أُمٌّa mother تُدافعُwards off يَأسَهاher despair بَرجائِهاwith her hope
أُمٌّ تُدافعُ يَأسَها بَرجائِها
ماnot تَنقضِيcome to an end الآمالُthe hopes فيin أَبنائِهاher children
ما تَنقضِي الآمالُ في أَبنائِها
A mother wards off her despair with her hope,
A mother wards off her despair with her hope;
for hopes placed in her children never end.
Her hopes in her children never end.
أَمسىhas become الشَقاءُmisery لَهاfor her خَدِيناًa close companion ماno لَهُfor it
أَمسى الشَقاءُ لَها خَدِيناً ما لَهُ
مُتحوَّلٌway to depart عَنهاfrom her فياthen alas لِشَقائِهاfor her misery
مُتحوَّلٌ عَنها فيا لِشَقائِها
Misery has become her constant companion, with no
Misery has become her companion; it has no
departure from her—alas for her misery!
way to leave her—alas for her misery!
هَذاthis لعَمُركُمُby your lives العُقوقُfilial ingratitude بِعينهِitself
هَذا لعَمُركُمُ العُقوقُ بِعينهِ
أَكَذاis it thus تُخلّىis abandoned الأُمُّthe mother فيin بَلوائِهاher affliction
أَكَذا تُخلّى الأُمُّ في بَلوائِها
This, by your lives, is filial ingratitude itself:
This, by your lives, is filial ingratitude itself!
is this how a mother is abandoned in her affliction?
Is a mother thus abandoned in her affliction?
أَكذاis it thus تُغادَرُis left للخطوبِto calamities تَنوشُهاassail her
أَكذا تُغادَرُ للخطوبِ تَنوشُها
وَتمدُّand stretch أَيديهاtheir hands إِلىtoward حَوبائِهاher soul
وَتمدُّ أَيديها إِلى حَوبائِها
Is this how she is left for calamities to assail,
Is she thus left to calamities that assail her
stretching out her hands to her own kin?
and stretch their hands toward her soul?
غَرضَa target النَوائبِof calamities ماnot تَزالُcease سِهامُهاtheir arrows
غَرضَ النَوائبِ ما تَزالُ سِهامُها
تَهوِيfall مُسدَّدةًwell-aimed إلىtoward أَحشائِهاher entrails
تَهوِي مُسدَّدةً إلى أَحشائِها
A target for misfortunes, whose arrows never cease
A target for calamities, whose arrows never cease
to plunge, straight-aimed, into her entrails.
to fall, aimed straight at her entrails.
صَرعىstricken تَواكلَهاleft her to one another الحُماةُthe protectors فَماso nothing لَهاfor her
صَرعى تَواكلَها الحُماةُ فَما لَها
إِلّاexcept تَرقُّبُawaiting مَوتِهاher death وَفنائِهاand her extinction
إِلّا تَرقُّبُ مَوتِها وَفنائِها
Stricken down, she is passed from one defender to another; she has
She lies stricken; her protectors have left her to one another, so she has nothing
nothing left but to await her death and annihilation.
but to await her death and extinction.
تَبكيshe weeps وَنضحكُand we laugh دُونَهاapart from her وَلَوَand if اَنّناthat we
تَبكي وَنضحكُ دُونَها وَلَوَ اَنّنا
بَشَرٌhuman بَكَيناwe would weep رَحمةًout of compassion لِبُكائِهاfor her weeping
بَشَرٌ بَكَينا رَحمةً لِبُكائِها
She weeps while we laugh, standing aloof; had we
She weeps while we laugh apart from her; if we were
been human, we would have wept in compassion for her tears.
human, we would weep in compassion for her weeping.
تَشكوshe laments البلاياthe calamities التارِكاتِthat leave نَعيمَهاher bliss
تَشكو البلايا التارِكاتِ نَعيمَها
بُؤساًmisery وَماand not تَشكوshe laments سِوىexcept جُهلائِهاher ignorant people
بُؤساً وَما تَشكو سِوى جُهلائِها
She laments the calamities that have turned her comfort
She laments the calamities that turn her bliss
to misery, yet she laments none but her ignorant sons.
to misery; yet she laments none but her ignorant people.
ياO آلَpeople of مصرَEgypt وَأَنتمُand you أَبناؤُهاher children
يا آلَ مصرَ وَأَنتمُ أَبناؤُها
وَلَكُمand yours are جَوانِبُthe reaches of أَرضِهاher land وَسَمائِهاand her sky
وَلَكُم جَوانِبُ أَرضِها وَسَمائِها
O people of Egypt, you are her children,
O people of Egypt, you are her children,
and yours are all the reaches of her earth and sky.
and yours are the reaches of her land and sky.
إِنif تَسألواyou ask فَالجهلُthen ignorance داءُthe disease of بلادِكُمyour country
إِن تَسألوا فَالجهلُ داءُ بلادِكُم
وَمِنand among البليّةِcalamities أَنthat تَموتَshe should die بِدائِهاof her disease
وَمِن البليّةِ أَن تَموتَ بِدائِها
If you ask what ails her: ignorance is your country’s disease,
If you ask, ignorance is your country's disease,
and part of the affliction is that she should die of her disease.
and it is a calamity for her to die of her disease.
وَالمالُand wealth وَهوَand it is مِنamong الوَدائعِthe trusts عِندَكُمin your keeping
وَالمالُ وَهوَ مِن الوَدائعِ عِندَكُم
نِعمَexcellent is الدَواءُthe remedy المُرتَجىhoped for لشفائِهاfor her healing
نِعمَ الدَواءُ المُرتَجى لشفائِها
And wealth, though it is among the trusts in your keeping,
And wealth—one of the trusts in your keeping—
is an excellent, hoped-for remedy for her recovery.
is a splendid remedy, looked to for her healing.
إِنif يَبنِbuilds زارعُهاher farmer الحياةَlife لِقَومِهِfor his people
إِن يَبنِ زارعُها الحياةَ لِقَومِهِ
فبكفِّthen in the hand of صانِعهاher craftsman تَمامُthe completion of بِنائِهاits construction
فبكفِّ صانِعها تَمامُ بِنائِها
If her farmer builds life for his people,
If her farmer builds life for his people,
then in her artisan’s hand lies the completion of her edifice.
then her craftsman's hand completes its construction.
عودُstick الثُقابِmatches أَماis it not يَكونُfound بِأَرضِناin our land
عودُ الثُقابِ أَما يَكونُ بِأَرضِنا
إِلاexcept تَراهُsees it العَينُthe eye مِنamong أَقذائِهاits motes
إِلا تَراهُ العَينُ مِن أَقذائِها
Can no matchstick be made in our land,
A matchstick—is it ever found in our land
save one the eye sees among its motes?
without the eye seeing it as one of its motes?
ياO قَومُmy people هَلis there مِنany إِبرَةٍneedle مِصريّةٍEgyptian
يا قَومُ هَل مِن إِبرَةٍ مِصريّةٍ
تَشفيheals بَقاياthe remnants of النَفسِthe soul مِنfrom بُرحائِهاits anguish
تَشفي بَقايا النَفسِ مِن بُرحائِها
O people, is there no Egyptian needle
O my people, is there an Egyptian needle
to heal what remains of the soul from its torment?
that can ease the anguish of what remains of the soul?
إِنّindeed الصَنائعَcrafts للحياةِfor life وَسيلةٌa means
إِنّ الصَنائعَ للحياةِ وَسيلةٌ
فَتعاونواso cooperate طُرّاًall together عَلىin إحيائِهاreviving them
فَتعاونوا طُرّاً عَلى إحيائِها
Indeed, the crafts are a means to life;
Indeed, crafts are a means to life;
so join forces, one and all, to revive it.
so work together, all of you, to revive them.
لاdo not تَبخلواbe miserly ياO قَومُmy people إِنif كُنتمyou are ذَويpossessors of
لا تَبخلوا يا قَومُ إِن كُنتم ذَوي
كَرَمٍgenerosity فَماfor ... not الدُنياthe world سِوىexcept كُرمائِهاits generous people
كَرَمٍ فَما الدُنيا سِوى كُرمائِها
Do not withhold, O people, if you are possessed
Do not be miserly, my people, if you possess
of generosity; the world is nothing but its generous souls.
generosity; for the world is nothing but its generous people.
قُومواrise قيامَas rise الأَكرمينthe noblest وَجَرِّدواand unsheathe
قُوموا قيامَ الأَكرمين وَجَرِّدوا
هِمَماًresolves تودُّcrave البِيضُthe gleaming swords بَعضَsome of مَضائِهاtheir keenness
هِمَماً تودُّ البِيضُ بَعضَ مَضائِها
Rise with the rising of the noblest, and unsheathe
Rise as the noblest rise, and unsheathe
aspirations whose keenness even swords would covet.
resolves whose keenness gleaming swords crave a share of.
وَتَدَفَّقواand overflow بِالمكرماتِwith noble deeds وَنافِسُواand vie with one another
وَتَدَفَّقوا بِالمكرماتِ وَنافِسُوا
فيin بَذلِbestowing عارفةٍa kindness وَكَسبِand earning ثَنائِهاpraise for it
في بَذلِ عارفةٍ وَكَسبِ ثَنائِها
Pour forth noble deeds, and vie with one another
And overflow with noble deeds, and vie with one another
in bestowing benefaction and winning its praise.
in bestowing kindness and earning praise for it.
عَزَّwas hard to obtain الثَراءُwealth فجئتُso I came to مِصرَEgypt وَأَهلَهاand her people
عَزَّ الثَراءُ فجئتُ مِصرَ وَأَهلَها
مُتَبَرِّعاًdonating freely بِالشِعرِwith poetry عَنon behalf of شُعرائِهاher poets
مُتَبَرِّعاً بِالشِعرِ عَن شُعرائِها
Wealth was beyond my reach, so I came to Egypt and her people,
Wealth was hard to obtain, so I came to Egypt and her people,
freely offering poetry on behalf of her poets.
freely offering poetry on behalf of her poets.
Sol 6.1