْعُمِ
As for the conclusion, holding to it is a wish
We forever repeat so it is sweet in the mouth
أَمَّا الْخِتَامُ فَمِسْكُهُ أُمْنِيَّةٌ
أَبْداً نُرَدِّدُهَا فَتَعْذُبُ فِي الْفَمِ
O Egypt, O land of tolerance and dew
Last and empower me among the kingdoms and greatest be
يَا مِصْرُ يَا دَارَ السَّمَاحَةِ وَالنَّدَى
دُومِي وَعِزِّي فِي المَمَالِكِ واعْظُمِي
And may your people live, the benevolent, and gain
Of the goodness of life the most plentiful spoils
وَلْيَحْيَ أَهْلُوكَ الْكِرَامُ وَيَغْنَمُوا
مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ الْعَيْشِ أَوْفَى مَغْنَمِ
