شرف الزمان به وساد الجيل — أحمد الكاشف

شَرُف الزمان به وساد الجيلُ

شرع البلاد وحكمها المأمولُ

Time was ennobled by it, and the generation gained preeminence:

the country's law and its hoped-for government.

في الرونق الضاحي تجلى بعد ما

لجت عواصف دونه وسيول

In radiant splendor it appeared, after

storms and torrents had raged in its path.

هزَّ المشارق عيده فتجملت

بغداد واحتفلت به كابول

Its festival stirred the eastern lands, and adorned

Baghdad; Kabul celebrated it.

ودعت بأنقرة لمصر عشيرةٌ

شماء تعمل حرةً وتقول

And in Ankara a people prayed for Egypt,

proud, working and speaking freely.

ولئن تناءى بين مصر وبينها

سبب الجوار فإنه موصول

Though distance has stretched between Egypt and them,

the bond of neighborliness remains unbroken.

ألمصر أم للمشرقين كليهما

هذا الصباح الأبلج المصقول

Is it for Egypt, or for both Easts together,

this bright, burnished morning?

اليوم تجري أدمع الفرح التي

ذنب الزمان بها غداً مغسول

Today flow the tears of joy by which

time's sin will tomorrow be washed away.

وضح الصواب لكل مطَّلع فما

فيه مغالطة ولا تأويل

The right course became clear to every observer; there is

no sophistry in it, nor reinterpretation.

ذا بعض ما وصلت إليه من المدى

تلك الضحايا والدم المطلول

This is part of the reach attained by

those sacrifices and that blood shed unavenged.

يا يوم فاتحة الرجاء لك الرضا

ولربك التكبير والتهليل

O day that opens hope, yours is our contentment,

and to your Lord belong glorification and declarations of His oneness.

هل جئت بالشورى بهيجا معلماً

أم جاء فيك من السماء رسول

Have you come with consultation, joyous and distinguished,

or has a messenger from heaven come within you?

أنت الجميل الفخم للوادي فما

لك غير ميعاد الجلاء مثيل

You are the valley's splendid, majestic day; none

but the appointed day of evacuation is your equal.

جاءت رضاً فيه وراحت راحة

هذي النيابة عنه والتوكيل

It brought contentment there, and left repose—

this representation on its behalf and delegation of authority.

من كل ندب ما دعاه قَبِيْلُهُ

إلا ومنه لمن دعاه قبيل

From every gallant man: his clan never summoned him

without his becoming a surety for those who summoned him.

وكأنما المحراب كلَّ أريكة

وكأن كلَّ محدث جبريل

As though every couch were a prayer niche,

and every speaker were Gabriel.

في هذه الحجراتِ تعرف مصر ما

أمست عليه وما إليه تؤول

In these chambers Egypt knows what

its condition has become, and what it will become.

ويخط آمال البلاد وأهلها

فيه شباب عاقل وكهول

And the hopes of the country and its people are charted

there by thoughtful youth and mature men.

المجد ما بنت الشمائل سمحة

لا ما بنته أسنة ونصول

Glory is what generous qualities have built,

not what spearheads and sword-blades have built.

وعزائم الأبطال غير صحيحة

إن لم تقدها أنفس وعقول

And heroes' resolves are unsound

unless souls and minds lead them.

إن يحتفل بالظافرين مهنِّئٌ

فليبتدر للعاثرين مقيل

If a well-wisher celebrates the victorious,

let a rescuer hasten to those who stumble.

من لم يتب أو من أبى الحسنى إلى

من تاب فهو الخاذل المخذول

Whoever does not repent, or refuses kindness to

one who has repented, forsakes and is forsaken.

ضمنَ الحياة لكل شعب شملُهُ

متألِّفاً وحسامُهُ المسلول

Life for every people is secured by their ranks,

united, and by their unsheathed sword.

ما كانت الدنيا مجادلة ولا

سبب العلا التأويل والتعليل

The world was never mere argument, nor

are interpretation and explanation the means to greatness.

لا يستحق من الحياة نصيبه

متلمس للحق وهو ذليل

No man deserves his share of life

who seeks his right while remaining abject.

ما كان ندّاً شعب مصر لدولة

تجتاح وهو مقيد مغلول

Egypt's people were no match for a state

that overran them while they were bound and fettered.

كسر الأسيرُ القيدَ وهو مضاعفٌ

وقضى الغريم الدين وهو ثقيل

The captive broke the chain, though it was doubled,

and the debtor paid the debt, though it was heavy.

ولقد أبى حمل المهانة والأذى

ذاك المقيم عليهما المجبول

And indeed, he refused to bear humiliation and injury,

that man who had lived with both and been molded to them.

لا ينهض المغلوب إلا بعد ما

يتنبه المخدوع والمختول

The vanquished rise only after

the deceived and the tricked awaken.

إني رأيتُ ممالكاً قامت على

أنقاضها أخرى وسوف تدول

I have seen kingdoms upon whose

ruins others arose, and they too shall pass away.

هل يأمن المنهوم من أحشائه

أن يملأ الأحشاء وهو عليل

Can the glutton be safe from his own entrails,

filling his belly while he is sick?

ولربما سلم المقاتل في الوغى

وأماته المشروب والمأكول

And often the fighter survived in battle,

yet drink and food killed him.

هل يستقيم منازع وقريبه

متبرم والجار منه ملول

Can a contender stand firm when his kinsman

is discontented, and his neighbor weary of him?

وَيمُدُّ سؤدده ومن أجزائه

في كل يوم جانبٌ مفصول

And can he extend his dominion while from its parts

a portion is severed every day?

أين الذين تحكموا فتراجعت

بهمُ غياض الأرض وهي محول

Where are those who ruled despotically, so that

the earth's groves shrank through them into barren wastes?

لا يستوون على الأرائك فخمة

إلا وتحتهمُ الدماء تسيل

They never settled on their sumptuous couches

without blood flowing beneath them.

اللّه بدلهم بأرحم عصبة

للعاملين وحبذا التبديل

God replaced them with a group more merciful

to workers—how excellent the change!

وارتدَّ بعد شقائه ببلاده

علماً عليها العامل المجهول

And after misery in his own country, there returned

the unknown worker, now a beacon over it.

وغدا الذي للجاه كان مسخَّراً

يزن المرافق عادلاً ويكيل

And he who once was harnessed to rank and power

now weighs public benefits justly and measures them out.

يملي على المال الزكاة محتماً

أن لا يكون بدونها تمويل

He imposes obligatory alms on wealth, decreeing

that no financing be without them.

أدرى بآلام الحياة من ابتلى

نكد الحياة تمضُّه وتهول

He knows life's pains best who has endured

life's misery, which torments and terrifies him.

أولى بكرسيِّ العلا في قومه

من عاش يكفل قومه ويعول

Most worthy of greatness's seat among his people

is he who has lived supporting and maintaining them.

أيعيش من أكتاف ألفٍ واحدٌ

قاسٍ على الألف الشقيِّ بخيل

Should one man live upon the shoulders of a thousand,

harsh to that wretched thousand, and miserly?

طابت ممارسة البلاد لدهرها

من بعد ما غشِي البلاد خمول

The country's dealings with its times have prospered,

after stagnation had enveloped the land.

وكأن مصر لأهل مصرَ مصيدةٌ

وكأن ربَّ البيت فيه نزيل

As though Egypt were a trap for Egypt's people,

and the master of the house a lodger within it.

وتجشم الأحرار في أوطانهم

ما جشمتهم غربةٌ ورحيل

And free men bore, in their homelands,

the burdens that exile and wandering had imposed on them.

وصل التناجي بينهم من بعد ما

حالت بحار بينهم وسهول

Their private converse was rejoined after

seas and plains had come between them.

للّه والعرش المقدس والحمى

هذا السلام وذلك التبجيل

To God, the sacred throne, and the homeland

belong this salutation and that reverence.

ومن المواثيق المتينة بينهم

هذا العناق وذلك التقبيل

And among the firm covenants between them

are this embrace and that kiss.

يا واحد الوادي وكل من اقتدى

بك صاحب لك في العلا وزميل

O peerless man of the valley, everyone who follows

you is your companion and colleague in greatness.

نجيت قومك والبلاد كما نجت

في عهد موسى أمس إسرائيل

You saved your people and the country, as was saved

Israel long ago, in the time of Moses.

وأتيت في الميعاد وهو مقدر

لهمُ فلا مهلٌ ولا تعجيل

And you came at the appointed time, fixed

for them, with neither delay nor haste.

رجعَى ومنقلبٌ إليك وحبذا

هذا المصيرُ الكافل المكفول

Return and homecoming are to you; how fine

this destiny, guaranteeing and guaranteed!

فضل المعيد الحصن وهو معالم

لك والمعيد الجيش وهو فلول

The merit of restoring the fortress, when it was mere traces,

is yours—and of restoring the army, when it was scattered remnants.

أنت المفضل عند مصر وأهلها

ولمصر عندك ذلك التفضيل

You are favored by Egypt and its people,

and Egypt enjoys that same preference with you.

يا من تعرَّض للعدى ورماحُهم

ملء الفضاء وللسيوف صليل

O you who confronted the enemies while their spears

filled the air and the swords rang,

حدثهمُ وأمورهم بيد الذي

هو صاحب لك طيب وخليل

address them, while their affairs are in the hands of one

who is your good companion and close friend.

في شرعة الوزراء من عمالهم

أمل لمصر وغير مصر جليل

In the principles of ministers drawn from their workers

lies a great hope for Egypt and other lands.

لاقت وزارتك السعيدة مثلها

منهم وسار إلى الجميل جميل

Your fortunate ministry met one like itself

among them, and grace moved to meet grace.

فهما من الحسنى على وعدٍ لما

هو للقطيعة والجفاء مزيل

Thus both, in goodwill, have pledged themselves to what

will dispel estrangement and coldness.

الصلح أولى للغريم وقد قضى

حكَمٌ وأشهاد عليه عدول

Settlement is best for the debtor, once judgment is passed

against him by an arbiter and upright witnesses.

لك عنده الحق المبين وقد مضى

جبروته والتيه والتهويل

Your clear right lies with him, and gone are

his tyranny, arrogance, and intimidation.

قاضيته فأقرَّ ثم وفى به

لك فاستراح غريمه الممطول

You sued him; he acknowledged it, then fulfilled it

for you, and his long-stalled creditor found relief.

خيرٌ له العمل المنزَّه بعد ما

خلت الوعود السود والتضليل

Honorable action is better for him, now that

dark promises and deception have passed.

ولقد يرى من مصر وهو معاهدٌ

ما لا يرى من مصر وهو دخيل

And he may see from Egypt, as a treaty partner,

what he cannot see from Egypt as an intruder:

وُدَّ الأباةِ وإنه لمنزَّهٌ

ورضى الغضابِ وإنه لجزيل

the affection of the unbowed, truly unsullied,

and the favor of the angry, truly abundant.

لا تطمئِنَّ إلى الذي هو شارط

إلا وشرطك قبله مقبول

Do not trust one who lays down conditions

unless your own condition is accepted before his.

ومن التغالي أن نعدَّك نائلاً

منه ولست كما تنال تنيل

And it is extravagant to count you as receiving

from him without giving as much as you receive.

تصل المنافع بين أشتات الورى

ما لم تصله قرابة وأصول

Benefits bind the scattered peoples of the world

where kinship and ancestry have failed to bind them.

هل يدَّعي استقلال مصر مرابط

في الشاطئين ودون مصرٍ ميل

Can a garrisoned man claim Egypt's independence,

on both banks, and a mile short of Egypt?

النيل مخلوق لواديه فما

هو عنه منصرف ولا منقول

The Nile was created for its valley; it is

neither departing from it nor being transferred.

سودان مصر شقيق مصر ولم يكن

ليحول بين الأقربين عذول

Egypt's Sudan is Egypt's brother, and never should

a reproacher part the nearest kin.

حريةُ الوادي وماء حياته

حتمٌ عليك وغيرُ ذاك فضول

The valley's freedom and its life-giving water

are your obligation; anything else is superfluous.

ومن اطمأن فمرحباً بيقينه

ومن استراب فما عليك سبيل

Whoever is assured—welcome to his certainty!

And whoever doubts has no case against you.

إن الذي أمنَ الطريقَ لمصر لا

يعنيه أنَّ طريق مصر طويل

He who has made Egypt's road secure does not

care that Egypt's road is long.

إن الذي بدأ الجهاد لقومه

حتم عليه إلى المدى التكميل

He who began the struggle for his people

is bound to complete it to its end.

والمسترد الحقَّ من سلَّابِهِ

باق يدافع دونه ويحول

And he who recovers his right from its plunderer

remains, defending and shielding it.

أوزارة الوادي تؤول إليك أم

عبء عليك لأهله محمول

Does the valley's ministry fall to you, or is it

a burden you bear for its people?

كلفت نفسك همَّ قومك بعد ما

أيقنت أنك وحدك المسئول

You charged yourself with your people's cares after

you became certain that you alone were responsible.

وقد استقر الحكم للأولى به

حراً وعاد إلى الأسود الغيل

And rule has settled with the one most worthy of it,

in freedom, and the thicket has returned to the lions.

هل يترك الميدان فارس قومه

قبل المدى والخصم فيه يجول

Does his people's horseman leave the field

before the finish, while the adversary roams within it?

لا مستحيلَ على المُصِرِّ فكلُّ ما

صحَّت عليه عزيمةٌ مفعول

Nothing is impossible for the persistent; everything

upon which resolve is firmly set is accomplished.

أيضن بالمال الحلال على بني

واديه من دمُه لهم مبذول

Would he begrudge lawful wealth to the sons

of his valley—he whose blood is offered freely for them?

ويريد أن يُجزَى بما هو صانعٌ

بطل بهم عن نفسه مشغول

And would he want to be rewarded for what he does,

a hero absorbed in them rather than himself?

سبق الغزاة إلى الفتوح كبيرةً

بالرأي من هو للغزاة سليل

He outstripped conquerors toward great victories,

through wise judgment, he who is descended from conquerors.

يا حاملَ القرآن تدعو بالذي

يدعو به التوراةُ والانجيل

O bearer of the Quran, you call to that

to which the Torah and the Gospel call.

أشريعةُ الحُلَفاءِ أهدى منهجاً

مما شرعتَ وسنَّ إسمعيل

Is the Allies' code better guided in its course

than what you ordained and Ismail established?

للّه مصرٌ في الرياض تسابقت

جدواك في جنباتها والنيل

Egypt is God's! In its gardens raced

your bounty throughout its reaches and the Nile.

ما زلت توسع جانبيها عامراً

حتى تساوى عرضها والطول

You have kept widening both its sides with cultivation

until its width equaled its length.

صبَّحتها بوزارة هي جِدَّةٌ

لكيانها ولدهرها تعديل

You greeted its morning with a ministry that renews

its being and sets its times right.

ومضى قويماً من زمانك من قضى

زمنين يعثر تارة ويميل

And in your time he walked upright who had spent

two eras, stumbling now and swaying then.

الشعب حولك والوسائل حرّةٌ

والدهرُ سلمٌ والمراد ينيل

The people surround you, and the means are free;

the age is peaceful, and the desired goal is attainable.

في كل مملكةٍ سفيرٌ كابرٌ

هو حجةٌ لك عندها ودليل

In every kingdom there is an eminent ambassador;

he is your proof and witness before it.

فخم يمثل شعبه وبلاده

فوق الشعوب وحبذا التمثيل

Majestic, he represents his people and his country

above other peoples—how fine this representation!

كانت تعلَّةَ وامقٍ فجعلتها

وهي العيان الصادق المعقول

It was a lover's solace, and you made it

a visible reality, truthful and intelligible.

إن لم يكن للتاجِ شعبك مخلصاً

فبأي حقٍّ يهتدي ويصول

If your people are not loyal to the crown,

by what right can they find their way and wield power?

بالعدل والإحسان تدرك غاية

لا الجيش يدركها ولا الأسطول

Through justice and benevolence you reach a goal

that neither army nor fleet can reach.

يا مالك الوادي وأنت ضمانه

وعلى رضاك ورأيك التعويل

O sovereign of the valley, you are its guarantee,

and on your pleasure and judgment rests our reliance.

جاهدتُ فيه طيِّب العقبى وبي

مما أجاهدُ رقةٌ ونحول

I strove there, with a happy outcome, though I bear

frailty and thinness from my striving.

ورجعت باستقلاله مترنماً

وعليَّ منه التاج والإكليل

And I returned, singing of its independence,

with its crown and wreath upon me.