هل في الرثاء لقائليه جديد
والموت يلقي الدرس ثم يعيد
Is there anything new for the elegist to say
When death repeats the same lessons every day?
لا ينقضي تعديد ناء نابه
حتى يكون لغيره تعديد
The numbering of the weeping never ends
Until another takes his turn to grieve.
يعيي بياني دون ما أنا واجد
أين البيان وجهده المحدود
My eloquence fails before what I now face;
Where is eloquence when effort is so fraught?
عطف الحمام بيوسف وبصنوه
قتلا فقيدا للنبوغ فقيد
The dove wept for Joseph and his prison;
Each a tragedy, each a genius lost.
لم ينج منه معصم في معقل
تحميه راية أمة وجنود
No one escapes, not even in a fortress
Guarded by a nation and its armies.
كلا ولم ينج النطاسي الذي
هو في نوادر مصره معدود
No, nor the pipe player, counted among
Egypt’s rarest talents, did escape.
حم القضاء فلا مرد له وهل
طب إذا حم القضاء يفيد
Destiny is merciless, none can repel it,
What can medicine do if destiny strikes?
خطبان راع الشرق وقعهما ففي
أرجائه لصداهما ترديد
Two champions have fallen, shepherds of East and West,
Their echo rebounds in every distant corner.
يا مكرمين اليوم ذكرى يوسف
جمع الذوائب يومه المشهود
Today, friends, we commemorate Youssef,
A day that gathered glories without count.
لم ينس ناديكم مآثره وهل
ينسى ولي مثله وعميد
Your club has not forgotten his achievements,
Can a guardian forget one so noble and wise?
أجلل بهذا الحفل مصر تقيمه
ثكلى وللأمصار فيه وفود
Egypt honors him in this gathering,
While I mourn him, delegations come from afar.
ماذا يقول مؤبنوه وما تفي
خطب ببث شجونهم وقصيد
What can his eulogists say? What can their speeches
Convey of their sorrows and their elegies?
يبكون أي فتى بلوا أخلاقه
حتى الممات وكلهن حميد
They weep for a young man of noble character,
Virtuous until death, blessed in every way.
لطف وحسن تصرف ولباقة
وطلاقة تحيي النفوس وجود
Gentle and tactful, bringing life to souls,
Eloquent, refreshing hearts by his presence.
رجل تخير في الحياة سبيله
فاراد ما العلياء منه تريد
A man who chose his path in life wisely,
Seeking what the virtuous seek to attain.
بالعلم لا يسمو إليه منافس
والحلم لا يرقى إليه نديد
In knowledge no rival could aspire to reach him,
In wisdom none could approach his summit.
وبما يجيد بيانه لم يشؤه
في حلبة الادب الرفيع مجيد
His eloquence flowed effortlessly, unstopped,
A master amidst the highest literary art.
أما المروءة والوفاء فإنه
بهما لمنقطع النظير فريد
As for nobility and loyalty, he was
Beyond compare, uniquely distinguished.
أدنى من الملك العظيم مكانه
صدق ورأي في الأمور سديد
Though ranking below the sovereign,
He was sincere and sound of judgment.
وأصاب من نعمى فؤاد قبله
مال لم يصب إلا الكفاة الصيد
He achieved blessings of heart like no other,
Fortune favors only the deserving.
لم يثنه عن واجب برح به
وزمانه قاس عليه شديد
No duty could deter him from fulfilling it,
Though his times were harsh and demanding.
أرضى البلادء وعاهليه وربه
فله الثواب ولاسمه التخليد
He pleased his country, its rulers, and his Lord,
His reward is eternal fame and remembrance.
يا ثالث الاخوين كم متخلف
فيه كفاء المجد وهو وحيد
O third of three brothers, with you now lost
Are the heights of glory, and you were peerless.
أنت العزاء وجل ما ترجى له
في نفع قومك والبقاء مديد
You were our consolation; our hopes relied
On your service of your people, enduring and vast.
لك في الصحافة مبدعا ومجددا
أثر جليل في مداه بعيد
In journalism you were creative and renewing,
Your influence profound, its reach far and wide.
فاسلم وتابع في رقي شؤونها
همما تعز مقامها وتزيد
Be resigned, and continue to raise its mission,
With resolve to strengthen and exalt its position.
