طوالع سعد في منازل أسعد — Salah Magdy

طَوالع سَعد في مَنازل أَسعَدِ

تَشير إِلى مَصرٍ بِنَصرٍ وَسؤددِ

Rising stars of good fortune in the happiest mansions

Foretell for Egypt victory and eminence,

وَعزٍّ وَإِقبال وَجاه وَرفعة

تَدوم لِمَولاها السَعيد محمد

And might, prosperity, prestige, and elevation,

Enduring for her fortunate lord, Muhammad.

وَكَيفَ وَبِالعَدل العَميم أَمدّها

وَأَسس فيها كُلَّ حُسن مشيد

And how could it be otherwise, when he sustained her with all-embracing justice

And established within her every lofty work of beauty?

وَفيها أَضاءَت نيرات عُلومه

فَأَشرَق مِنها وَجه مَولىً وَسيد

And within her shone the luminaries of his learning,

So from them shone the face of a master and lord.

وَأَي عَزيز حازَ في الكَون قَبلَه

لُغاتٍ قَد اِمتَازَت بِأَعذَب مَورد

And what mighty ruler in the world before him acquired

Languages distinguished by the sweetest wellspring?

أَما وَأَبيك الداوريّ محمدٍ

عَليٍّ أَثيلِ المَجد أَفضل مُرشد

Indeed, by your father, the sovereign Muhammad

Ali, of deep-rooted glory, the finest guide,

وَحسنِ سلوكٍ في الأَنام اتبعتَه

بِحَزم وَتَدبير وَرَأي مسدد

And by the good conduct you followed among humankind,

With resolve, foresight, and well-directed judgment,

وَقَلبٍ رَحيم زانَه مِنكَ رَأفةٌ

تعم الرَعايا في العشية وَالغَد

And by a merciful heart adorned with compassion from you,

Embracing the subjects at evening and on the morrow,

وَأَبهَج نظمٌ لِلجُنود ابتدعته

بذوق سَليم بِالنجاح معضَّد

And by the most splendid organization you devised for the troops,

With sound taste, reinforced by success,

وَإيقاظِ طوبجيٍّ لخدمة مدفع

وَتَحريض خيَّالٍ عَلى أَسر ملحد

And by rousing a gunner to serve a cannon,

And urging a horseman to capture an unbeliever,

وَتَمرينِ قرَّابٍ على الرَمي في الوَغى

بِنار رَصاص في حَشاشة مُعتدي

And drilling a carabineer to shoot in battle,

With bullet-fire into an aggressor's vitals,

وَتَجريدِ أَوجيٍّ كميٍّ لوثبة

بِها يَبتَدي جَيش العِدا في التبدد

And deploying an armored skirmisher for a leap,

By which the enemy's army begins to scatter,

وَإِقدامِ زنجيٍّ لعسكرك اِنتَمى

عَلى أَعظَم الأَخطار في كُل فدفد

And by the daring of a Black soldier belonging to your army,

In facing the greatest perils in every wilderness,

وَسَعيٍ إِلى كَشف يُناط بِأَمره

مُهندسُ حَربٍ لِلحَقيقة مُهتَدي

And by pursuing reconnaissance, to which, at his command, is assigned

A military engineer guided to the truth,

وَحملِ كبورجيٍّ خَبير بفنه

عَلى نصب كوبري العُبور لمقصد

And by urging a bridge-builder, skilled in his craft,

To erect a bridge for crossing to a goal,

لَقَد أَزهَرَت مَصرٌ بِمَوسم مَولد

سَعيد جَدير ذكره بِالتَخلُّد

Indeed, Egypt has blossomed for the birthday festival

Of Sa'id, whose remembrance deserves to live forever.

فَيا حَبَّذا هَذا الزَمان الَّذي أَتى

بِأَبهى سُرور في التَهاني مُجدد

So, how delightful is this time, which has come

With the brightest joy, renewed amid congratulations!

وَيا سَعدَ أَيام تَباهَت بِزينة

جمادى بِها أَضحى رَبيعاً لِمجتدي

And O, the good fortune of days that gloried in adornment!

Through them, Jumada became springtime for the seeker of bounty.

وَيا حسنها لَما تَحلت بِمَوكب

مِن الجُند يَزهو بِالسِلاح المُجرَّد

And how lovely she was when adorned with a procession

Of troops, resplendent with weapons drawn,

وَأَنتَ بِهِ في صَهوة المَجد راكبٌ

لَكَ السَعد يُومي أَينما سرت بِاليَد

And you within it, riding in glory's saddle,

Good fortune beckons to you with its hand wherever you go.

وَتِلكَ الطَوابي بِالتحية أَعلَنَت

مَدافع بشراها بِحُسن التَرَدُّد

And those forts proclaimed, with a salute,

Their cannons' glad tidings in splendid reverberation.

وَللفلك الأَعلى مِن الأَرض أَسرَعَت

نُجوم شَواريخ بِها الرَكب يَهتَدي

And toward the highest heaven, from the earth sped

Rocket-stars by which the caravan finds its way.

وَفي الجَوّ جال البَهلوان كَأَنَّه

جَواد عَلى الغَبرا يروح وَيَغتدي

And in the air the acrobat roamed as though he were

A steed on the dusty earth, going at evening and at dawn.

وَقَد لَثم الهالون بِالأَمر في السَما

يَد المُشتَري قَبل المَسا بِالتَودد

And at the command, the balloon kissed in the sky

Jupiter's hand before evening, in loving greeting.

وَصَوت المَثاني قَد عَلا بِمَدائح

لَكَ اِنتَظمت في عَقد در منضَّد

And the sound of paired strings rose in praises

For you, arranged in a necklace of neatly strung pearls.

وَحُسن صَفير البُوق أَطرَب كُلَّ من

صَغى للبروجيِّ النَجيب المغرد

And the lovely whistling of the horn delighted all who

Listened to the gifted, warbling bugler.

وَضَرب الترنبتجي بِتمِّ اِنتِظامه

يُنادي دوديجي بشكرك يبتدي

And the trumpeter's playing, in its perfect rhythm,

Calls to a piper who begins with thanks to you.

وَلَحن المُويسقيِّ يَأَخُذُ بِالنهى

وَيُزري بِلَحن الموصليِّ وَمعبد

And the musician's melody takes hold of the minds,

And puts the melody of al-Mawsili and Ma'bad to shame.

وَكُلٌّ مِن التَشريف أَحرَز سَهمَه

وَفازَ بِما أَولاه جُودُك مِن يَدِ

And each secured his share of honor,

And gained the favor your generosity bestowed upon him.

وَأَمَّل أَن تَبقى لِمصر وَأَهلِها

مَدى الدَهر مَسروراً بِجَيشٍ مؤيد

And hoped that you would remain for Egypt and her people

Joyful for all time, with an army strengthened,

وَأَن يَتَحلَّى كُل عام بِمَوسم

لِمولدك السامي بِأَشرَف محتد

And that each year be adorned with a festival

For your exalted birth, of the noblest lineage,

وَأَن تَتَباهى بِالمَعارف وَالنَدى

سَليلِك مَن أَضحى بِسَيرك يَقتَدي

And that you may glory in the learning and generosity

Of your scion, who has come to follow your path.

سَليلك مَن حازَ العُلوم بِجهده

فَأَنتَ سماها وَهوَ أَوّل فَرقد

Your scion, who acquired the sciences through his own effort—

For you are their sky, and he the first Farqad star.

فَبُشراه مَولوداً وَبُشراك والِداً

لَكَ الفَضل يُقضى بِالعلا وَالتَفَرُّد

So glad tidings to him as a son, and to you as a father!

Excellence is adjudged yours, with loftiness and distinction.

وَما أَنتَ لِلأَوطان إِلّا عَزيزُها

وَحافظها مِن خَصمِها المُتَمرّد

And for the homelands, you are none other than their mighty lord,

And their protector from their rebellious foe.

وَأَنتَ الَّذي للدين وَالملك ناصر

إِذا الحَرب قامَت بِالحسام المُهند

And you are the defender of faith and sovereignty

When war rises with the keen Indian-forged sword.

وَأَنتَ الَّذي مِن بَحر جَدواك يَرتوي

جَميع البَرايا مِن مُلوك وَأَعبُد

And you are he from whose sea of bounty drink their fill

All creatures, kings and slaves alike.

وَأَنتَ بِلا سؤل تجود عَلى الوَرى

فَتغنيهمُ بِالبَذل مِن غَير مَوعد

And without a request, you give generously to humankind,

Thus enriching them through gifts, without a prior promise.

فَدُونك مني يا عَزيز بَديعةً

مُنزهة في نَظمِها عَن تَعقُّد

So take from me, O mighty lord, a wondrous poem,

Free of intricacy in its versification.

حُلاها إِذا زُفَّت مَناقبُك الَّتي

بِها تَغتَني عَن لُؤلؤ وَزَبَرجد

Its jewels, when led forth as a bride, are your virtues,

With which it needs neither pearls nor chrysolite.

وَإِني لأَرجو أَن يَكُون قبولها

شَهيداً عَلى إِخلاص عَبد مُوَحد

And I earnestly hope that its acceptance will be

A witness to the sincerity of a servant who affirms God's oneness,

يَقول بِأَعياد الولاد مُؤرِّخاً

سَعيد لَهُ في عامه خَير مَولد

Who says, marking the date of the birthday festivities:

Sa'id has, in his year, the best of birthdays.