1. تبسم ثغر الكون عن طالع السعد

    فبشر أهل الأرض بالخير والرغد

    The universe's mouth smiled, revealing the rise of good fortune,

    And brought earth's people tidings of goodness and plenty.

  2. وسارت باقطار البلاد بشائر

    باعراس انجال العزيز ذوي الجد

    Glad tidings traveled through the regions of the land

    Of the weddings of al-Aziz's fortunate sons.

  3. محمد توفيق له السعد خادم

    واجدر من يؤتى الولاية عن عهد

    Muhammad Tawfiq has good fortune for his servant,

    And is most worthy to receive authority by designation.

  4. فإن له حزما وعزما وفطنة

    وفضلا وإحسانا يجل عن الحد

    For he possesses prudence, resolve, and insight,

    And excellence and generosity beyond all bounds.

  5. لقد عرفت منه النقابة في الصبى

    كما عرفت منه النجابة في المهد

    His leadership was recognized in boyhood,

    Just as his nobility was recognized in the cradle.

  6. بذاك جرى امر الآله وما لما

    يشاء من الأمر المقدر من رد

    Thus ran God's decree, and what

    He wills in predestined matters admits no reversal.

  7. ومنهم حسين ذو المعارف والحجى

    تدور مساعيه على محور الرشد

    Among them is Husayn, possessed of learning and intellect;

    His endeavors revolve around the axis of sound judgment.

  8. تقلد تفتيش الأقاليم أولا

    تقلد ندب ليس يبقى على جهد

    First he undertook inspection of the provinces,

    As a stalwart who spared no effort.

  9. ومن بعدها الأوقاف مع خطتين من

    نظائرها قدرا فحسبك من جلد

    Afterward came the endowments, with two offices

    Their equals in rank—what endurance was his!

  10. فسنى لها وجه السداد وزانها

    كما ازدان جيد المرأة الخود بالعقد

    He opened their way to sound administration and adorned them,

    As a lovely young woman's neck is adorned by a necklace.

  11. جلاء الفتى في منتضاه رئاسة

    يليها وإلا فهو كالسيف في غمد

    A young man's brilliance lies in being unsheathed: a command

    He holds; otherwise he is a sword in its sheath.

  12. وثالثهم رب النهى حسن له

    محامد عند الإنكليز بلا عد

    Their third is Hasan, master of intellect, whose

    Praiseworthy deeds among the English are beyond counting.

  13. له بلسان القوم اعذب منطق

    فتحسبه من مورد العرب الشهدي

    His speech in their language is so sweet

    You would think it drawn from the Arabs' honeyed spring.

  14. أجلته أملاك الفرنج لأن رأوا

    شهامته أنموذج الأب والجد

    The sovereigns of the Franks revered him, for they saw

    His gallantry as the likeness of his father and grandfather.

  15. تقربهم عين العزيز اذا راى

    محامدهم في الناس قدوة مقتد

    Al-Aziz's eye is gladdened by them when he sees

    Their virtues among people become a model for emulators.

  16. فروع على اصل المكارم قد نمت

    فصار لها ظل على الخلق ذو مد

    Branches that have grown upon the root of noble deeds,

    They have cast far-reaching shade over mankind.

  17. فمن عائد من دهره بفنائهم

    ومن شاكر نعمى وقته من الاد

    One seeks refuge from his age in their courtyard;

    Another thanks his time's blessings after calamity.

  18. بدور كمال في المعالي طوالع

    الى مغنم الدنيا وما بعدها تهدى

    Full moons of perfection, rising in noble heights,

    They guide toward this world's gains and what lies beyond it.

  19. نجوم هدى ما ان يغيب لها سنا

    اذا غاب نور النجم عن عين مستهدى

    Stars of guidance whose radiance never sets,

    When starlight vanishes from the guidance-seeker's eye.

  20. ولو لم يكونوا انجما ما تحملوا

    عن الوطن المانوس يوما اسى البعد

    Were they not stars, they would never have borne

    Even a day's sorrow at distance from their familiar homeland.

  21. كذلك ابناء الملوك نراهم

    يجولون اقصى الصين والسند والهند

    Likewise we see the sons of kings

    Roaming the farthest reaches of China, Sind, and India.

  22. فهل كان من يقرو البلاد تعرفا

    كمن لا يرى منها انيسا سوى هند

    Is one who explores lands to gain knowledge

    Like one who finds no companion there but Hind?

  23. وشتان ما بين امرئين تبادرا

    الى فهم معنى ما يشوق من النهد

    How wide the gulf between two men who hasten

    To understand the meaning of a breast's allure!

  24. هم السادة الغر الذين تبوأوا

    من العز ما تعنو له سطوة الاسد

    They are the illustrious lords who have attained

    Such glory that even the lion's might bows to it.

  25. هم الافضلون الاكملون مناقبا

    يطوف من غور ثناهم الى نجد

    They are the finest, the most perfect in virtues;

    Their praise ranges from the lowlands to the heights.

  26. ففي كل فن بان منهم براعة

    وفي كل فضل ادركوا غاية القصد

    In every art their mastery has shone,

    And in every excellence they have reached the utmost aim.

  27. لعمرك لو رب الخديو بفضله

    رقيقا لفاق ابن الاماجد في المجد

    By your life, had the Khedive reared, through his bounty,

    A slave, he would outshine the son of nobles in glory.

  28. فكيف وهم من صلبه ولديهم

    مشايخ علم من ذوي الحل والعقد

    How much more, then, his own offspring, who have

    Learned elders among those empowered to bind and loose.

  29. واثن على المفضال طوسون نجل من

    توفى سعيدا وهو في جنة الخلد

    And praise generous Tusun, son of one who

    Died blessed and dwells in the garden of eternity.

  30. لقد شب في حجر العزيز وبره

    فانزله في الحب منزلة الولد

    He grew up in al-Aziz's lap and kindness,

    And he gave him in affection the standing of a son.

  31. وفي مدح ابراهيم نجل شقيقه

    مجال لراوي الصدق او حسن السرد

    In praising Ibrahim, his brother's son,

    There is scope for a teller of truth or graceful narration.

  32. تحرى رضى الرحمن في كل ما نوى

    فكان الذي يخفى كمثل الذي يبدى

    He sought the All-Merciful's approval in everything he intended,

    So what he concealed matched what he revealed.

  33. وهل لي ان انسى فريضة مدحة

    لمنصور الشهم الهمام وذا وردى

    And could I forget my bounden praise

    For gallant, valiant Mansur? This is my daily litany.

  34. لئن فات قبل الآن عيد زفافه

    ففي كل يوم عيد شكرانه عندي

    Though his wedding festival has already passed,

    Each day for me is a feast of gratitude to him.

  35. أياديه مصداق على ما رووا لنا

    عن الكرماء الأولين م الشكد

    His favors confirm what they have told us

    Of the gifts of generous men of old.

  36. تعلمنا والله ان كيف ينيغي

    لنا ان نصون النفس عن ارب مرد

    They teach us, by God, how we should

    Shield our dignity from a desire rebuffed.

  37. فما الشعر ما اعياك في الليل نفده

    ولكن ما اغناك في الصبح بالنقد

    Poetry is not what exhausts you to finish at night,

    But what enriches you with cash in the morning.

  38. يفيدك من قبل السؤال فسل به

    خبيرا ولا يضللك عنه امرؤ بعدي

    He benefits you before you ask; ask about him

    One who knows, and let no one after me mislead you about him.

  39. فذلك بحر في المكارم زاخر

    فمن كان منه غارفا فهو ذو تلد

    He is a sea overflowing with noble deeds;

    Whoever draws from it gains lasting wealth.

  40. ولو لم يكن الا سماحة خلقه

    لقلنا تعالى الله خالق ذا الفرد

    Even were there nothing but his gracious nature,

    We would say: exalted is God, creator of this peerless man!

  41. فهذا الذي ان قلت اطريه فالورى

    معي وعلى الذنب ان لم اقل وحدي

    This is the man whom, if I say I extol him, all mankind

    Stands with me; if I say nothing, the guilt is mine alone.

  42. وامدح ابراهيم نجل العزيز من

    ترعرع في حب العلى صادق الود

    And praise Ibrahim, al-Aziz's son, who

    Grew up loving lofty aims, sincere in affection.

  43. تحلى بآداب الشيوخ ولم يزل

    صباه بمنأى عن حلى زغب الخد

    He adorned himself with elders' manners, and always

    His youth remained far from the trappings of downy cheeks.

  44. فيا رب صنهم اجمعين وصن لهم

    مربيهم ما طاب نشر من الورد

    O Lord, preserve them all, and preserve for them

    The one who raised them, while roses spread sweet fragrance.

  45. وابق لنا ام العزيز التي لها

    فواضل تجرى في البلاد على وخد

    And preserve for us al-Aziz's mother, whose

    Generous favors course through the land at a swift trot.

  46. لها البر والتقوى شعار وانه

    لا ظهر من فند واشهر من بند

    Righteousness and piety are her watchword, and it is

    Indeed more conspicuous than a mountain crag, more renowned than a banner.

  47. مصون على طول الزمان حجابها

    ومعروفها في معرض البذل للوفد

    Her veil remains inviolate throughout all time,

    Yet her kindness is displayed in gifts to visitors.

  48. أنالت بني الآمال ما شيدوا به

    بيوتا وربوا من بها دون ما كد

    She grants the sons of hope the means to build

    Homes and raise those within them, without toil.

  49. ففي كل قلب شكرها ودعاؤها

    احب الى الوسنان من لذة الرقد

    In every heart, gratitude and prayer for her

    Are dearer to the drowsy than the pleasure of sleep.

  50. ولو كل انثى اوتيت عشر ما لها

    من الراي عاشرن الرجال على جهد

    If every woman were given a tenth of her

    Good sense, they would keep men's company only with difficulty.

  51. ولم تلف في قيد التزوج زاهدا

    على ان جل الناس فيه ذوو زهد

    You would find no one averse to the bond of marriage,

    Though most people have little desire for it.

  52. فطوبى لمن القى الرجاء ببابها

    ومن باياديها على الدهر يستعدى

    Blessed is he who lays his hope at her door,

    And through her favors seeks redress against time.

  53. بايامها الغراء مصر تتوجت

    بتيجان اعراس متممة النضد

    In her radiant days Egypt has been crowned

    With wedding diadems, their jewels perfectly arrayed.

  54. رعى الله ايام العزيز فانها

    مواسم افراح وجدوى لمستجد

    May God guard al-Aziz's days, for they are

    Seasons of joy and bounty for those seeking gifts.

  55. واعظم ما يصبى الفؤاد ثناؤه

    وذكر معاليه الذ من الشهد

    The greatest enchantment of the heart is his praise,

    And recounting his lofty deeds is sweeter than honey.

  56. وتكرير ما اجدى واسدى من اللهى

    فذلك احلى في اللهاة من القند

    Repeating what he has granted and bestowed in gifts—

    That is sweeter on the palate than sugar.

  57. اشادة بيت واحد في مديحه

    يشاد بها بيت من الحجر الصلد

    Proclaiming a single verse in his praise

    Builds through it a house of solid stone.

  58. دليل على توحيد من برا الورى

    تفرده بالمكرمات عن الند

    A proof of the oneness of mankind's Creator

    Is his peerless distinction in noble deeds.

  59. فلا جور في حكم ولا ميل عن على

    ولا سأم من بذل ولا خلف في وعد

    No injustice in judgment, no departure from lofty aims,

    No weariness in giving, no breach of promise.

  60. وما هو باللاهي وحاشاه ساعة

    عن الدين بل فيه له داب ذي جد

    Not for a moment is he heedless—far be it from him—

    Of religion; in it he shows the diligence of the earnest.

  61. يرى مشفقا لينا على اوليائه

    ولكن على الاعداء اصعب مشتد

    He is seen compassionate and gentle toward his allies,

    But toward enemies most formidable and unyielding.

  62. يعز علينا ان نودى شكره

    بلفظيه به شكر لآخر قد ادى

    It pains us to offer him thanks

    In wording already used to thank another.

  63. ولكن في اللفظ اشتراكا كما اتى

    سميوه لم يهدوا الانام لما يهدى

    Yet wording may be shared, just as there have been

    His namesakes, who never guided mankind as he does.

  64. زهت مصر في ايامه فهي غضة

    تبرج من قبل الزفاف ومن بعد

    Egypt has flourished in his days, fresh and tender,

    Displaying her beauty before the wedding and after.

  65. وفاخرت الدنيا بنيلين احدقا

    بها نيل ماء ثم نيل من الرفد

    She has vaunted before the world two Niles encircling

    Her: a Nile of water, then a Nile of bounty.

  66. فلا الجدب يذوبها ولا ضير يعترى

    مرابعها من طارى العسر والنكد

    No drought wastes her, nor does harm befall

    Her pastures from sudden hardship or distress.

  67. غمام ولكن يكشف الضر سحه

    فيعمر ما في الحزن والسهل من جرد

    A raincloud—but its downpour dispels affliction,

    Making every barren tract, rugged or level, flourish.

  68. حسام بنو من سينه ليس في اسمه

    او الحاء منه ظللوا تحت افرند

    A sword: the sons of him whose name lacks its sīn,

    Or its ḥāʾ, find shelter beneath its damask sheen.

  69. وانكر شيء ان يؤمك جاحد

    لجدوى فان تنقله عاد الى الجحد

    The strangest thing is that an ingrate approaches you

    For bounty: raise his station, and he returns to ingratitude.

  70. الا لا يسود الناس مالك قينة

    تغنيه اذ تسقيه يا مالك العيد

    Mark this: no owner of a singing-girl is lord of men,

    While she sings, pouring him drink: 'O master of the feast!'

  71. ولا من يزكى نفسه وهو عاجز

    ولا من برى ان المحاسن في البرد

    Nor one who praises himself while powerless,

    Nor one who thinks beauty lies in garments,

  72. ولا من يخال الفخر في عنجهية

    وزهو فان يسأل تغضن كالجلد

    Nor one who imagines pride consists in arrogance

    And conceit, but, when asked for something, shrivels like hide.

  73. كأن البرايا كلفت بولائه

    فما هو الا ان يقول لها جدوى

    As though all creatures were charged with loyalty to him,

    And all he need say to them is, 'Bounty!'

  74. يقول انا هادي الورى وامامهم

    فعما قليل يدعى انه المهدى

    He says, 'I am mankind's guide and imam';

    Before long he claims that he is the Mahdi.

  75. ولا من روى بيتين في ذي تدلل

    عليه وفيما شفه من ضنى الوجد

    Nor one who recites two verses about a coy beloved

    Who toys with him, and the wasting passion that has worn him thin;

  76. يحذرنا من حينه في غرامه

    وينذرنا الآفات من دائه المعدي

    He warns us of his death through infatuation,

    And threatens us with the scourges of his contagious sickness.

  77. ولكنما من يعتق العبد جوده

    ويبني بيوتا سامها العدم بالهد

    But rather one whose generosity sets the slave free,

    And rebuilds homes that poverty has condemned to ruin;

  78. ومن في حماه قد انام الانام في

    امان وعيش ناعم وهو في سهد

    One who, in his protection, has lulled mankind to sleep in

    Safety and easy living, while he stays awake.

  79. وتلك لعمري عادة لابي الفدا

    وما لامرئ عما تعود من صد

    Such, by my life, is Abu al-Fida's habit,

    And no man turns away from what he is accustomed to.

  80. وهيل ينكر الشمس المنيرة في الضحى

    سوى العمى او يقلى سناها سوى الرمد

    Who denies the shining sun at forenoon,

    Except the blind, or hates its radiance except the sore-eyed?

  81. ابى الله الا ان تكون مزية

    وفضل لبحر يستماح على جعد

    God wills that there should be distinction

    And superiority for a sea asked for bounty over a miser,

  82. وان يثبت الملك المؤثل راسخا

    مصونا لذي جند على غير ذي جند

    And that long-established sovereignty remain firmly rooted,

    Preserved for one with armies, against one without them.

  83. كفى حاسديه انهم عند سمعهم

    مديح معاليه يذوبون من نأد

    Enough for his enviers: when they hear

    Praise of his lofty deeds, they melt with anguish.

  84. يودون لو صموا اذا سمعوا به

    فما شانهم ان ينظروا عين ما يسدى

    They wish they were deaf whenever they hear of him;

    What, then, would become of them if they saw his gifts themselves?

  85. لعمرك ان الحس اصل الحسود اذ

    يحس فوادا فيه يمكث كالحصد

    By your life, ḥass, 'slaying,' is the root of ḥasūd, 'envier,' for

    It cuts down the heart it inhabits, like reaping.

  86. فلست ترى من حاسد غير جائر

    اذا ذكر المحسود من وجع الكبد

    You see no envier who is not unjust

    When the envied is mentioned, from the ache in his liver.

  87. فداء له ارواحهم غير انها

    اراحت فليست بالجديرة ان تفدى

    Their souls be his ransom—except that they

    Have grown foul and are unworthy to serve as ransom.

  88. ولو ان من يحصى وفو هناتهم

    يثاب لا حياه الثواب من اللحد

    And if whoever counts their many faults

    Were rewarded, the reward would revive him from the grave.

  89. لئن فقدوا طرا ففي منظر الدمى

    يديل يلهى النفس عن ذلك الفقد

    If all of them were lost, in the sight of dolls

    There is a substitute to distract the soul from that loss.

  90. فانهم مثل التماثيل صورة

    منقشة ما ان تعيد ولا تبدى

    For they are like statues: a figure

    Painted, neither replying nor speaking first.

  91. فابلغهم ان العزيز ورهطه

    لفى غبطة ما يعبأون بذي حقد

    Tell them, then, that al-Aziz and his kin

    Are indeed content, paying no heed to any spiteful man.

  92. وفي الناس اشرار اتيح وجودهم

    ليعرف قدر الخيرين على وكد

    Among people are evil men whose existence was allowed

    So that the worth of the good might be firmly known.

  93. كما توجد الحيات يغتال سمها

    الوفا وما من رقية معه تجدى

    As snakes exist whose venom stealthily kills

    Thousands, and against it no incantation avails.

  94. كذا حكمة الخلاق في خلقه فما

    اتيح لخير او لشر فعن عمد

    Such is the Creator's wisdom in His creation: whatever

    Is allotted for good or evil is deliberate.

  95. هنيئاً لمن كان العزيز مجيره

    فيوقى سموم الهم من لافح الجهد

    Blessed is he whose protector is al-Aziz,

    Shielded from care's scorching winds and hardship's searing blast;

  96. ويأمن من كيد الزمان وجوره

    ويرتع في عيش هنئ مع الرغد

    Safe from time's guile and tyranny,

    Reveling in a pleasant life of plenty.

  97. هو العمر فاغنم ما تيسر فيه من

    قضاء لبانات توافيك بالنشد

    This is life, so seize whatever it offers

    Of wishes fulfilled in answer to your seeking.

  98. وانفعها ان تستجير بمن ترى

    على بابه الراجين وفدا على وفد

    The best is to seek refuge with him whose

    Door you see thronged by petitioners, delegation after delegation.

  99. وتنشد مسرورا معي ومؤرخا

    باهدا التهاني للخديوي والحمد

    And chant joyfully with me, marking the date:

    With congratulations and praise offered to the Khedive.