عهد لمصر من الحياة جديد — Ahmad Muharram

عَهدٌ لِمِصرَ مِنَ الحَياةِ جَديدُ

أَرَأَيتَ شَعبَ النيلِ كيف يَسودُ

A new covenant of life for Egypt.

Have you seen how the people of the Nile prevail?

جَمَعت قُلوبَ الأُمَّتَينِ عَلى الرِضى

ذِمَمٌ لِمِصرَ مَصونَةٌ وَعُهودُ

The hearts of both communities are joined in accord

By pledges and covenants kept inviolate for Egypt.

عَقَدت يَدُ اللَهِ القَوِيِّ حِبالَها

وَالرُسلُ وَالمَلَأُ العَلِيُّ شُهودُ

The hand of mighty God has knotted their cords,

And the messengers and the assembly on high bear witness.

طَرفٌ عَلى كَفِّ المَسيحِ يَمُدُّهُ

طَرفٌ بِكَفِّ مُحَمَّدٍ مَشدودُ

One end in Christ's palm is drawn taut

By an end bound in Muhammad's hand.

هَل تَنزَعُ الطَرَفَينِ مِن كَفَّيهما

كَفٌّ تَرومُ حِماهُما وَتُريدُ

Can both ends be wrenched from their palms

By a hand that seeks and covets their sanctuary?

آلَ المُقَوقَسِ وَهوَ عَهدٌ خالِدٌ

يَرِثُ الدُنى وَالناسَ حينَ تَبيدُ

O house of al-Muqawqis, it is an everlasting covenant,

Inheriting worlds and humankind when they perish,

وَيُشَيِّعُ الأَهرامَ يَومَ يُصيبُها

أَجَلُ الدُهورِ وَأَهلَها فَتَميدُ

And escorting the pyramids to burial when they are struck,

Their people too, by the doom of ages, and they reel.

أَنتُم لِمَجدِ النيلِ رُكنٌ قائِمٌ

عالي الجَوانِبِ لِلخُلودِ مَشيدُ

You are a standing pillar of the Nile's glory,

Lofty on every side, built for eternity.

حَمَتِ الشُموسُ جَلالَهُ وَأَعَزَّهُ

مِن آلِ رَمسيسَ المُلوكُ الصيدُ

The suns guarded its majesty, and it was exalted

By the proud kings of the house of Ramses.

تُعليهِ تيجانٌ لَهُم وَأَرائِكٌ

وَتَزيدُ فيهِ مَواكِبٌ وَجُنودُ

Their crowns and thrones raise it high,

And processions and armies increase its splendor.

تَمشي العُصورُ الشُمُّ بَينَ صُفوفِها

وَالأَرضُ تَرجِفُ وَالمُلوكُ تَحيدُ

The lofty ages march between their ranks,

While the earth trembles and kings turn aside.

وَالشَعبُ يَسمَحُ خاشِعاً في مَوقِفٍ

يَعلو لِبِنتاؤورَ فيهِ نَشيدُ

And the people give freely, reverent at a gathering

Where Pentaur's anthem rises.

فِرعَونُ يُصغي في مَظاهِرِ عِزِّهِ

وَالجُندُ حَولَ لِوائِهِ مَحشودُ

Pharaoh listens amid displays of his glory,

And the troops are massed around his standard.

فَيُجِلُّ شاعِرَهُ وَيُكرمُ قَومَهُ

وَيُعَلِّمُ الشُعَراءَ كَيفَ تُجيدُ

So he reveres his poet and honors his people,

And teaches poets how to excel.

المُلكُ عالٍ وَالمَواكِبُ فَخمَةٌ

وَسَنا الحَضارَةِ واسِعٌ مَمدودُ

Sovereignty is lofty and the processions splendid,

And civilization's radiance is vast and far-reaching.

وَالناسُ شُغلٌ وَالبِلادُ رِعايَةٌ

وَالعَيشُ مَجدٌ وَالفُنونُ خُلودُ

And the people toil, and the land is tended,

And life is glory, and the arts immortality.

وَالنيلُ خِصبٌ في القُرى مُتَدَفِّقٌ

وَالزَرعُ مِنهُ قائِمٌ وَحَصيدُ

And the Nile is fertility, flowing through the villages,

And from it come crops, standing and reaped.

مِصرُ الخَزائِنِ في وِلايَةِ يوسُفٍ

وَالعالَمونَ قَوافِلٌ وَوُفودُ

Egypt of the storehouses, under Joseph's rule,

And the world's peoples are caravans and delegations.

تُعطي فَتَحتَفِلُ البِلادُ وَتَحتَفي

أُمَمٌ عَلَيها بِالحَياةِ تَجودُ

She gives, and the lands rejoice; homage is paid

By nations on whom she lavishes life.

أَبناءُ يَعقوبٍ حِيالَ عَزيزِها

يَشكونَ ما جَنَتِ الخُطوبُ السودُ

Jacob's sons stand before her mighty ruler,

Complaining of what dark calamities have wrought.

يَستَعطِفونَ أَخاً رَموهُ بِكَيدِهِم

فَإِذا المَكائِدُ أَنعُمٌ وَسُعودُ

They implore a brother they assailed with their guile,

And behold, their plots are blessings and good fortune.

وَضَعَ الصِواعَ فَفي الرِحالِ جِنايَةٌ

يُعيي الشَوامِخَ حَملُها وَيَؤودُ

He placed the cup; in the baggage lay a crime

Whose burden wearies towering mountains and weighs them down.

لا يَحمَدُ المَلِكُ الكَبيرُ أَمينَهُ

حَتّى يُرَدَّ صواعُهُ المفقودُ

The great king will not praise his trusted servant

Until his missing cup is returned.

تركوا أخاهم فاستبدَّ بشيخهم

همّان همٌّ طارِفٌ وَتَليدُ

They left their brother; their aged father was overwhelmed

By two griefs: one new, the other old.

يَجِدُ الحَياةَ نَدِيَّةً أَنفاسُها

مِن ريحِ يوسُفَ وَالفُؤادُ كَميدُ

He finds life's breaths fresh and dewy

From Joseph's scent, though his heart is grief-stricken.

وَأَتى القَميصُ فَعادَ مِن بَعدِ العَمى

بَصَرٌ لَهُ حَيُّ الضِياءِ حَديدُ

And the shirt arrived; after blindness there returned

His sight, alive with light and keen.

جاءوا الكِنانَةَ يَنظُرونَ فَراعَهُم

مُلكٌ لِيوسُفَ ما يُرامُ عَتيدُ

They came to al-Kinanah to behold, and were awed

By Joseph's kingdom, unassailable and mighty.

مَلَأَ النَواظِرَ وَالقُلوبَ جَلالُهُ

فَإذا الجَميعُ عَلى الجِباهِ سُجودُ

Its majesty filled their eyes and hearts,

And behold, all were prostrate upon their brows.

رُؤيا العَزيزِ تَأَوَّلَت وَمِنَ الرُؤى

لِذَوي البَصائِرِ واقِعٌ مَشهودُ

The mighty ruler's dream came true; and some dreams

Become witnessed reality for those with insight.

إِنَّ الحَوادِثَ لِلرِجالِ تَجارِبٌ

وَمِنَ المَصائِبِ ضائِرٌ وَمُفيدُ

Indeed, events are lessons for men,

And misfortunes can bring harm or benefit.

يَشكو الفَتى نَكَدَ الحَياةِ وَرُبَّما

خَبَأَ المَيامِنَ عَيشُهُ المَنكودُ

A man complains of life's adversity, yet sometimes

His wretched life conceals good fortune.

يا أُمَّةَ الإِنجيلِ آمِناً بِهِ

ما بِالنَبِيِّ وَلا يَسوعَ جُحودُ

O people of the Gospel, rest secure in it:

There is no denial of the Prophet or of Jesus.

الدينُ في أَمرٍ وَنَهيٍ واحِدٌ

وَاللَهُ جَلَّ جَلالُهُ المَعبودُ

Religion is one in command and prohibition,

And God—exalted be His majesty—is the One worshipped.

دُنيا المَمالِكِ لا تُحَدُّ وَدينُها

وَقفٌ عَلى دَيّانِها مَحدودُ

The worldly realm of kingdoms is unbounded; their religion

Is set apart for their Judge, confined to Him.

دَرَجَ الزَمانُ عَلى المَوَدَّةِ بَينَنا

وَأَراهُ يَنقُصُ وَالإِخاءُ يَزيدُ

Time has passed with affection between us,

And I see it dwindle while brotherhood grows.

ذُخرُ البَنينَ نَصونُ مِن مَوروثِهِ

ما صانَ آباءٌ لَنا وَجدودُ

As a treasure for our sons, we preserve of its legacy

What fathers and grandfathers safeguarded for us,

بِرّاً بِمِصرَ وَمِصرُ أَعظَمُ حُرمَةً

مِن أَن يَضيعَ رَجاؤُها المَنشودُ

In devotion to Egypt—Egypt is too sacred

For her longed-for hope to be lost.

إِلّا يَكُن مَجدٌ أَشَمُّ وَسُؤدُدٌ

فَحَياةُ شَعبٍ صالِحٍ وَوُجودُ

If not lofty glory and sovereignty,

Then the life and existence of a worthy people.

شُدّوا القُلوبَ عَلى الإِخاءِ فَإِنَّها

مِصرٌ وَإِنَّ بَلاءَها لَشَديدُ

Bind hearts to brotherhood, for this is

Egypt, and her ordeal is indeed severe.

أَنَرى المَمالِكَ كُلَّ يَومٍ حَولَنا

تَسعى وَنَحنُ عَلى الرَجاءِ قُعودُ

Shall we watch kingdoms around us every day

Striving, while we sit idle, relying on hope?

الأَمرُ مُشتَرِكٌ وَمِصرُ لَنا مَعاً

في العالَمينَ مَنازِلٌ وَلُحودُ

The cause is shared, and Egypt belongs to us both—

In all the world, our dwellings and our graves.

وَالنيلُ إِن حَمَلَ القَذى وَإِذا صَفا

فَهوَ الحَياةُ وَوِردُها المَورودُ

And the Nile, whether it carries debris or runs clear,

Is life, and its watering place, where drink is sought.

أَنَخونُ أَنفُسَنا وَنُفسِدُ أَمرَنا

أَن قالَ واشٍ أَو أَرادَ حَسودُ

Shall we betray ourselves and ruin our cause

Because a slanderer spoke, or an envier wished it?

زَعَمَ العِدى أَنّا نَعُقُّ بِلادَنا

زَعمٌ لَعَمرُ الأُمَّتَينِ بَعيدُ

Our foes claimed we were disloyal to our country—

A far-fetched claim, by the life of both communities!

مَن كانَ يَحكُمُ أَن نَعيشَ أَذِلَّةً

بَينَ الشُعوبِ فَحُكمُهُ مَردودُ

Whoever decrees that we should live abased

Among the peoples—his decree is rejected.

لا نَعرِفُ اليَأسَ المُميتَ وَلا نَرى

أَنَّ الحَياةَ سَبيلُها مَسدودٌ

We know no deadly despair, nor do we believe

That life's path is barred.

أَيُهانُ لِلأَهرامِ مَجدٌ باذِخٌ

وَيُضامُ تَاريخٌ لِمِصرَ مجيدُ

Shall the pyramids' towering glory be dishonored,

And Egypt's glorious history be wronged?

إِن تَبكِ مِصرُ عَلى مُؤثَّلِ مَجدِها

فَلَسَوفَ يَرجِعُ عالِياً وَيَعودُ

If Egypt weeps over her time-honored glory,

Then it shall surely return, lofty once again.