أَلِلشَّرْقِ سَلْوَى بِالبَيَانِ المُخَلَّدِ
إِذَا مَا غَدَا رَبُّ البَيَانِ بِلاَ غَدِ
The east finds solace in his immortal eloquence
When the lord of eloquence passes away without a morrow
تَوَلَّى وَلِيُّ الدِّينِ أَوْحَدُ عَصْرهِ
وَقَلَّ ثَنَاءً أَنْ يُسَمَّى بِأَوْحَدِ
The guardian of the faith, the unparalleled one of his age
Rarely is praise sufficient to call him unparalleled
صَدِيقٌ فَقَدْتُ الأُنْسَ حِينَ فَقَدْتُهُ
وَهَلْ مُوحَشٌ كَاليَائِسِ المُتَفَقِّدِ
A friend - when I lost him I lost all joy
What loneliness compares to that of the despairing bereaved one
تَبُلُّ ثَرَاهُ نَاضِبَاتُ مَدَامِعِي
وَقَلْبِيَ بَعْدَ اليَوْمِ فِي إِثْرِهِ صَدِي
His tomb is watered by the falling tears of my weeping eyes
And after this day my heart follows his trace
وَأَشْعُرُ أَنْ الشِّعرَ لَيْسَ بِمَانِحِي
لَدَى خَطْبِهِ إِلاَّ نَحِيبَ المُعَدِّدِ
And I feel poetry cannot console me
In his tragedy except the lamentations of the grieving one
خَلِيلَيَّ مَا بَالِي وَحَوْلِي خَلاَئِقٌ
تَعِجُّ أَرَانِي فِي سَكِينَةِ فَدْفَدِ
My dear friend, why are people around me startled
To see me in the stillness of annihilation
فَلاَ تُغْرِيَانِي بِالسُّلوِّ فَقَدْ أَبَى
إِبَائِي سُلُوّاً حِينَ يُسْقَطُ فِي يَدِي
So do not tempt me with oblivion - my nature refuses
Any oblivion when it falls into my hands
أُطَالِبُ بِالحُرِّ المُهَذَّبِ دَهْرَهُ
وَلَيْسَ مُجِيبِي غَيْرَ أَظْلَمِ مُعْتَدِ
I seek the refined and the free throughout his life
None answer me but the unjust and the transgressor
قَضَى الخِدْنُ نِعْمَ الخِدْنُ فِي كُلِّ حَالَةٍ
قَضَى طَاهِرُ الأَرْدَانِ عَفُّ المُوَسَّدِ
He who judged - excellent was his judgment in any case
He whose glory was pure, gentle was his judgment
قَضَى مَنْ عَلَى حَرْبِ الزَّمَانِ وَسَلْمِهِ
شَمَائِلُهُ كَانَتْ شَمَائِلَ سُؤْدُدِ
He who, in times of peace and war
Had only the traits of the righteous
قَضَى مَنْ سَمَا نَفْساً وَعَزَّ نَبَالَةً
وَلَمْ يُكُ بِالعَاتِي وَلاَ المُتَمَرِّدِ
He who attained glory and noble daring
Who never was a rebel or a transgressor
فَتىً لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي قَوْلِهِ وَفِعَالِهِ
وَبَادِيهِ وَالخَافِي سِوَى كُلِّ جَيِّدِ
A gallant man whose words and deeds
Both public and hidden were naught but good
متَى يَنْتَدِبْ لِلذَّوْدِ عَمَّا بَدَا لَهُ
مِنَ الحَقِّ يَسْتَوْثِقْ فَيَنْوِ فَيَعْمِدِ
Whenever he called for protection from what appeared to him
As truth, he grew resolute, purposeful and determined
بِعَزْمٍ لَهُ حِينَ المضَاءِ إِضَاءَةٌ
تَرُوعُ كَإِشْعَاعِ الحُسَامِ المُجَرَّدِ
With a resolve that, at the time of death, gave him
A radiance to dazzle like the shining bare sword
فَأَمَّا وَقَدْ بَانَ المَهِيبُ سِجَالُهُ
وَبَاتَ سِيَاجُ الفَضْلِ جِدَّ مُهَدَّدِ
But now that his formidable struggle is apparent
And the bastion of superiority lies threatened
لِيَفْخَرْ بِغَالِي دُرِّهِ كُلُّ كَاتِبٍ
وَيَجْأَرْ بِعَالِي صَوْتِهِ كُلُّ مُنْشِدِ
Let every writer boast of his precious pearls
And every poet shriek at the top of his voice
أَجِدَّكَ هَلْ تَسْخُو اللَّيَالِي بِشَاعِرٍ
مُجِيدٍ كَذَاكَ الشَّاعِرِ المُتَفَرِّدِ
Do you spend your nights remembering a fine poet
Like that uniquely gifted poet?
وَهَلْ تَسْمَحُ الأَيَّامُ بَعْدُ بِنَاثِرٍ
لَهُ مِثْلُ ذَاكَ الخَاطِرِ المُتَوَقِّدِ
Do your days still allow a writer
Of the same inspired spirit?
بِبَالِغِ غَايَاتٍ إِلَيْهَا انْتَهَى النهَى
وَصَائِغِ آيَاتٍ لَهَا سَجَدَ النَّدي
An eloquent master, who attained the ultimate
And created verses to which glory bowed
لِمُعْجِزِهِ نَظْماً وَنَثْراً شَوَارِدٌ
مِنَ الفِكْرِ لَمْ تُغْلَلْ وَلَمْ تَتَقَيَّدِ
His prose and verse were miraculous, unleashed thoughts
Neither chained nor constrained
يُرَادُ بِهَا وَعْرُ المَعَانِي وَصَعْبُهَا
بِسَهْلٍ مِنَ اللَّفْظِ الأَنِيقِ المُجَوَّدِ
Whose purpose was to express the most challenging ideas
In easy, graceful, fluent words
فَيَبْعُدُ بِالتَّبغِيضِ كُلُّ مُقَرَّبٍ
وَيَقْرُبُ بِالتَّحبِيبِ كُلُّ مُبَعَّدِ
He who by charm distances the nearest
And by endearment draws close the farthest
إِذَا وَصَفَتْ وَجْداً تَخَيَّلتَهَا جَرَتْ
بِمَا اكْتَنَّ فِي جَفْنِ المُحِبِّ المُسْهَّدِ
When you describe longing, you imagine it flows
From what nestled in the tearful lover's eyelid
تَسَمَّع مِنْهَا النفْسُ حِسّاً يَشُوقهَا
شَجِيّاً كَتَرْجِيعِ الهَزَارِ المُغَرِّدِ
The soul listens to it with a yearning
That calls, like the melodious warbling thrush
نَفَائِسُهَا مِنْ دِقَّة وَصِيَاغَةٍ
سَمَتْ عَنْ مُحَاكَاةِ الجُمَانِ المنضدِ
Its subtlety of execution and creation transcended
The emulation of well-arranged necklaces
سَلاَمٌ أَدِيبَ الشَّرْقِ لاَ مِصْرَ وَحْدَهَا
سَلاَمٌ أَبَا الفَنِّ البَدِيعِ المُجَدَّدِ
Greetings O literatus of the East, not Egypt alone
Greetings O father of the beautiful innovative art
يُذِيبُ فُؤَادِي ذِكْرُ مَا قَدْ بَلَوْتَهُ
مِنَ البُؤْسِ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِذَاكَ التَّجَلدِ
Thoughts of the misery you endured in life
With such fortitude melt my heart
أَلاَ يَا لَقَوْمِي لِلْبَيَانِ فَإِنَّهُ
مُضَاعٌ بِإِهْمَالٍ وَفِقْدَانِ مُسْعِدِ
Oh my countrymen - eloquence is neglected
Lost through neglect and lack of support
بِرَبِّكمُو مَا رَوْضُكُمْ وَثِمَارُهُ
إِذَا الرَّوْضُ لِمْ يُمْطِرْ وَلَمْ يُتَعَهَّدِ
By your Lord, your garden and its fruits
When the garden is unwatered and untended
لَوَ أنَّ أُولِي الأَقْلامِ سُودُ صَحَائِفٍ
مِنَ الإِثْمِ لَمْ يُجْزَوْا بِأَنْكَى وَأَنْكَدِ
If the blackness of sin did not fill the pages
Of the writers, they would not be rewarded with more misery
يُضَنُّ عَلَيْهِمْ بِاليَسِيرِ يَعُولُهُمْ
وَيُدْعَوْنَ لِلزِّينَاتِ فِي كُلِّ مَشْهَدِ
Sparing them little in their livelihood
While summoned to adorn every occasion
ومِنْ مَجْدِهِمْ مَا يَسْتَظِل بِظِلهِ
بَنو الوَطَنِ الحُرِّ العَزِيزِ المُمَجَّدِ
And from their glory many take shelter in its shade
The children of the free, glorious, hallowed nation
فَيَا سُوءَ مَا يُجْدِيهِمِ فِي مَعَاشِهِمْ
تَجَرُّدُهُمْ لِلعِلْمِ كُلَّ التَّجرُّدِ
So what good does it do them in their lives
To devote themselves completely to knowledge
أَلاَ يَا صَفِيّاً مَاتَ فِي شَرْخِ عُمْرِهِ
وَعَاشَ نَقِيَّ الطَّبعِ غَيْرَ مُفَنَّدِ
Oh Safiyya who died in the prime of his life
And lived untainted by nature undefeated
إِلَى اللهِ فَارْجِعْ صَابِراً مُتَشَهِّداً
فَنِعْمَ وَلِيُّ الصَّابِرِ المُتَشَهِّدِ
Return to God, patient and resigned
Excellent is the guardian of the patient resigned one
جَرَعْتَ الأَذَى فِي مُتْرَعَاتٍ مِنَ القَذَى
فَذُقْ فِي نَعِيمِ الخُلْدِ أَعْذَبَ مَوْرِد
You tasted harm in the pastures of torment
So taste now in the bliss of eternity, the sweetest drink
