1. لَقَدَ فَدَحَ الْخَطْبُ فِي قَاسِمِ

    فَيَا لَكَ مِنْ زَمَنٍ غاشِمِ

    Grievous indeed is the calamity of Qasim's loss.

    And oh, what a ruthless age!

  2. أَمَا يَشْفَعُ الفَضْلُ فِي فَاضِلٍ

    أَمَا يَشْفَعُ الْعِلْمُ فِي عَالِمِ

    Does virtue not intercede for a virtuous man?

    Does learning not intercede for a learned man?

  3. عَزِيزٌ عَلَى مِصْرَ هَذَا المُصَابُ

    بِمِقْدَامِهَا المُصْلِحِ الْحَازِمِ

    This calamity is hard for Egypt to bear,

    Befalling her bold, resolute reformer.

  4. لَكَ اللهُ مِنْ شَائِدٍ لِلْعُلا

    وَفِي يَدِهِ مِعْوَلُ الْهَادِمِ

    God bless you—what a builder of glory,

    With the demolisher's pickaxe in his hand!

  5. يدُكُّ الْقَبِيحَ وَيَبْنِي المَلِيحَ

    رُجُوعاً إِلَى سُنَّةِ الرَّاسِمِ

    He razes the ugly and builds the beautiful,

    Returning to the Designer's way.

  6. مَضَيْتَ فَأَيُّ فَتًى بَاسِلٍ

    فَقَدْنَاهُ فِي أَسَدٍ بَاسِمِ

    You have gone—what a valiant young man

    We have lost in a smiling lion!

  7. وَلِيتَ الْقَضَاءَ فَكُنْتَ الْقَضَاءَ

    عَلَى المُعْتَدِي وَعَلَى الآثِمِ

    You held the judgeship and became doom

    To the aggressor and the sinner.

  8. تُزِيلُ دُجَى الرِّيَبِ المُسْدَلاتِ

    بِأَمْضَى وَأَلْمَعَ مِنْ صَارِمِ

    You dispelled the enveloping darkness of doubts

    With something keener and brighter than a sword.

  9. سلام عَلَيْكَ نَمَا مَا غَرَسْتَ

    وَذَكَّى شَذَا الأَملِ النَّاسِمِ

    Peace be upon you! What you planted has grown

    And heightened the fragrance of wafting hope.

  10. فَنَمْ آمِناً إِنَّ فِي الْغَرْسِ مَا

    يُعِيدُكَ فِي خَلَفٍ دَائِمِ

    So sleep secure: your planting holds what

    Brings you back in generations that endure.

  11. أَسَفاً عَلَيْكَ وَنَحْنُ أَوْلَى بِالأَسَى

    أَيْنَ الَّذِي يَشْقَى وَأَيْنَ النَّاعِمُ

    Alas for you—yet we have greater cause for grief.

    Where is the sufferer, and where the one at ease?

  12. كَانَتْ لَكَ الدُّنْيَا وَكَانَ لَكَ الْغِنَى

    وَالْجَاهُ وَالْجِسْمُ الصَّحِيحُ السَّالِمُ

    The world was yours, and wealth was yours,

    And rank, and a body healthy and sound.

  13. وَلَكَ الصِّبَا وَالزَّعْوُ وَالزَّمَنْ الرِّضى

    وَاللَّهْوُ وَالسَّعْدُ المُطِيعُ الْخَادِمُ

    And yours were youth, exuberance, and kindly days,

    And pleasure, and good fortune, your obedient servant,

  14. مِنْ كل مَا يُعْتَدُّ غُنْماً لِلْفَتَى

    لَوْ فِي الحَيَاةِ مَغَارِمٌ وَمَغَانِمُ

    Among all that counts as gain for a young man,

    If there are losses and gains in life.

  15. فَمَضَيْتَ لا مَنْ عَاشَ بَعْدَكَ غَانِمٌ

    رَهْنَ الْعَذَابِ وَلا شَبَابَكَ غَارِمُ

    So you departed: none living after you has gained,

    Held hostage to torment; nor has your youth suffered loss.

  16. يَتَكَافَأُ الحِدْثَانِ فِي الدُّنْيَا سِوَى

    أَنْ نِمْتَ عَنْهُ وَمَنْ تَخَلَّفَ قَائِمُ

    The turns of fate balance out in this world, except

    That you sleep through them, while those left behind are awake.

  17. وَمَصِيرُنَا وَالدَّهْرُ وَالدُّنْيَا مَعاً

    فَقْدٌ عَمِيمٌ وَانْحِلالٌ خَاتِمُ

    And the fate we share with time and the world

    Is universal loss and final dissolution.

  18. لا بَحْرَ نَاجٍ مِنْهُ يَومَئِذٍ وَلا

    أُفُقٌ وَلا حَدَثٌ وَلا مُتَقَادِمُ

    No sea will escape it on that day, nor

    Any horizon, nor anything new, nor anything ancient.