إذا استبقيت في الدنيا حبيباً

إذا استبقيت في الدنيا حبيباً

فخير أحبتي فلاح مصرا

فخير أحبتي فلاح مصرا

If I were to keep one beloved in this world,

If I were to keep a lover in this life,

Egypt's peasant would be the dearest of my loved ones.

The best of my loved ones would be an Egyptian farmer

كريم يملأ الوادي ثراء

كريم يملأ الوادي ثراء

ولا يلقى سوى الإجحاف أجرا

ولا يلقى سوى الإجحاف أجرا

A generous man, he fills the valley with wealth,

A generous man who fills the valley with wealth

yet receives nothing but injustice as his reward.

Yet only encounters injustice for his reward

فقير ما أراه شكا افتقارا

فقير ما أراه شكا افتقارا

ولو يُجزى على تعبٍ لأثرى

ولو يُجزى على تعبٍ لأثرى

He is poor, yet I have never seen him complain of poverty;

A poor man whom I never see complain of poverty

were he rewarded for his toil, he would grow rich.

And if he were rewarded for his toil, he would be rich

وكان بعيشة الأسرى قنوعاً

وكان بعيشة الأسرى قنوعاً

فكيف وقد غدا في الملك حرّا

فكيف وقد غدا في الملك حرّا

He was content with the life of captives;

He was content with the livelihood of captives

how much more now that he is free to own his land?

So how is he now that he is free in the kingdom?

فمحراثٌ يشق الأرض عندي

فمحراثٌ يشق الأرض عندي

ويخرج من ثراها الخصب تبرا

ويخرج من ثراها الخصب تبرا

For, to me, a plough that cleaves the earth

To me, a plow that cleaves the earth

and draws raw gold from its fertile soil

And brings forth grain from its folds is

كسيفٍ في يد الجندي لاقى

كسيفٍ في يد الجندي لاقى

به جيشاً وحصناً مشمخرّا

به جيشاً وحصناً مشمخرّا

is like a sword in the hand of a soldier who faced

Like a sword in a soldier's hand that met

an army and a towering fortress with it.

An army and an impregnable fortress

فلو عرف الصوابَ التركُ قومي

فلو عرف الصوابَ التركُ قومي

لما احتقروا له عملاً وقدرا

لما احتقروا له عملاً وقدرا

Had my people, the Turks, known what was right,

If my people knew what was right

they would not have scorned his work and worth,

They would not scorn his work and worth

فأعلوه وأرضوه وضنوا

فأعلوه وأرضوه وضنوا

به فأنالهم مجداً ونصرا

به فأنالهم مجداً ونصرا

but would have exalted him, pleased him, and cherished

Exalt and please him, and be kind to him

him; he would then have won them glory and victory.

And so gain glory and victory for themselves

ولولا ما يخاف عليه مثلي

ولولا ما يخاف عليه مثلي

من البطر المعيد العرف نكرا

من البطر المعيد العرف نكرا

But for the fear one like me has for him

Were it not for the fear of the likes of me

of the arrogance that turns goodness into evil,

For the vicissitudes of time that make the noble vile

سقاه من السلافة ما اشتهاه

سقاه من السلافة ما اشتهاه

وألبسه الحرير فتاه كبرا

وألبسه الحرير فتاه كبرا

I would give him all the choice wine he desired,

I would have let him drink his fill

and clothe him in silk, so he would strut with pride.

And dressed him in silk in his old age