1. مَاذَا تُعِيضُكَ مِن صِبَاكْ

    شَكْوَى شَجٍ وَدَمُوُع بَاكْ

    What recompense for your youth can they offer you—

    a mourner's lament and a weeper's tears?

  2. أَمْسَى مُحَمَّدُ وهْوَ

    مِقْدَامُ الشَّبابِ بِلاَ حَرَاكْ

    Muhammad is now—he,

    the boldest of the young—motionless.

  3. عَن مِصْرَ نَاءَ وَهْوَ فِيهَا

    إِنَّ شَرَّ النَّأيِ ذَاكْ

    From Egypt he has gone far, though he is within it;

    truly, that is the worst estrangement.

  4. يَا غَادِياً وَيْلاَهُ مَا

    أجْنَى الغَدَاةَ علَى ضحَاكْ

    O dawn-departing one! Alas, how

    cruelly dawn has wronged your morning light!

  5. مهْما يُجِدَّ بِيَ النَّوَى

    أَلَماً سَيُذكِرُنِي نَوَاكْ

    However much separation renews in me

    pain, it will remind me of your departure.

  6. أَنْتَ الصَّفيُّ لِمنْ صَفَا

    أَنْتَ الوَفِيُّ لِمَنْ رعَاكْ

    You are the true friend of those who are sincere;

    you are loyal to whoever cared for you.

  7. أَنْتَ الكَرِيمُ ابنُ الكِرَا

    مِ المُزْدَهِي بِكَ عُنْصُرَاكْ

    You are noble, the son of noble

    men; both your ancestral lines take pride in you.

  8. أَنْتَ الرَّجَاءُ رَجَاءُ مِصْرَ

    بَدَا سَنَاهُ فِي سَنَاكْ

    You are hope—the hope of Egypt;

    its radiance shone in your radiance.

  9. وَرَآهُ مُزْدَاناً بِأَلْوَانِ

    الأَشِعَّة مَنْ رَآكْ

    And it was seen, adorned with the colors

    of rays, by whoever saw you.

  10. لَمْ يَحْبُ غَيْرَكَ رَبُّهُ

    كلّ مَعْنىً مَا حَبَاك

    No one else has been granted by his Lord

    all the qualities He has bestowed on you.

  11. خُلُقٌ عَظِيمٌ نَابِهٌ

    لَمْ يَسْتَقِلَّ بِهِ سِوَاكْ

    A great, distinguished character,

    which none but you has borne in full.

  12. أَدَبٌ وَلاَ أَدَبُ المُلُو

    كِ وَذَاكَ في الشِّيمِ المِلاَكْ

    Refinement surpassing even that of

    kings—and that is the foundation of noble character.

  13. نَظْمٌ كَنَظْمِ الدُّرِّ

    أَبْدَعَهُ وَنَوَّعَه حِجَاكْ

    Verse like the stringing of pearls,

    fashioned and varied by your intellect.

  14. نَثْرٌ بَلَغْتَ بِهِ الإِمَا

    مَةَ مَن تَلاَه فَقَد تَلاَكْ

    Prose through which you attained

    preeminence; whoever reads it has read you.

  15. لَفْظٌ نَفَسْتَ بلَحْنِهِ

    لحْنَ الشَّوَادِي فِي الأَرَاكْ

    Words in whose cadence you breathed

    the song of singing birds in the arak trees.

  16. فَنٌّ حَكِيتَ المُعْجِزِين

    بِهِ وَمَا أَحدٌ حكَاكْ

    An art: you rivaled the wonder-workers

    through it, yet no one rivaled you.

  17. كَمْ فَرَّ أَبْطَالٌ فَعُدْ

    تَ بِهِمْ إِلى دُنْيَا الْعِرَاكْ

    How many heroes fled, and you brought

    them back into the world of battle!

  18. أَنْشَرْتَهُمْ بَعْدَ الْبِلَى

    وَنُشُورُ قَوْمكَ مُبْتَغَاكْ

    You revived them after decay,

    and your people's resurrection was your aim.

  19. لُطْفاً لِنَهْضَةِ رَاسِفِيهِمْ

    وَاحْتِيَالاً لِلْفِكَاكْ

    With gentle care for the rise of their shackled ones,

    and ingenuity to set them free.

  20. وَببَذْل هَاتِيكَ الْقُوَى

    أَنْفَذْتَ فِي عَجَلٍ قوَاكْ

    And by expending those powers,

    you exhausted your strength in haste.

  21. مَا مَنْ رَدّى أَجْرى الشُّؤُو

    نَ دماً كَمَا أَجْرَى رَدَاكْ

    No death has made the tear ducts

    run blood as your death has done.

  22. تَاللهِ إنِّي لَسْتُ أَدْ

    رِي كَيْفَ تَعْزِيَتِي أَبَاكْ

    By God, I do not

    know how to console your father.

  23. يَا أَحْمَدَ الآبَاءِ مَا

    ذَا فِي ابْنِكَ الغَالِي دَهَاكْ

    O Ahmad, most praiseworthy of fathers, what

    has befallen you through your beloved son?

  24. لَما ثكِلْتَ فَتَاكَ مِصْرُ

    جَمِيعُهَا ثَكِلَت فَتَاكْ

    When you lost your young son, Egypt—

    all of it—lost your young son.

  25. فَكَأنَّما فِي كُلِّ وَجْهٍ

    مُسْتَهِلٍّ مُقْلَتَاكْ

    So it is as though in every face

    streaming with tears are your two eyes;

  26. وَكَأنَّما فِي كُلِّ جِسْمٍ

    بَاتَ قَلْبُكَ وَهْوَ ذَاكْ

    and as though in every body

    your heart has come to dwell, the very same.

  27. سَلْ أَنْ يُثَبّتَكَ الذَّي

    فِي فِلْذَةِ الكَبِدِ ابْتَلاَك

    Ask Him to make you steadfast, He who

    has tried you through a piece of your liver.

  28. وَليَعْصِمَنْكَ الْيَوْمَ مَا

    نَهْنَهْتَ عِلْماً مِنْ نُهَاكْ

    And may you be guarded today by whatever

    knowledge you have held in reserve from your reason.

  29. وَلْيَنْفَعَنْكَ الخُبْرُ فِي

    تَطْوِيعِ صَبْرِكَ إِنْ عَصَاكْ

    And may experience help you in

    taming your patience, if it disobeys you.

  30. وَلْتَغدُوَنَّ عَتَادَكَ

    الشِّيمُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ حُلاَكْ

    And may your armor now be

    the virtues that once adorned you.

  31. أَمُحَمَّدُ اقْرَرْ فِي جَوا

    رِ اللهِ فَهْوَ قدِ اصْطَفَاكْ

    O Muhammad, rest in the shelter

    of God, for He has indeed chosen you.

  32. أَمْحَمَّدُ انْعَمْ بِالْخُلُو

    دِ وَطَابَ بِالذِّكْرَى ثرَاك

    O Muhammad, delight in eternal

    life; may remembrance sweeten your grave's soil.