فشودة رواية

للمبصرين آية

Fashoda is a play,

A lesson for the discerning.

قد مثِّلت في العصر

ليهتدي في مصر

It has been staged in this age,

So that one in Egypt might find guidance.

فما اهتدى ولا عقل

ولا درى كنه الحِيل

But he neither found guidance nor understood,

Nor knew the essence of the stratagems.

بل شهد التمثيلا

ثم انثنى بخيلا

Instead, he watched the performance,

Then turned away, miserly,

مولىَ الأكتاف

في ساعة الإسعاف

Turning his shoulders away

At the hour when aid was needed.

فلا تلم فرنسا

وفضلها لا تنسا

So do not blame France,

And do not forget her kindness.

وقل لمن رام السبب

شقاء مصر قد غلب

And tell whoever seeks the reason:

Egypt's misfortune has prevailed.

مرشان في النيل التقى

من بعد ما عز اللقا

Marchand met upon the Nile,

After the meeting had proved so difficult.

تقابلا في سلم

على الصفا الأتم

The two met peacefully,

In the fullest amity,

حيث المياه تجرى

نهرا بجنب نهر

Where the waters flow,

One river beside another.

والأرض بكر لم تزل

كما دحاها في الأزل

And the land is still virgin,

As He spread it out in eternity.

تُخرج أصناف الثمر

تنبت أجناس الزهر

It brings forth varieties of fruit,

And grows kinds of flowers.

تفيض بالمأكول

من عدس وفول

It overflows with food,

With lentils and broad beans.

ترابها التبر السنى

وكم بها من معدن

Its soil is gleaming gold dust,

And how many mineral deposits it holds!

وغرسها ابن يومه

لمرشن وقومه

And its sapling is but a day old,

For Marchand and his people.

مرشان فيها قد ثبت

كأنه عود نبت

Marchand has become established there,

As though he were a sprouting stem.

يلين للعواصف

فما له من قاصف

He bends before the storms,

So nothing can snap him.

أخرجه دلكاس

ألعوبة للناس

Delcassé brought him out,

A plaything for the people.

ألعوبة وتنقضى

قد خاب فيها من رضى

A plaything, and it passes away;

Whoever accepted it was disappointed.

وكيف كان العاقبة

فإن مصر الخائبة

And whatever the outcome,

Egypt was the disappointed one,

إذ لم يكن لبطرس

من طاقة بدلكسي

Since Butrus had no

Power to withstand Delcassé,

ولا له من بورى

يُسمع سالسبورى

Nor did he have a trumpet

To make Salisbury hear,

ولا له من أمة

تنجده في الغمة

Nor did he have a nation

To aid him in distress,

ولا له من دولة

تمدّه بالصولة

Nor did he have a state

To bolster him with might,

ولا له ولا له

لله ما أجله

Nor had he, nor had he—

By God, how august he is!

وبعد هذا فاسمع

يا خالي البال وعِ

And after this, listen,

O carefree one, and heed!

النيل كان نائما

رأى المجور قائما

The Nile was sleeping.

He saw the Major standing,

يضربه في رأسه

يحسبه في رمسه

Striking him on his head,

Thinking him in his grave.

خاطبه يا نيل

يا أيها القتيل

He addressed him: O Nile,

O you slain one!

يا تارك البلاد

لأفسد الأولاد

O you who leave the lands

To the most wicked of sons!

يا ضائع الميراث

والصبية الأحداث

O you whose inheritance is lost,

Along with the young children!

ذُبحت بالسكين

من غادر مهين

You were slaughtered with a knife

By a treacherous, contemptible man.

وكان أهلك المُدى

والحبل كانوا واليدا

Your people were the knives,

And they were the rope and the hand.

فما صرخت صرخة

بل قد ذهبت فرخة

Yet you uttered not a cry;

Rather, you perished like a chicken

قد سقطت في زير

أو وقعت في البير

That had fallen into a water jar,

Or tumbled into the well.

فلا تلمني بعد ذا

إذا تعمدت الأذى

So do not blame me after that

If I deliberately inflict harm.

إنى أنا المحامي

عنك لدى الأنام

Indeed, I am the advocate

For you before mankind.

لا بدّ لي من حصة

قبل ضياع الفرصة

I must have a share

Before the opportunity is lost,

إذ قد غدا في النيه

أن تحفظ القضيه

For it is now intended

That the case be shelved.

فهب داعي النيل

من نومه الطويل

Then the Nile's herald sprang up

From his long sleep,

يقول ما مرشان

يا أيها الشيطان

Saying: What are you, Marchand?

O you devil!

يا أسد القفار

يا حية البراري

O lion of the desert wastes!

O serpent of the wilderness!

يا سمكا عواما

يا طائرا حواما

O swimming fish!

O circling bird!

يا لبكة العجين

يا بلة في الطين

O muddle of dough!

O wetness in the mud!

يا ضجة الطبول

على طريق الغول

O din of drums

On the ghoul's road!

يا خارجا من عُلبه

يا حادثا من لُعبه

O you who emerged from a box!

O happening born of a toy!

يا مشكلا لمّا نزل

ومشكلَين إن رحل

O one problem when you arrived,

And two problems if you leave!

وإن أردت جِدي

فأنت خير عندي

And if you want my earnest opinion,

You are better in my eyes

من كل ذي قلب بطل

لجّنة الأرض وصل

Than any valiant-hearted man

Who reached this earthly paradise.

ما كانت الشهور

يكفى لها طابور

The months were not such

That a battalion would suffice for them;

ولا الحمام الأزرق

يعصم منه زورق

Nor was blue death such

That a boat could protect against it;

ولا الأسود السود

يصدّها بارود

Nor were the black lions such

That gunpowder could hold them back;

ولا مجاهل الثرى

تطوى كما تطوى القرى

Nor are the earth's uncharted wastes

Traversed as villages are traversed.

سلكتها يا غازي

أبية المجاز

You traversed them, O conqueror,

Though they resisted passage,

حتى ملكت مجرى

بحر الغزال طرّا

Until you possessed the course

Of Bahr al-Ghazal in its entirety.

تبيعه وتشترى

براية وعسكري

You sell it and buy it

With a flag and a soldier.

لكن تعال قل لي

ولا تكن مضلى

But come, tell me,

And do not mislead me:

من ذا أباحك الحمى

من ذا حباك المغنما

Who granted you this protected domain?

Who bestowed the spoils on you?

من ذا لهذا جرا

من ذا عليه جرا

Who dared to do this?

Who dared encroach upon it?

بحر الغزال منى

كيف يزول عني

Bahr al-Ghazal is part of me;

How can it depart from me?

وهذه فشودة

ربيبتي المعهودة

And this is Fashoda,

My long-familiar foster daughter.

كيف أُساء فيها

وكيف تقتنيها

How can I be wronged over her,

And how can you possess her?

فاندفع الماجور

بسحره يدور

Then the Major rushed forward,

Spinning round with his magic,

وقال قولا مقنعا

أثبت فيه ما ادّعى

And made a convincing speech,

In which he proved what he had claimed:

يا سيد الأنهار

وملك الديار

O lord of the rivers,

And king of the lands,

ماذا يهمك السقَط

من بعد ما الرأس سقط

What do the scraps matter to you

After the head has fallen?

وجاء سالسبوري

لمصر في سرور

And Salisbury came

To Egypt in delight,

يقول وهي تستمع

يخدعها فتنخدع

Speaking while she listened,

Deceiving her, so she was deceived.

يا مصر يا فتاتي

يا زينة البنات

O Egypt, O my girl!

O ornament of girls!

يا مشتهى انكلتره

يا بنت أخت لندره

O object of England's desire!

O daughter of London's sister!

يا منية التاميز

والوطن العزيز

O cherished wish of the Thames,

And of the beloved homeland!

بل يا أتان الملكة

يا ألف ألف سكة

Rather, O she-ass of the Queen!

O a million minted coins!

يا ناقة السردار

وجيشه الجرار

O she-camel of the Sirdar

And his vast army!

يا أصل ما قد اكتسب

من ثروة ومن تعب

O source of what he has acquired

Of wealth and toil!

يا بلدا ما فيه

ذو ناظر يبكيه

O country with no one in it

Who has an eye to weep for it!

يا أمّة ولا وطن

يا منزلا لمن سكن

O nation, yet no homeland!

O lodging for whoever dwells!

يا موطئ الأقدام

يا فتنة الأقوام

O place trodden by feet!

O temptation of peoples!

إنى أرى النشّالا

يختلس الخلخالا

Indeed, I see the pickpocket

Stealing the anklet.

هيا نصيح السارقا

ونُشهد الخلائقا

Come, let us shout: Thief!

And call all people as witnesses.

وبطرس الوزرا

يحرّرون المحضرا

And Butrus, with the ministers,

Will draw up the official report,

ويثبتون فيه

تهمة سارقيه

And record in it

The accusation against its thieves.

وبعد عرش الشكوى

نقيم نحن الدعوى

And after the throne of complaint,

We ourselves shall bring the suit,

ونظهر النصوصا

ونطرد اللصوصا

And produce the texts,

And expel the thieves.

أولا فقد خاب الأمل

ولا سبيل للعمل

Otherwise, hope has failed,

And there is no way to act.

فما أتمّ قوله

أن ضحكت مصر له

He had not finished speaking

When Egypt smiled at him,

وأقبلت تقول

يا أيها المأمول

And turned to say:

O you in whom hope rests!

يا سندي وعمدتي

يا عدّتي لشدّتي

O my support and my mainstay!

O my resource in my hardship!

بطرس من عبيدكا

والكل من جنودكا

Butrus is among your servants,

And all are among your soldiers.

فأقض بما تشاء

لا ينقض القضاء

So judge as you wish;

The judgment cannot be overturned.

تالله ما أخرجتهم

بالعنف إذ أحرجتهم

By God, I did not drive them out

By force when I put them in straits.

لكنني أردت

وللجميع كدت

But I intended it,

And plotted against them all.

إن أنا الدهاء

عنى روى النساء

Indeed, I am cunning itself;

Women have told tales of me.

وسوف أنسى الناسا

لورين والألزاسا

And I shall make people forget

Lorraine and Alsace.

هل علمت انكلترا

أيّ لواء يزدرى

Has England learned

Which banner is scorned,

أيّ عزيز هانا

أىّ قدير ودانا

Which mighty one has been humbled,

Which powerful one, too, has submitted,

أىّ الشعوب تفضح

أىّ الليوث تجرح

Which peoples are disgraced,

Which lions are wounded?

فلتجتن الثأرات

ولترقب الساعات

Then let her reap reprisals,

And await the hours.

إليكم عن بطرس

نادرة في المجلس

Here, for you, about Butrus,

Is an anecdote in the council:

إذ قالت النظار

يا من له الفخار

When the ministers said:

O you who possess glory!

يا أكفأ الوزارة

يا صاحب المهارة

O ablest of the cabinet!

O possessor of skill!

نرى المجال صعبا

ذئب يعض ذئبا

We see the arena is difficult:

A wolf biting a wolf.

فهات حدّث عنه

كيف خرجت منه

Come, tell us about it:

How did you get out of it?

فقام فيهم مفصحا

يقول ما قال جحا

Then he stood among them, speaking plainly,

Saying what Juha said:

فشودة تعيشوا

مثل اسمها فشوش

Fashoda—may you live long!—

Like its name, a fizzle!

ما الخلف والتجافى

إلا على اللحاف

The disagreement and the estrangement

Were only over the blanket.

دفعته للورد

وبت تحت جلدي

I handed it to the Lord,

And spent the night beneath my skin.