1. يَقول بِالنَص الصَحيح مَجدي

    مبتدئاً باسم المعيد المبدي

    Majdi says in these truthful words,

    beginning in the name of the Restorer, the Originator,

  2. مُصَلياً بَعد الثَنايا وَالحَمد

    عَلى نبيٍّ جاء مِن معدّ

    invoking blessings after praise and thanksgiving,

    upon a prophet who came from Ma‘add,

  3. يَهدي البَرايا بِالرضا وَالبشرِ

    في سنّ ست قَد دَخَلت المَكتبا

    guiding creation with goodwill and cheer.

    At the age of six, I entered school,

  4. وَكانَ في القُرآن لي مُؤدّبا

    يَقرأ بِالسَبع وَكُلٌّ قَد صَبا

    and had a tutor to teach me the Qur’an.

    He recited in the seven readings, and everyone was drawn

  5. إِلَيهِ لَما صارَ لِلعلم أَبا

    يَلفظ مِن فيهِ نَفيسَ الدرِّ

    to him when he became a father to learning,

    uttering precious pearls from his mouth.

  6. وَبَعد عامين وَنصف عامِ

    خَتنت يَوم مَوسم الخِتامِ

    And after two years and half a year,

    I was circumcised on the day of the completion celebration.

  7. وَفيهِ فازَ الشَيخ بِالمَرامِ

    مِن والدي وَرفعة المَقامِ

    That day the sheikh obtained what he sought

    from my father, and an elevation in standing,

  8. وَنالَ مِن عمِّي عَظيم الأَجرِ

    وَمُذ بَلغت التسع ماتَت أُمي

    and received a generous reward from my uncle.

    And when I reached nine, my mother died;

  9. وَقَبلَها قَد ماتَ أَيضاً عَمِّي

    فَاِزداد مِن هَذا المصاب هَمي

    and before her, my uncle too had died.

    So this calamity increased my sorrow,

  10. وَالجسم مِني قَد رُمِي بِالسقم

    وَمَدمعي أَضحى كَبَحر يَجري

    and my body was stricken with sickness,

    and my tears became like a flowing sea.

  11. وَكانَ في الخَميس بَعد الواحِدَهْ

    مَوتُ أَخٍ لي بَعد فَقد الوالدهْ

    And on Thursday, after one o’clock,

    a brother of mine died, after the loss of my mother.

  12. فَكُنت مِن تِلكَ الخُطوب الزائِدَه

    ما لي لسقمي في حَياتي فائِدَه

    So those mounting calamities left me

    with no benefit in life, because of my illness,

  13. وَكُدت قَبل الوَقت أَقضي عُمري

    وَبَعد ذا دخلت في حلوانِ

    and I nearly came to my life’s end before my time.

    And after this, I enrolled in Helwan

  14. بِمَكتب الميري مَع الغلمانِ

    وَفُزت مِن سَبقي عَلى الأَقران

    at the government school, among the boys.

    And, through surpassing my peers, I won

  15. بِرُتبة الجاويش في اِمتِحاني

    وَكُنت قَد بَلَغت سنَّ العَشر

    the rank of sergeant in my examination,

    and I had reached the age of ten.

  16. وَمِلت عَن حلوان مَع أَمثالي

    لِلجيزة الغَرّا بِأَمر الوالي

    I departed from Helwan with others like me

    for radiant Giza, at the governor’s command.

  17. لَكننا عَن هَذِهِ في الحال

    سرنا إِلى قَصر مشيد عالي

    But from there we immediately

    set out for a lofty, well-built palace.

  18. وَكانَ ذا مِن بَعد سلخ شَهر

    وَالقَصر هَذا كانَ قَصر العَيني

    This was after a month had run its course.

    And this palace was Qasr al-Ayni;

  19. فيهِ أَقَمت مَعهم يَومينِ

    ثُمَ اِنتَحيت لابس الخفين

    there I stayed with them for two days.

    Then, wearing my leather boots, I headed for

  20. مَدرسة الأَلسُن دُون مينِ

    بَعدَ اِمتِحان عاد لي بِالشُكر

    the School of Languages, without a word of falsehood,

    after an examination that won me praise.

  21. وَلاثنتين بَعدَ خَمسين ظَهرْ

    أَن اِنتِقالي كانَ في نُصف صَفرْ

    And in fifty-two it became clear

    that my transfer took place in mid-Safar.

  22. فَهِمتُ بِالعلم وَلازَمت السَهر

    كَي أَجتَني ما طابَ مِن حُلو الثَمَر

    So I fell in love with learning and kept awake at night,

    to gather the choicest of sweet fruit

  23. وَأَكتسي ثَوب العُلا وَالفَخر

    وَقَد صَرَفت أَنفُس الأَوقات

    and clothe myself in the robe of eminence and pride.

    I devoted my most precious hours

  24. في حفظ ما دَقَّ مِن اللُغات

    وَكُنت في الدُروس بِالتِفات

    to memorizing the subtleties of languages,

    and paid close attention in my lessons,

  25. أَروي صَحيح القَول عَن ثِقات

    مِن كُل يَعروفٍ لَبيب حبر

    transmitting sound sayings from trustworthy authorities,

    from every patient, discerning scholar.

  26. وَكُل فَن مِن فُنون العربِ

    بَلَغت فيهِ بِاجتِهادي أَربي

    In every branch of Arab learning,

    I attained my goal through diligence,

  27. لا سِيما فَنّ غَريب الأَدَب

    فَإِنَّني دوّنته في كُتب

    especially the study of rare literary words;

    for I recorded it in books

  28. تَبقى بِلا طيّ لِيَوم النَشر

    وَفي الفرنساوي تَعالى نجمي

    that will remain, never folded away, until the Day of Resurrection.

    And in French my star rose high,

  29. وَمِنهُ قَد أَحرَزت أَوفى سَهم

    وَمن مَعانيه تَحلّى فهمي

    and I secured from it the fullest share.

    Its meanings adorned my understanding

  30. بِحلية الدُر البَديع النظم

    وَجَوهَر اللَفظ العَجيب النَثر

    with the ornament of pearls exquisitely strung in verse,

    and jewels of expression wondrously scattered in prose.

  31. وَفي ثَلاث بَعد خَمسين مَضى

    لي مِن أَبي أَخ كَبير بِالقَضا

    And in fifty-three, there passed away

    an elder brother of mine on my father’s side, by fate’s decree,

  32. إِلى وصال الحور في دار الرضا

    لَكنهُ أَجَّجَ لي نار الغَضا

    to union with the houris in the abode of favor.

    But he kindled in me a fire of ghada wood

  33. لَما تَوارى جسمه في القَبر

    وَكانَ هَذا الأَخ في المَصالح

    when his body disappeared into the grave.

    This brother was, in government service,

  34. قُبطان غَليون بِظَهر المالح

    وَكانَ ذا عَزم وَرَأى ناجح

    a galleon’s captain on the salt sea’s back.

    He possessed resolve and sound judgment,

  35. وَمَتجر في كُل شَيء رابح

    وَخبرة في سَيره بِالبَحر

    and commerce profitable in every venture,

    and experience in sailing the sea.

  36. أَما أَبي فَإِنَّهُ لفقده

    ما عاشَ إِلا حجةً مِن بَعده

    As for my father, because of losing him,

    he lived only a year after him.

  37. وَقَد ثَوى برحمة في لَحده

    فَراعَني لِمَوته بِبُعده

    And he came to rest in his grave, in mercy.

    So his absence in death filled me with dread,

  38. وَعيل مِن هَذا المُصاب صَبري

    وَمُذ عَدمت الأَهل وَالأَقاربا

    and this calamity exhausted my patience.

    And when I lost my family and relatives,

  39. أَصبَحت وَحدي عَن وُجودي غائِبا

    وَلَم أَجد مِن بَعدهم لي صاحِبا

    I was left alone, absent from my own existence.

    After them, I found no companion

  40. وَلا مُعيناً يَدفَع المَصائِبا

    عَني وَيَسعى في تَلافي أَمري

    nor a helper to ward off calamities

    from me, and strive to set my affairs right.

  41. وَالعلة اِستَولت عَلى فؤادي

    شَهراً وَأَلقتني عَلى وسادي

    Illness seized my heart

    for a month and cast me upon my pillow.

  42. لَكنَّني مَع ذاكَ لاجتهادي

    ما جَفَّ في هَذا العَيا مدادي

    Yet, despite this, owing to my diligence,

    my ink did not dry amid this weariness,

  43. وَلا طَرحت الدَرس خَلف الظَهر

    وَعندَما تَوجه الشِفاءُ

    nor did I cast my studies behind my back.

    And when recovery came my way,

  44. وَأَثمَر الدوا وَزال الداءُ

    and the medicine bore fruit and the illness departed,