Sol 6.1

  1. بِأَبي وَروحي الناعِماتِ الغيدا

    الباسِماتِ عَنِ اليَتيمِ نَضيدَا

    May my father and my soul be ransom for the delicate, graceful women,

    Smiling to reveal matchless pearls in ordered rows,

  2. الرانِياتِ بِكُلِّ أَحوَرَ فاتِرٍ

    يَذُرُ الخَلِيَّ مِنَ القُلوبِ عَميدا

    Gazing with each languid eye, dark against white,

    That leaves the carefree heart stricken with love;

  3. الراوِياتِ مِنَ السُلافِ مَحاجِراً

    الناهِلاتِ سَوالِفاً وَخُدودا

    Their eye sockets sated with the choicest wine,

    Their necks and cheeks drinking their fill,

  4. اللاعِباتِ عَلى النَسيمِ غَدائِراً

    الراتِعاتِ مَعَ النَسيمِ قُدودا

    Their braids playing upon the breeze,

    Their figures frolicking with the breeze.

  5. أَقبَلنَ في ذَهَبِ الأَصيلِ وَوَشيِهِ

    مِلءَ الغَلائِلِ لُؤلُؤاً وَفَريدا

    They came in the gold of late afternoon and its embroidery,

    Filling their gauzy robes, pearls and matchless gems.

  6. يَحدِجنَ بِالحَدقِ الحَواسِدِ دُميَةً

    كَظِباءِ وَجرَةَ مُقلَتَينِ وَجيدا

    They eye a doll-like beauty with envious eyes,

    Like Wajra's gazelles in her two eyes and neck.

  7. حَوَتِ الجَمالَ فَلَو ذَهَبتَ تَزيدُها

    في الوَهمِ حُسناً ما اِستَطَعتَ مَزيدا

    She possesses all beauty; were you to try to add to her

    Beauty in imagination, you could add no more.

  8. لَو مَرَّ بِالوِلدانِ طَيفُ جَمالِها

    في الخُلدِ خَرّوا رُكَّعاً وَسُجودا

    Were a vision of her beauty to pass the youths

    In paradise, they would fall bowing and prostrate.

  9. أَشهى مِنَ العودِ المُرَنَّمِ مَنطِقاً

    وَأَلَذُّ مِن أَوتارِهِ تَغريدا

    Her speech is more enticing than the melodious oud,

    And her singing sweeter than its strings.

  10. لَو كُنتَ سَعْدًا مُطلِقَ السُجَناءِ لَم

    تُطلِق لِساحِرِ طَرفِها مَصفودا

    Were you Saad, liberator of prisoners, you would not

    Free anyone chained to her bewitching glance.

  11. ما قَصَّرَ الرُؤَساءُ عَنهُ سَعى لَهُ

    سَعدٌ فَكانَ مُوَفَّقاً وَرَشيدا

    What the leaders fell short of was pursued

    By Saad, who proved successful and wise.

  12. يا مِصرُ أَشبالُ العَرينِ تَرَعرَعَت

    وَمَشَت إِلَيكِ مِنَ السُجونِ أُسودا

    O Egypt, the lion cubs of the lair have grown,

    And walked to you from the prisons as lions.

  13. قاضى السِياسَةِ نالَهُم بِعِقابِهِ

    خَشِنَ الحُكومَةِ في الشَبابِ عَتيدا

    The judge of politics struck them with his punishment,

    Harsh in judgment, ever poised against the young.

  14. أَتَتِ الحَوادِثُ دون عَقدِ قَضائِهِ

    فَاِنهارَ بَيِّنَةً وَدُكَّ شَهيدا

    Events intervened against the binding of his verdict,

    So it collapsed as evidence and was crushed as a witness.

  15. تَقضي السِياسَةُ غَيرَ مالِكَةٍ لِما

    حَكَمَت بِهِ نَقضاً وَلا تَوكيدا

    Politics passes judgment, yet holds no power over what

    It has decreed—neither to annul nor confirm it.

  16. قالوا أَتَنظُمُ لِلشَبابِ تَحِيَّةً

    تَبقى عَلى جيدِ الزَمانِ قَصيدا

    They said: Will you compose a tribute for the young,

    To remain a poem upon the neck of time?

  17. قُلتُ الشَبابُ أَتَمُّ عِقدَ مَآثِرٍ

    مِن أَن أَزيدَهُمو الثَناءَ عُقودا

    I said: The young have too perfect a necklace of noble deeds

    For me to add necklaces of praise to them.

  18. قَبِلَت جُهودَهُمُ البِلادُ وَقَبَّلَت

    تاجاً عَلى هاماتِهِم مَعقودا

    The country accepted their efforts, and kissed

    A crown bound upon their heads.

  19. خَرَجوا فَما مَدّوا حَناجِرَهُم وَلا

    مَنّوا عَلى أَوطانِهِم مَجهودا

    They came out, neither straining their throats nor

    Holding their labors over their homelands as a favor.

  20. خَفِيَ الأَساسُ عَنِ العُيونِ تَواضُعاً

    مِن بَعدِ ما رَفَعَ البِناءَ مَشيدا

    The foundation hid from sight in humility,

    After it had raised the edifice high.

  21. ما كانَ أَفطَنَهُم لِكُلُّ خَديعَةٍ

    وَلِكُلِّ شَرٍّ بِالبِلادِ أُريدا

    How alert they were to every deception,

    And every evil intended against the country!

  22. لَمّا بَنى اللَهُ القَضِيَّةَ مِنهُمُ

    قامَت عَلى الحَقِّ المُبينِ عَمودا

    When God built the cause from them,

    It stood as a pillar upon manifest truth.

  23. جادوا بِأَيّامِ الشَبابِ وَأَوشَكوا

    يَتَجاوَزونَ إِلى الحَياةِ الجودا

    They gave generously of youth's days, and almost

    Extended their generosity to life itself.

  24. طَلَبوا الجَلاءَ عَلى الجِهادِ مَثوبَةً

    لَم يَطلُبوا أَجرَ الجِهادِ زَهيدا

    They sought evacuation as the reward for their struggle,

    They sought no paltry payment for their struggle.

  25. وَاللَهِ ما دونَ الجَلاءِ وَيَومِهِ

    يَومٌ تُسَمّيهِ الكِنانَةُ عيدا

    By God, short of evacuation and its day,

    No day can Egypt, the Quiver, call a festival.

  26. وَجَدَ السَجينُ يَداً تُحَطِّمُ قَيدَهُ

    مَن ذا يُحَطِّمُ لِلبِلادِ قُيودا

    The prisoner found a hand to shatter his chain;

    Who will shatter the country's chains?

  27. رَبِحَت مِنَ التَصريحِ أَنَّ قُيودَها

    قَد صِرنَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَكُنَّ حَديدا

    From the declaration it gained this: its chains

    Have become gold, though once they were iron.

  28. أَوَ ما تَرونَ عَلى المَنابِعِ عُدَّةً

    لا تَنجَلي وَعَلى الضِفافِ عَديدا

    And do you not see armaments at the headwaters

    That do not withdraw, and troops along the banks?

  29. يا فِتيَةَ النيلِ السَعيدِ خُذوا المَدى

    وَاِستَأنِفوا نَفَسَ الجِهادِ مَديدا

    O youths of the happy Nile, go the distance,

    And resume the struggle with a long, sustained breath.

  30. وَتَنَكَّبوا العُدوانَ وَاِجتَنِبوا الأَذى

    وَقِفوا بِمِصرَ المَوقِفَ المَحمودا

    And shun aggression, and avoid harm,

    And take a praiseworthy stand in Egypt.

  31. الأَرضُ أَليَقُ مَنزِلاً بِجَماعَةٍ

    يَبغونَ أَسبابَ السَماءِ قُعودا

    The earth is the fitter dwelling for a people

    Who seek pathways to the sky while sitting idle.

  32. أَنتُم غَداً أَهلُ الأُمورِ وَإِنَّما

    كُنّا عَلَيكُم في الأُمورِ وُفودا

    Tomorrow you will be the masters of affairs, while

    We were merely visiting envoys set over you in them.

  33. فَاِبنوا عَلى أُسُسِ الزَمانِ وَروحِهِ

    رُكنَ الحَضارَةِ باذِخاً وَشَديدا

    So build upon the foundations of the age and its spirit,

    The pillar of civilization, towering and strong.

  34. الهَدمُ أَجمَلُ مِن بِنايَةِ مُصلِحٍ

    يَبني عَلى الأُسُسِ العِتاقِ جَديدا

    Demolition is better than the building of a reformer

    Who builds something new upon antiquated foundations.

  35. وَجهُ الكِنانَةِ لَيسَ يُغضِبُ رَبَّكُم

    أَن تَجعَلوهُ كَوَجهِهِ مَعبودا

    The face of Egypt, the Quiver—it will not anger your Lord

    To make it an object of worship, like His own face.

  36. وَلّوا إِلَيهِ في الدُروسِ وُجوهَكُم

    وَإِذا فَرَغتُمُ وَاِعبُدوهُ هُجودا

    Turn your faces toward it in your studies,

    And when you have finished, worship it in night vigils.

  37. إِنَّ الَّذي قَسَمَ البِلادَ حَباكُمُ

    بَلَداً كَأَوطانِ النُجومِ مَجيدا

    Indeed, He who apportioned the lands bestowed upon you

    A glorious country, like the dwellings of the stars.

  38. قَد كانَ وَالدُنيا لُحودٌ كُلُّها

    لِلعَبقَرِيَّةِ وَالفُنونِ مُهودا

    It was, while all the world was graves,

    A land of cradles for genius and the arts.

  39. مَجدُ الأُمورِ زَوالُهُ في زَلَّةٍ

    لا تَرجُ لِاِسمِكَ بِالأُمورِ خُلودا

    The glory of power is lost in a single misstep;

    Do not hope for your name's immortality through power.

  40. الفَردُ بِالشورى وَبِاِسمِ نَدِيِّها

    لُفِظَ الخَليفَةُ في الظَلامِ شَريدا

    By one man, through consultation and in its assembly's name,

    The caliph was cast into darkness, a wanderer.

  41. خَلَعَتهُ دونَ المُسلِمينَ عِصابَةٌ

    لَم يَجعَلوا لِلمُسلِمينَ وُجودا

    A clique deposed him without the Muslims,

    They treated the Muslims as though they did not exist.

  42. يَقضونَ ذَلِكَ عَن سَوادٍ غافِلٍ

    خُلِقَ السَوادُ مُضَلَّلاً وَمَسودا

    They decree this on behalf of a heedless mass;

    The masses were made to be misled and ruled.

  43. جَعَلوا مَشيئَتَهُ الغَبِيَّةَ سُلَّماً

    نَحوَ الأُمورِ لِمَن أَرادَ صُعودا

    They made its foolish will a ladder

    To power for whoever wished to climb.

  44. إِنّي نَظَرتُ إِلى الشُعوبِ فَلَم أَجِد

    كَالجَهلِ داءً لِلشُعوبِ مُبيدا

    Indeed, I looked upon the peoples and found no

    Disease as destructive to peoples as ignorance.

  45. الجَهلُ لا يَلِدُ الحَياةَ مَواتُهُ

    إِلّا كَما تَلِدُ الرِمامُ الدودا

    Ignorance, in its lifelessness, does not beget life,

    Except as rotting remains beget worms.

  46. لَم يَخلُ مِن صُوَرِ الحَياةِ وَإِنَّما

    أَخطاهُ عُنصُرُها فَماتَ وَليدا

    It was not without the forms of life, but

    Life's essence eluded it, so it died a newborn.

  47. وَإِذا سَبى الفَردُ المُسَلَّطُ مَجلِساً

    أَلفَيتَ أَحرارَ الرِجالِ عَبيدا

    And when one domineering man takes an assembly captive,

    You find free men turned into slaves.

  48. وَرَأَيتَ في صَدرِ النَدِيِّ مُنَوَّماً

    في عُصبَةٍ يَتَحَرَّكونَ رُقودا

    And see a man lulled to sleep at the assembly's head,

    Amid a band moving in their sleep.

  49. الحَقُّ سَهمٌ لا تَرِشهُ بِباطِلٍ

    ما كانَ سَهمُ المُبطِلينَ سَديدا

    Truth is an arrow; do not feather it with falsehood.

    The arrow of falsehood's champions has never flown true.

  50. وَاِلعَب بِغَيرِ سِلاحِهِ فَلَرُبَّما

    قَتَلَ الرِجالَ سِلاحُهُ مَردودا

    And toy with anything but its weapon, for sometimes

    Its weapon has killed men when turned back.