هو الجِدُّ لا عُذْرَ للهازلين

هو الجِدُّ لا عُذْرَ للهازلين

ولا حقَّ إن غَلَب الباطلُ

ولا حقَّ إن غَلَب الباطلُ

This is serious business; the frivolous have no excuse,

He is earnest, no excuse for the frivolous

Nor is there truth if falsehood prevails.

And no truth if falsehood prevails

ولا خيرَ في العيش إن لم يَفُزْ

ولا خيرَ في العيش إن لم يَفُزْ

على الجاهلِ الكيِّسُ العاقلُ

على الجاهلِ الكيِّسُ العاقلُ

Nor is there good in life unless victory is won

And no good in living if the wise rational

Over the ignorant by the discerning, wise man.

Does not triumph over the sly ignorant

حياةُ البلادِ بِنُوَّابِها

حياةُ البلادِ بِنُوَّابِها

وآفتُها النّائبُ الجاهلُ

وآفتُها النّائبُ الجاهلُ

The country's life rests with its deputies,

The life of countries is in its deputies

And its bane is the ignorant deputy.

And their plague is the ignorant deputy

تهزّ الزلازلُ أقطارها

تهزّ الزلازلُ أقطارها

وَمقْعَدُهُ نائمٌ غافلُ

وَمقْعَدُهُ نائمٌ غافلُ

Earthquakes shake its regions,

Earthquakes shake its regions

And his seat slumbers, heedless.

While its seat is sleeping, heedless

إذا جَدَّ أمرٌ تولَّى به

إذا جَدَّ أمرٌ تولَّى به

من الهزل شُغلٌ له شاغلُ

من الهزل شُغلٌ له شاغلُ

Whenever a serious matter arises, he is carried away

If a serious matter arises

By some engrossing pursuit of frivolity.

He is preoccupied with foolishness that distracts him

جبانُ اللّسانِ جبانُ الجَنان

جبانُ اللّسانِ جبانُ الجَنان

على أنّه البطلُ الباسلُ

على أنّه البطلُ الباسلُ

Cowardly of tongue, cowardly of heart,

Cowardly of tongue, cowardly of soul

Yet he is the hero, the valiant one!

Yet claims to be the brave hero

خُذوا الأمرَ يا قومُ أَخْذَ الرجال

خُذوا الأمرَ يا قومُ أَخْذَ الرجال

فهذا هو الموقفُ الفاصلُ

فهذا هو الموقفُ الفاصلُ

Take the matter in hand, O people, as men do,

Take the matter, O people, like men

For this is the decisive juncture.

For this is the decisive stance

دَعوا جانباً نَزَعاتِ الهوى

دَعوا جانباً نَزَعاتِ الهوى

فما في اتّباعِ الهوى طائلُ

فما في اتّباعِ الهوى طائلُ

Set aside the impulses of caprice,

Leave aside the whims of passion

For no good comes of following caprice.

For there is no use in following passion

أَعن حقِّ مصرَ ودستورِها

أَعن حقِّ مصرَ ودستورِها

ننامُ وقد نشط الواغل

ننامُ وقد نشط الواغل

Heedless of Egypt's rights and its constitution,

Support the right of Egypt and its constitution

Shall we sleep while the intruder has stirred to action?

We sleep while the vigil stirs

أيبقى الفسادُ فلا حاجزٌ

أيبقى الفسادُ فلا حاجزٌ

يهدُّ قُواهُ ولا حائلُ

يهدُّ قُواهُ ولا حائلُ

Shall corruption remain, with no barrier

Does corruption remain with no barrier

To shatter its strength, and none to stop it?

To restrain its forces or prevent it?

أَلا فاهدموا النفَر الأرذلين

أَلا فاهدموا النفَر الأرذلين

فخيركم الهادمُ الخاذلُ

فخيركم الهادمُ الخاذلُ

Come, tear down the vilest band,

Come, demolish the vile outcasts

For the best of you is he who tears down and abandons them.

For the best of you is the demolisher of the spineless

بناهم لحاجته مُفسِدٌ

بناهم لحاجته مُفسِدٌ

له مأربٌ سيّئٌ سافلُ

له مأربٌ سيّئٌ سافلُ

A corrupter built them up to serve his needs,

A corrupter built them for his needs

He has a wicked, base aim.

He has an evil, lowly purpose

تردَّى به الغَيُّ إذ قدّسوه

تردَّى به الغَيُّ إذ قدّسوه

وطاح به الخَبلُ الخابلُ

وطاح به الخَبلُ الخابلُ

Misguidance plunged him into ruin when they sanctified him,

He let himself be misled when they sanctified him

And deranging madness hurled him down.

And the foolish fool was brought down

بَلَتْهُ المقاديرُ تلهو بهِ

بَلَتْهُ المقاديرُ تلهو بهِ

وجرَّبَهُ الزَّمنُ الهازلُ

وجرَّبَهُ الزَّمنُ الهازلُ

The fates tested him, toying with him,

Fates have tested him, toying with him

And jesting time put him to the test.

And time has tried the frivolous one

فلا رأيُه راجحٌ حازمٌ

فلا رأيُه راجحٌ حازمٌ

ولا حُكمُه صالحٌ عادلُ

ولا حُكمُه صالحٌ عادلُ

So his opinion is neither sound nor resolute,

His opinion is neither sound nor wise

Nor is his rule upright or just.

Nor is his rule good or just

عَرَفناهُ يركبُ أهواءَه

عَرَفناهُ يركبُ أهواءَه

ويركبُه الجاهلُ العاطلُ

ويركبُه الجاهلُ العاطلُ

We have known him to ride his whims,

We knew him following his whims

And the ignorant idler rides him.

And the ignorant unemployed follows him

يُريد فيذهبُ مِلءَ الفجاج

يُريد فيذهبُ مِلءَ الفجاج

كما يذهبُ الجامح الجافلُ

كما يذهبُ الجامح الجافلُ

He wills, then ranges the full breadth of the passes,

He wants so he goes recklessly

Like an unbridled beast bolting in fright.

Like a raging flood

ويُومِي فيهوي هُوِيَّ الفراش

ويُومِي فيهوي هُوِيَّ الفراش

تخطّفَهُ القدر النّازلُ

تخطّفَهُ القدر النّازلُ

And he gestures, then plunges like a moth,

And he transgresses so he falls down the precipice

Snatched away by descending fate.

Seized by inescapable fate

لئن بات يبكي بُكاءَ النّساء

لئن بات يبكي بُكاءَ النّساء

لقد هاجه عهدُه الزّائلُ

لقد هاجه عهدُه الزّائلُ

If indeed he spends the night weeping as women weep,

If he cries women's tears by night

His vanished era has surely stirred him.

His fleeting days have stirred him

وإن أكلَتْه عوادي الذّئاب

وإن أكلَتْه عوادي الذّئاب

ففي عِرضِه وَقعَ الآكلُ

ففي عِرضِه وَقعَ الآكلُ

And if marauding wolves have devoured him,

And if he is devoured by the jaws of wolves

Then the devourer has fallen upon his honor.

The glutton has fallen into dishonor

يقول الغواةُ إذا ابتاعهم

يقول الغواةُ إذا ابتاعهم

فيفضحه منهمُ القائلُ

فيفضحه منهمُ القائلُ

The misguided say, when he buys them,

The deviants say when he buys them

And the speaker among them exposes him:

Exposing him, the speaker among them:

أنحن قتلنا الرئيسَ الجليلَ

أنحن قتلنا الرئيسَ الجليلَ

غداةَ هوى نجمُه الآفلُ

غداةَ هوى نجمُه الآفلُ

Was it we who killed the illustrious leader

“We killed the great president

On the morning his setting star fell?

When his fading star fell”

لقد كذب القومُ كم من قتيل

لقد كذب القومُ كم من قتيل

سوى نفسِه ما له قاتلُ

سوى نفسِه ما له قاتلُ

Those people have surely lied: how many a slain man

Those people lied, for how many a slain

Has no killer but himself!

Except himself had no killer