أَيْنَ المَجَازُ فَيَهْبِطُ الإِلْهَامْ

وَالذِّهْنُ نَهْبٌ وَالشُّئُونُ رُكَامُ

Where is inspiration to alight

While the mind lies plundered and affairs collapsed?

وَهَلِ الشَّتِيتُ القَلْبِ تَجْمَعُ قَلْبَهُ

مِمَّا يَرَاهُ رَوْعَةٌ وَنِظَامُ

Can a scattered heart collect its fragments

From what it beholds, both order and chaos?

وَلَّى الشَّبَابُ وَصَوَّحَتْ جَنَّاتُهُ

وَتَخَالَفَتْ فِي طَيْرِهَا الأنْعَامُ

Youth has passed and its gardens are desolate,

Its birds have differed in their flocks.

وَتَنَكَّرَتْ زِيناتُهَا فِي خَاطِرِي

حَتَّى لَتَنْكِرَ حِبْرَهَا الأقْلامُ

Its adornments in my mind are unrecognizable

Until their ink would be denied by pens.

أَقْسَى مَعَارِفَنَا الحَقَائِقُ بَعْدَمَا

يَذْوِي الخَيَالُ وَتَنْصُبُ الأوْهَامُ

After imagery fades and illusions compile,

Our harshest knowledge is of realities.

لَكِنْ دَعَا دَاعِي الوَفَاءِ لِمَنْ لَهُ

فِي نَفْسِي الإِعْزَازُ وَالإِكْرَامُ

But the caller of loyalty called for one

Whom I greatly honor and revere.

حمدي أَيَبْلُغُ فِيكَ حَمْدِي بَعْضَ مَا

يَبْغِي الوَلاَءُ وَيُوجِبُ الإِعْظَامُ

My praise of you - does it reach, Hamdi

What loyalty seeks and veneration necessitates?

إنَّ الزِّرَاعَةَ إذْ غَدَوْتَ وَزِيرَهَا

نَشِطَتْ موفَّقَةً لِمَا تَعْتَامُ

Since you became Minister of Agriculture

It has been invigorated to achieve its goals.

وَتَنَاسَقَتْ وِجْهاتُهَا وَتَسَاوقَتْ

حَرَكَاتُهَا وَتَيَقَّظَ النَّوَّامُ

Its aspects have aligned and its motions coordinated,

The sleepy have awakened.

وَغَزَتْ جَحَافِلُهَا مُغِيراً جَائِحاً

يُفْنِي النَّبَاتَ وَتَرْكُهُ إجْرَامُ

Its regiments have marched, ravaging, rampant

Destroying crops, and leaving them is a crime.

تِلْكَ الوِزَارَةُ لاَ يَفُوتُكَ كُنْهُهَا

وَلِكُلِّ أمْرٍ فِي يَدَيْكَ زِمَامُ

The essence of that ministry does not elude you,

And the reins of every matter are in your hands.

تَرْجُو البِلاَدُ عَلَى يَدَيْكَ رُقيَّهَا

وَذَرِيعَتَاهُ عَزِيمَةٌ وَنِظَامُ

Through you the country hopes for its advancement

With strong determination and organization.

يَا سَيْف نُصْرِ الحَقِّ لَسْتُ مُحقِّقاً

إِنْ كَانَ يَفْعَلُ فِعْلُكَ الصَّمْصامُ

O sword of victory for the right, I am not proven correct

If your actions do not slice like Indian swords.

إِنْ تَدْعُكَ الجُلَّى مَضَيْتَ مَضَاءهُ

وَأَحبَّ مِنْ حَرْبٍ إليك سَلاَمُ

If the glorious call you, you readily go,

And more beloved to you than war is peace.

فِي النَّاسِ لاَ يَقْلاَكَ إلاَّ مَنْ بَلاَ

فَتَكَاتِ بَأْسِكَ حِينَ مِصْرُ تُضَامُ

None dislike you except he who is without

Heroism, when Egypt is threatened to be invaded.

عَجَبٌ وَأَنْتَ السَّيْفُ أَنَّكَ مَوْرِدٌ

تَهْفُو الضِّعافُ إِليهِ وَهْيَ حَمَامُ

Wondrous that you, a sword, are a refuge

To which the weak flock, cooing like doves.

هِمَمٌ كَنِيرانِ القِرَى وَمَكَارِمٌ

أَبداً عَلَى أَبْوابِهِنًّ زِحَامُ

Ambitions like the fires of villages and virtues

With crowds forever at their doors.

تُعْطِي كَأَنْكَ لِلْبَرِيَّةِ كَافِلٌ

وَكَأَنَّ أكْثَرَ مَنْ بِهَا أيْتَامُ

You give as if you were the guardian of the land

And most of those in it were orphans.

لَمْ أُلْفِ حَيّاً والزمانُ مُذَمَّم

يَعْدُوهُ فِيهِ كَمَا عَدَاكَ الذَّامُ

I have never known, while time bears its calamities,

Anyone curse you but the critic.

أَكْبَرْتُ فِيكَ خِصَالَ أرْوَعَ مَاجِدٍ

يَسْتَصْغِرُ الأَحْدَاثَ وَهْيَ جِسَامُ

I see in you the best traits of the most glorious hero

Who belittles feats, though they are huge.

وَعَلَى مُرَاوَدَةِ المَنَافِعِ عَهْدُهُ

أبداً وَثِيقٌ وَالذِّمامُ ذِمَامُ

His covenant to exchange kindnesses is forever binding,

His word is his bond.

تَدْرِي النِّقَابَةُ مُنْذُ مَبْدَأِ أَمْرِهَا

مَا حَزْمُهُ مَا العَزْمُ مَا الإِقْدَامُ

Since the beginning of its matter, the Bar Association

Has known his rationality, resolve, and daring.

وَتَسِيرُ فِي إرْشَادِهِ سَيْرَ الهُدَى

وَبِرَأْيِهَا يَتَصَرَّفُ الحُكَّامُ

It proceeds by his guidance on the path of righteousness

And by his opinion kings conduct their affairs.

إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا المُلْكُ مَرْفُوعَ الذُّرَى

فَالزَّارِعُونَ لَهُ قُوىً وَدِعَامُ

If this nation is raised above others,

Then its farmers are its strength and pillars.

بَلْ هُمْ قِوَامُ عُلُومِهِ وَفُنُونِهِ

وَلِكُلِّ أَسْبَابِ الحَيَاةِ قِوَامُ

But they are the pillar of its sciences and arts,

And the pillar of all means of life.

فَإذَا وَكَلْنَاهُمْ إلى أَسْقَامِهِمْ

عَرَتِ البِلاَدَ وَأَهْلَهَا الإسْقَامُ

If we leave them to their devices,

Malady will afflict the country and its people.

أَكْبِرْ بِمَا تَأْتِي النِّقَابَةُ خِدْمَةً

كَيْفَ الجَمَاعَةُ وَالرَّئِيسُ هُمَامُ

Applaud how the Bar Association serves,

Both the community and its leading sheikh.

إِيهاً رَئِيسي قَبْلَ عَتْبِكَ إنَّنِي

لَكَ مُعْتِبٌ وَالشَّاهِدونَ كِرَامُ

My sheikh, before your rebuke, I admit

That I am blaming while these noble men witness.

مُنْذُ التقَينا لَمْ يُكَدِّرْ صَفْوَنَا

خُلْفٌ وَزَادَتْ وُدَّنَا الأعْوَامُ

Since we met, nothing has clouded our amity,

And our affection has increased as years passed.

لَكِنْ عصَيْتُ اليَوْمَ أَمْرَكَ مَرَّةً

مِنْ حَيْثُ حُرِّمَ أَنْ يَكُونَ كَلاَمُ

But today I disobeyed your order once

In that speech was prohibited.

وَالعُذْرُ أَنِّي لَوْ سَكَتُّ لَكَانَ لِي

مِنْ مُكْرِميكَ جَمِيعِهِمْ لُوَّامُ

The excuse is that had I stayed silent,

Of all those honoring you, I would be the critic.