وافيتَ منفرداً عن الأنظارِ

وافيتَ منفرداً عن الأنظارِ

فملأت بشراً أعينَ النُظّارِ

فملأت بشراً أعينَ النُظّارِ

You arrived, standing apart from your peers,

You came alone, unseen by others' eyes,

And filled the onlookers’ eyes with joy.

Yet filled with joy the gazers with surprise,

وحدَوْتَ للإسكندريةِ عارضاً

وحدَوْتَ للإسكندريةِ عارضاً

أنشأتَه في مصرَ للأمصارِ

أنشأتَه في مصرَ للأمصارِ

And you drove a rain cloud toward Alexandria,

For Alexandria you set out with purpose,

Which you had formed in Egypt for the cities.

To raise it in Egypt above other climes,

وتنقلتُ بكَ للمحامدِ همّةٌ

وتنقلتُ بكَ للمحامدِ همّةٌ

رأتِ التنقّلَ شيمةَ الأقمارِ

رأتِ التنقّلَ شيمةَ الأقمارِ

And I journeyed with you toward noble deeds, with an ambition

With you I travelled in praise and wonder,

That saw journeying as the way of moons.

Roaming seen as stars traverse the skies,

فكفيتَ يا عزَّ الكُفاةِ عوارضاً

فكفيتَ يا عزَّ الكُفاةِ عوارضاً

حكمتْ بشيبِ عوارضٍ وعِذارِ

حكمتْ بشيبِ عوارضٍ وعِذارِ

So you, O glory of the able, warded off adversities

O peak of excellence you shunned false boasts,

That decreed gray upon cheek-beards and sideburns.

Judged by the grey of hair and counsel wise,

عبسَ الزمانُ ولو قصدتُك تائباً

عبسَ الزمانُ ولو قصدتُك تائباً

قامتْ الى الأسفارِ بالأسفارِ

قامتْ الى الأسفارِ بالأسفارِ

Time scowled; and had I sought you repentant,

Time frowned though I came to you repentant,

It would have set out on journeys with books.

My journeys now but journeys of goodbyes,

لكنني كالروضِ من عاداتِه

لكنني كالروضِ من عاداتِه

أنْ تنتحيهِ ركائبُ الأمطارِ

أنْ تنتحيهِ ركائبُ الأمطارِ

But I am like a garden, whose wont it is

Yet I'm like a garden 'midst its ways,

For the rain’s mounts to make their way to it.

Where riding clouds bring down the rains and cries,

فأتيتُ نحوكَ للسؤالِ موفَّقاً

فأتيتُ نحوكَ للسؤالِ موفَّقاً

فظفِرْتُ في الأوطانِ بالأوطانِ

فظفِرْتُ في الأوطانِ بالأوطانِ

So I came toward you to petition, favored with success,

Towards you I came asking and hopeful,

And in my native lands I gained homes.

To find in homelands only homelands' guise,

وإليكَ أشكو جارياً حاولته

وإليكَ أشكو جارياً حاولته

فوجدتُه قد مرّ عني جاري

فوجدتُه قد مرّ عني جاري

And to you I complain of a stipend I sought to obtain;

Of a neighbor I complain who spited me,

I found it—my stipend—had already passed me by.

And passed as neighbors do before my eyes,

وابعثْ إليه خيولَ جاهِك علّها

وابعثْ إليه خيولَ جاهِك علّها

تَثْنيه بالإطلاقِ بين أسارِ

تَثْنيه بالإطلاقِ بين أسارِ

And send to it the steeds of your influence; perhaps they

Send to him your horses of high command,

Will turn it back through release amid bondage.

Perhaps they will return him from his lies.