تَبَّدت نجومُ الفنِّ في أُفُقِ الغَربِ

تَبَّدت نجومُ الفنِّ في أُفُقِ الغَربِ

وأشرقَ شمسا بينَها يُوسُفُ وَهبي

وأشرقَ شمسا بينَها يُوسُفُ وَهبي

The stars of art appeared on the horizon of the West,

The stars of art shone on the horizon of the West,

and Yusuf Wahbi shone among them as a sun.

And a sun rose among them, Yousef Wahbi.

وما الشَّمسُ إلا نورُها ومَسِيرُها

وما الشَّمسُ إلا نورُها ومَسِيرُها

فَتَطلعُ مِن شرقٍ وتسطَعُ في الغَربِ

فَتَطلعُ مِن شرقٍ وتسطَعُ في الغَربِ

And the sun is nothing but its light and its course:

The sun is but its light and its course,

so it rises from the East and shines in the West.

Rising from the east, radiating in the west.

نعَم حلَّ وهبِي بينَنا ورِفاقُهُ

نعَم حلَّ وهبِي بينَنا ورِفاقُهُ

فحلُّوا مَحَلَّ السُّوَيدَاءِ مِن القلبِ

فحلُّوا مَحَلَّ السُّوَيدَاءِ مِن القلبِ

Yes, Wahbi and his companions have arrived among us,

Yes, Wahbi came among us and his comrades,

and settled in the very core of the heart,

And they took the place of the beloved in our hearts.

ضُيُوفا أجِلاَّءً كِرَاما أعِزَّةً

ضُيُوفا أجِلاَّءً كِرَاما أعِزَّةً

علَى الرَّحبِ يا خيرَ الضُّيُوف علَى الرَّحبِ

علَى الرَّحبِ يا خيرَ الضُّيُوف علَى الرَّحبِ

illustrious, noble, cherished guests.

Noble guests, generous, honored,

Welcome, best of guests, welcome!

In the open space—O best of guests in the open space!

حلَلتُم بقُطرٍ شَيِّقٍ مُتَشَوِّقٍ

حلَلتُم بقُطرٍ شَيِّقٍ مُتَشَوِّقٍ

لرُؤيتكُم شوقَ الظَّمِيء إلى الشُّربِ

لرُؤيتكُم شوقَ الظَّمِيء إلى الشُّربِ

You have arrived in a captivating land, yearning

You came to a keen, eager, longing country,

to see you as the thirsty yearn to drink.

Longing to see you like the thirsty long for water.

يُبادِلُكُم صفوَ المَودَّةِ أهلُه

يُبادِلُكُم صفوَ المَودَّةِ أهلُه

مُشَاهَدَةً لا بالرَّسائل والكُتبِ

مُشَاهَدَةً لا بالرَّسائل والكُتبِ

Its people exchange pure affection with you,

Its people reciprocate the sincerity of affection with you,

face to face, not through letters and books.

Witnessing, not through letters and books.

ونِلتُم أسمَى حُظوةٍ ومكَانةٍ

ونِلتُم أسمَى حُظوةٍ ومكَانةٍ

لَدَى المِلكِ الحامِي الحِمَى عاهِلِ الشَّعبِ

لَدَى المِلكِ الحامِي الحِمَى عاهِلِ الشَّعبِ

And you have attained the highest favor and standing

And you attained the highest favor and status

with the king, defender of the realm, sovereign of the people,

With the protective king, guardian of the sanctuaries, ruler of the people—

مَليكٍ درَى قَدرَ الفنُونِ وأهلِها

مَليكٍ درَى قَدرَ الفنُونِ وأهلِها

وذَا اللُّبِّب منهَا فاعتنَى بِذوي اللُّبِّ

وذَا اللُّبِّب منهَا فاعتنَى بِذوي اللُّبِّ

a king who knew the worth of the arts and their practitioners,

A king who knew the merit of the arts and their masters,

and what in them has substance, so he cared for people of intellect.

And the gifted among them, so he cared for the gifted—

أدَامَه ربُّ العرشِ لِلعرشِ مَفخَراً

أدَامَه ربُّ العرشِ لِلعرشِ مَفخَراً

وذِكرُه للتقدِيس في العُجم والعُربِ

وذِكرُه للتقدِيس في العُجم والعُربِ

May the Lord of the Throne preserve him as a source of pride to the throne,

May the Lord of the Throne make him a pride of the throne forever,

and may his name be revered among non-Arabs and Arabs.

And his mention a sanctification among non-Arabs and Arabs.

ويمَّمتُمُ الحمرَاءَ يحدُو رَكَابَكُم

ويمَّمتُمُ الحمرَاءَ يحدُو رَكَابَكُم

تَشَوُّقُ أهلِيها إلى ذَلِكَ الرَّكبِ

تَشَوُّقُ أهلِيها إلى ذَلِكَ الرَّكبِ

And you headed for al-Hamra, your mounts urged onward

And you headed for the Red Sea, your mounts urged on

by its people's longing for that company of riders.

By the eagerness of its people for that caravan.

فأهلاً بكُم عندَ الأوِدَّاءِ مرَّةً

فأهلاً بكُم عندَ الأوِدَّاءِ مرَّةً

وألفاً لَدى البَاشا أليفِ العُلَى النَّدبِ

وألفاً لَدى البَاشا أليفِ العُلَى النَّدبِ

So welcome once among friends,

So welcome, among loving friends once,

and a thousand times with the Pasha, magnanimous companion of lofty honor.

And a thousand times welcome to the Pasha, intimate of the exalted and refined—

حفيٌ وفيىٌ يُنعِشُ القلبَ رُؤيَةً

حفيٌ وفيىٌ يُنعِشُ القلبَ رُؤيَةً

كمَا يُنعِشُ الأزهارَ مُنسَكبُ الصَّوبِ

كمَا يُنعِشُ الأزهارَ مُنسَكبُ الصَّوبِ

Gracious and loyal, the sight of him revives the heart,

A loyal and faithful one who gladdens the heart in seeing him,

as a downpour of rain revives the flowers.

As cascading rain gladdens the flowers.

إذا السُّحبُ تهمِي مرَّةً بعدَ مرَّةٍ

إذا السُّحبُ تهمِي مرَّةً بعدَ مرَّةٍ

فراحتُهُ أهمَى دَواما من السُّحبِ

فراحتُهُ أهمَى دَواما من السُّحبِ

If the clouds pour rain time after time,

When at times the clouds gather threat’ningly,

then his palm pours more abundantly, unceasingly, than the clouds.

His cheerfulness is more important than the clouds.

حَلَلتُم ببُرجِ السَّعدِ في سَيرِكُم وقد

حَلَلتُم ببُرجِ السَّعدِ في سَيرِكُم وقد

تَحُلُّ بِبُرجِ السَّعدِ نَيٍِّرَةٌ الشُّهبِ

تَحُلُّ بِبُرجِ السَّعدِ نَيٍِّرَةٌ الشُّهبِ

You have alighted in the sign of good fortune on your journey, and indeed

You came in the constellation of good fortune on your journey, and will

the radiant one among the stars alights in the sign of good fortune.

Come in the constellation of good fortune, O meteors of August!

أتَيتُمُ بالتَّمثيلِ جَنَّاتِ ناظرٍ

أتَيتُمُ بالتَّمثيلِ جَنَّاتِ ناظرٍ

نُمتِّعُ طرفا في حَداِئقها الغُلبِ

نُمتِّعُ طرفا في حَداِئقها الغُلبِ

Through acting, you brought gardens for the eye;

You brought, in your representation, gardens with which an onlooker is delighted,

we delight our gaze in their luxuriant gardens,

We entertain the gaze in their thickets and bushes.

ونجِني ثِمارَ النُّصحِ والرُّشدِ والمُنَى

ونجِني ثِمارَ النُّصحِ والرُّشدِ والمُنَى

وَنَنهَلُ مِن سلسَال مَورِدِه الهذبِ

وَنَنهَلُ مِن سلسَال مَورِدِه الهذبِ

and reap the fruits of counsel, sound guidance, and hopes,

And we harvest the fruits of advice, guidance and purpose,

and drink deeply from the clear waters of its sweet spring.

And we drink from the soft, sweet chain of its spring.

ونُبصِرُ وَهبِي مُفرَدا متَعَدِّدا

ونُبصِرُ وَهبِي مُفرَدا متَعَدِّدا

فيبدُو كمَا يَهوَى بشخصِيَة تَسبِي

فيبدُو كمَا يَهوَى بشخصِيَة تَسبِي

And we behold Wahbi, one man yet many,

And we see Wahbi singularly manifold,

so he appears as he wishes, in a character that captivates.

Appearing as he desires in a captivating persona—

يَغوصُ بِبَحرِ الفَنِّ غَوصةً قادرٍٍ

يَغوصُ بِبَحرِ الفَنِّ غَوصةً قادرٍٍ

فيخرُجُ منه نادِر اللُّؤلُؤِ الرَّطبِ

فيخرُجُ منه نادِر اللُّؤلُؤِ الرَّطبِ

He dives into the sea of art with an expert's plunge,

He dives into the sea of art with the dive of one able,

and rare, moist pearls emerge from it.

And emerges from it with rare, moist pearls.

فلسنَا نُطيقُ الصَّبرَ بعدَ فِرَاقِكم

فلسنَا نُطيقُ الصَّبرَ بعدَ فِرَاقِكم

وعندَ اشتِدَاد الحُبِّ لا صَبرَ للصَّبِّ

وعندَ اشتِدَاد الحُبِّ لا صَبرَ للصَّبِّ

For we cannot be patient after parting from you;

We cannot endure patience after your leaving,

and when love grows intense, the lovesick lover has no patience.

And with the intensity of love, there is no patience for the patient one!

نعَم واذكرُوا العهدَ المقدَّسَ ذكرُهُ

نعَم واذكرُوا العهدَ المقدَّسَ ذكرُهُ

ولا تنسَوا الأحبابَ في البُعدِ والقُربِ

ولا تنسَوا الأحبابَ في البُعدِ والقُربِ

Yes, remember the pledge whose mention is sacred,

Yes, and remember the sacred covenant—remember it—

and do not forget loved ones, whether far or near.

And do not forget the loved ones in distance or nearness.

وبلِّغ تحَايَانا لِمصرَ وأهلِهَا

وبلِّغ تحَايَانا لِمصرَ وأهلِهَا

وبلِّغ تحيَّاتِي إلى مَعشَرِ الصَّحبِ

وبلِّغ تحيَّاتِي إلى مَعشَرِ الصَّحبِ

And convey our greetings to Egypt and its people,

And convey my greetings to Egypt and her people,

and convey my greetings to the company of friends.

And convey my greetings to the company of friends.