1. أَخا الدَهرِ ما الدَهرُ إِذ يُنسَبُ

    وَأَينَ هِيَ الأُمَمُ الغُيَّبُ

    O brother of Time, what is Time when its lineage is traced?

    And where are they, the vanished nations?

  2. شَرِبتَ العُصورَ فَأَفنَيتَها

    وَما زِلتَ مِن دَمِها تَشرَبُ

    You drank the ages and made them perish,

    And still you drink their blood.

  3. تُميتُ وَتُحيي عَلى شِرعَةٍ

    يَدورُ بِها الزَمَنُ القُلَّبُ

    You deal death and give life according to a law

    By which fickle Time revolves.

  4. تَثورُ وَتَسكُنُ تَقضي الأُمورَ

    فَتَطفو الحَوادِثُ أَو تَرسُبُ

    You surge and grow still, deciding affairs,

    So events rise to the surface or sink.

  5. أَخا الدَهرِ أَينَ حَديثُ القُرونِ

    وَأَينَ المِدادُ لِمَن يَكتُبُ

    O brother of Time, where is the tale of the centuries,

    And where is the ink for whoever writes?

  6. شَهِدتَ المَمالِكَ تُزجي الجُنودَ

    وَعايَنتَها رِمَماً تُندَبُ

    You witnessed kingdoms sending forth armies,

    And beheld them as decayed remains, mourned.

  7. وَما حَجَبَ الدَهرُ مِن سِرِّها

    فَخافيهِ عِندَكَ لا يُحجَبُ

    And whatever Time has concealed of their secrets,

    Its hidden part is not concealed from you.

  8. إِلَيكَ اِنصَرَفتُ أَضُمُّ المُنى

    وَأَبعَثُها نُزَّعاً تَدأَبُ

    To you I turned, gathering my hopes,

    And send them forth, yearning, ever striving,

  9. غَوالِبَ تَأخُذُ أَقصى المَدى

    وَيَأخُذُها القَدَرُ الأَغلَبُ

    Conquering, they reach the farthest bounds,

    And mightier Fate seizes them.

  10. يُصَرِّفُها في أَفانينِها

    هَوىً لا يَضِلُّ وَلا يكذبُ

    They are guided along their varied paths

    By a love that neither strays nor lies,

  11. عَلى مِلَّةٍ مِن شُعاعِ الضُحى

    يُضاحِكُها الرَونَقُ المُعجَبُ

    Following a creed of midmorning light,

    Admired splendor exchanges smiles with it.

  12. يُجاوِرُهُ أَدَبٌ ساطِعٌ

    كَما جاوَرَ الكَوكَبَ الكَوكَبُ

    Radiant letters dwell beside it,

    As one star dwells beside another.

  13. فَيا نيلُ أَنتَ الهَوى وَالحَياةُ

    وَأَنتَ الأَميرُ وَأَنتَ الأَبُ

    So, O Nile, you are love and life,

    And you are the prince, and you are the father.

  14. وَيا نيلُ أَنتَ الصَديقُ الوَفِيُّ

    وَأَنتَ الأَخُ الأَصدَقُ الأَطيَبُ

    And, O Nile, you are the loyal friend,

    And you are the truest, kindest brother.

  15. وَأَنتَ القَريضُ الَّذي أَقتَفي

    فَيَزهى بِهِ الشرقُ وَالمَغرِبُ

    And you are the poetry that I follow,

    So East and West take pride in it.

  16. وَلَولاكَ تَعذِبُ لِلشارِبينَ

    لَما ساغَ مَورِدُهُ الأَعذَبُ

    And were you not sweet to those who drink,

    Its sweetest wellspring would not be palatable.

  17. فَإِن أورِثِ الخِصبَ هذي العقولَ

    فممّا تعلِّمني تخصبُ

    So if I bequeath fertility to these minds,

    They grow fertile from what you teach me.

  18. وإن أنا أطربتُ هَذي النُفوسَ

    فَصَوتُكَ لا صَوتِيَ المُطرِبُ

    And if I have stirred these souls to rapture,

    It is your voice, not mine, that enraptures.

  19. تَسيلُ فَتَندَفِقُ الرائِعاتُ

    وَتَجري فَتَستَبِقُ الجُوَّبُ

    You flow, and marvels pour forth,

    And you run, and the far-roaming ones race one another:

  20. قَوافٍ يَقودُ بِها الحادِثاتِ

    فَتىً لا يُقادُ وَلا يُجنَبُ

    Rhymes through which events are guided

    By a youth who is neither led nor taken in tow.

  21. عَصَيتُكَ إِن كانَ لي مَأرِبٌ

    سِواكَ فَيُؤثَرُ أَو يُطلَبُ

    I have disobeyed you if I have any desire

    Other than you, to be preferred or sought.

  22. قَسَمتَ الحُظوظَ فَمَن يَشتَكي

    وَسُستَ الحَياةَ فَمَن يَعتَبُ

    You have apportioned fortunes, so who complains?

    And you have governed life, so who finds fault?

  23. لَئِن فاتَني الذَهَبُ المُنتَقى

    فَما فاتَني الأَدَبُ المُذهَبُ

    Even if choice gold has eluded me,

    Gilded letters have not eluded me.

  24. وَهَبتُ لَكَ المُلكَ مُلكَ القَريضِ

    وَذَلِكَ أَفضَلُ ما يوهَبُ

    I have bestowed sovereignty on you—the sovereignty of poetry,

    And that is the best that can be bestowed.

  25. فَهَل وَهَبَت ما لَها أُمَّةٌ

    يَظَلُّ الغُرورُ بِها يَلعَبُ

    So has a nation given what it possesses,

    While vanity keeps toying with it?

  26. تَضِنُّ عَلَيكَ بِنَزرِ العَطاءِ

    وَيَسلُبُها الغَيُّ ما يَسلُبُ

    It begrudges you a scant offering,

    And folly robs it of whatever it steals.

  27. تُسيءُ إِلَيكَ فَلا تَستَطيرُ

    وَتَجني عَلَيكَ فَلا تَغضَبُ

    It wrongs you, yet you do not flare up,

    And injures you, yet you do not grow angry.

  28. وَتَقتُلُ أَبناءَكَ النابِغينَ

    فَتَذهَبُ في الحِلمِ ما تَذهَبُ

    And it kills your brilliant sons,

    Yet you go to such lengths in forbearance.

  29. أَلَم يَئنِ أَن تَزَعَ الجاهِلينَ

    فَنَحيا وَنَأمَنَ ما نَرهَبُ

    Is it not time for you to restrain the ignorant,

    So we may live and be safe from what we fear?

  30. لَئِن وَجَبَ الحِلمُ عَمَّن أَساءَ

    فَإِنَّ دِفاعَ الأَذى أَوجَبُ

    If forbearance toward wrongdoers is indeed a duty,

    Then warding off harm is a greater duty.

  31. فَلا تَجرِ إِلّا دَماً أَو ذُعافاً

    وَلا تَحفَل القَومَ أَن يَعطَبوا

    So flow with nothing but blood or deadly poison,

    And do not care if the people perish.

  32. أَماناً فَما بَينَنا ثائِرٌ

    وَعَفواً فَما بَينَنا مُذنِبُ

    Grant safety, for there is no rebel among us,

    And pardon, for there is no offender among us.

  33. عَسى عقِبٌ مِنهُمو صالِحٌ

    يُعَظِّمُ أَقدارَ مَن تُنجِبُ

    Perhaps righteous offspring from them

    Will honor the worth of those you bring forth.