يا فرنسا نلت أسباب السماء — Ahmed Shawqi

يا فَرَنسا نِلتِ أَسبابَ السَماء

وَتَمَلَّكتِ مَقاليدَ الجِواء

O France, you have reached the pathways of the sky,

and taken possession of the keys to the air.

غُلِبَ النَسرُ عَلى دَولَتِهِ

وَتَنَحّى لَكِ عَن عَرشِ الهَواء

The eagle was overcome in its dominion

and yielded to you the throne of the air.

وَأَتَتكِ الريحُ تَمشي أَمَةً

لَكِ يا بَلقيسُ مِن أَوفى الإِماء

The wind came walking to you as a slave-girl,

yours, O Bilqis, among the most faithful of handmaids.

رُوِّضَت بَعدَ جِماحٍ وَجَرَت

طَوعَ سُلطانَينِ عِلمٌ وَذَكاء

It was tamed after wild rebellion, and sped

obedient to two sovereigns: knowledge and intelligence.

لَكِ خَيلٌ بِجَناحٍ أَشبَهَت

خَيلَ جِبريلَ لِنَصرِ الأَنبِياء

You have winged steeds resembling

Gabriel's steeds in aid of the prophets;

وَبَريدٌ يَسحَبُ الذَيلَ عَلى

بُرُدٍ في البَرِّ وَالبَحرِ بِطاء

and a courier that trails its train above

the slow couriers on land and sea.

تَطلُعُ الشَمسُ فَيَجري دونَها

فَوقَ عُنُقِ الريحِ أَو مَتنِ العَماء

The sun rises, and it races beneath her,

atop the wind's neck or the clouds' back.

رِحلَةُ المَشرِقِ وَالمَغرِبِ ما

لَبِثَت غَيرَ صَباحٍ وَمَساء

The journey east and west has not

taken more than a morning and an evening.

بُسَلاءُ الإِنسِ وَالجِنِّ فِدىً

لِفَريقٍ مِن بَنيكِ البُسَلاء

The brave of humankind and jinn are ransom

for a company of your valiant sons.

ضاقَتِ الأَرضُ بِهِم فَاِتَّخَذوا

في السَماواتِ قُبورَ الشُهَداء

Earth grew too narrow for them, so they made

martyrs' graves in the heavens.

فِتيَةٌ يُمسونَ جيرانَ السُها

سُمَراءَ النَجمِ في أَوجِ العَلاء

Young men who become Suha's neighbors at dusk,

the stars' night companions at the summit of the heights,

حُوَّماً فَوقَ جِبالٍ لَم تَكُن

لِلرِياحِ الهوجِ يَوماً بِوِطاء

circling above mountains that never offered

the raging winds an easy footing.

لِسُلَيمانَ بِساطٌ واحِدٌ

وَلَهُم أَلفُ بِساطٍ في الفَضاء

Solomon had a single carpet,

while they have a thousand carpets in space.

يَركَبونَ الشُهبَ وَالسُحبَ إِلى

رِفعَةِ الذِكرِ وَعَلياءِ الثَناء

They ride meteors and clouds toward

lofty renown and the heights of praise.

يا نُسوراً هَبَطوا الوادي عَلى

سالِفِ الحُبِّ وَمَأثورِ الوَلاء

O eagles who have alighted in the valley with

longstanding love and time-honored loyalty,

دارُكُم مِصرُ وَفيها قَومُكُم

مَرحَباً بِالأَقرَبينَ الكُرَماء

Egypt is your home, and within it are your people.

Welcome, noble close kin!

طِرتُمُ فيها فَطارَت فَرَحاً

بِأَعَزِّ الضَيفِ خَيرِ النُزَلاء

You flew through her, and she flew with joy

at the dearest of guests, the finest of visitors.

هَل شَجاكُم في ثَرى أَهرامِها

ما أَرَقتُم مِن دُموعٍ وَدِماء

Did you grieve, amid the dust of her pyramids,

for the tears and blood you shed?

أَينَ نَسرٌ قَد تَلَقّى قَبلَكُم

عِظَةَ الأَجيالِ مِن أَعلى بِناء

Where is the eagle who, before you, received

the lesson of the generations from the loftiest edifice?

لَو شَهِدتُم عَصرَهُ أَضحى لَهُ

عالَمُ الأَفلاكِ مَعقودَ اللِواء

Had you lived in his age, he would have had

the celestial realm beneath his banner.

جَرَحَ الأَهرامَ في عِزَّتِها

فَمَشى لِلقَبرِ مَجروحَ الإِباء

He wounded the pyramids in their pride,

then walked to the grave with his own pride wounded.

أَخَذَت تاجاً بِتاجٍ ثَأرَها

وَجَزَت مِن صَلَفٍ بِالكِبرِياء

Crown for crown, they took their vengeance

and repaid arrogance with proud majesty.

وَتَمَنَّت لَو حَوَت أَعظُمَهُ

بَينَ أَبناءِ الشُموسِ العُظَماء

And they wished they could hold his bones

among the great sons of the suns.

جَلَّ شَأنُ اللَهِ هادي خَلقِهِ

بِهُدى العِلمِ وَنورِ العُلَماء

Exalted is the majesty of God, who guides His creatures

through the guidance of knowledge and the light of scholars.

زَفَّ مِن آياتِهِ الكُبرى لَنا

طِلبَةً طالَ بِها عَهدُ الرَجاء

He has brought us, among His greatest signs,

a desire for which hope had waited long:

مَركَبٌ لَو سَلَفَ الدَهرُ بِهِ

كانَ إِحدى مُعجِزاتِ القُدَماء

a craft that, had it existed in ages past,

would have been one of the ancients' miracles.

نِصفُهُ طَيرٌ وَنِصفٌ بَشَرٌ

يا لَها إِحدى أَعاجيبِ القَضاء

Half of it is bird, and half human—

oh, what a wonder of destiny!

رائِعٌ مُرتَفِعاً أَو واقِعاً

أَنفُسَ الشُجعانِ قَبلَ الجُبَناء

It strikes terror, whether rising or descending,

into brave souls before the souls of cowards.

مُسرَجٌ في كُلِّ حينٍ مُلجَمٌ

كامِلُ العُدَّةِ مَرموقُ الرُواء

Saddled and bridled at every moment,

fully equipped, admired for its appearance,

كَبِساطِ الريحِ في القُدرَةِ أَو

هُدهُدِ السيرَةِ في صِدقِ البَلاء

like the wind's carpet in its power, or

the tale's hoopoe in its faithful service;

أَو كَحوتٍ يَرتَمي المَوجُ بِهِ

سابِحٌ بَينَ ظُهورٍ وَخَفاء

or like a whale tossed about by the waves,

swimming between appearing and vanishing.

راكِبٌ ما شاءَ مِن أَطرافِهِ

لا يُرى مِن مَركَبٍ ذي عُدَواء

It rides on whichever of its sides it wills,

never counted among unsteady mounts.

مَلَأَ الجَوَّ فِعالاً وَغَدا

عَجَبَ الغِربانِ فيهِ وَالحِداء

It has filled the air with deeds and become

the marvel of the crows and kites within it.

وَتَرى السُحبَ بِهِ راعِدَةً

مِن حَديدٍ جُمِّعَت لا مِن رَواء

And you see thundering clouds in it,

assembled from iron, not from water.

حَمَلَ الفولاذَ ريشاً وَجَرى

في عِنانَينِ لَهُ نارٍ وَماء

It bears steel as feathers and speeds

with two reins of its own—fire and water—

وَجَناحٍ غَيرِ ذي قادِمَةٍ

كَجَناحِ النَحلِ مَصقولٍ سَواء

and a wing without a leading flight-feather,

like a bee's wing, polished and even,

وَذُنابى كُلُّ ريحٍ مَسَّها

مَسَّهُ صاعِقَةٌ مِن كَهرُباء

and a tail—any wind that touches it

is struck by a thunderbolt of electricity.

يَتَراءى كَوكَباً ذا ذَنَبٍ

فَإِذا جَدَّ فَسَهماً ذا مَضاء

It comes into view as a tailed star,

then, when it hastens, as a piercing arrow.

فَإِذا جازَ الثُرَيّا لِلثَرى

جَرَّ كَالطاووسِ ذَيلَ الخُيَلاء

Then, when it passes from the Pleiades to earth,

it trails, like a peacock, its tail of pride.

يَملَأُ الآفاقَ صَوتاً وَصَدىً

كَعَزيفِ الجِنِّ في الأَرضِ العَراء

It fills the horizons with sound and echo,

like the jinn's music in the open wilderness.

أَرسَلَتهُ الأَرضُ عَنها خَبَراً

طَنَّ في آذانِ سُكّانِ السَماء

Earth sent it forth as tidings of herself

that rang in the ears of heaven's inhabitants.

يا شَبابَ الغَدِ وَاِبنايَ الفِدى

لَكُمُ أَكرِم وَأَعزِز بِالفِداء

O youth of tomorrow, my two sons are ransom

for you—how noble and precious the ransom!

هَل يَمُدُّ اللَهُ لِيَ العَيشَ عَسى

أَن أَراكُم في الفَريقِ السُعَداء

Will God prolong my life, that perhaps

I may see you among that fortunate company,

وَأَرى تاجَكُمُ فَوقَ السُها

وَأَرى عَرشَكُمُ فَوقَ ذُكاء

and see your crown above Suha,

and see your throne above Dhuka, the sun?

مَن رَآكُم قالَ مِصرُ اِستَرجَعَت

عِزَّها في عَهدِ خوفو وَمِناء

Whoever sees you will say, "Egypt has regained

her glory from the days of Khufu and Mina."

أُمَّةٌ لِلخُلدِ ما تَبني إِذا

ما بَنى الناسُ جَميعاً لِلعَفاء

A nation whose buildings are for eternity, while

all people build for oblivion.

تَعصِمُ الأَجسامَ مِن عادي البِلا

وَتَقي الآثارَ مِن عادي الفَناء

It protects bodies from the assaults of decay

and shields monuments from the ravages of destruction.

إِن أَسَأنا لَكُمُ أَو لَم نُسِئ

نَحنُ هَلكى فَلَكُم طولُ البَقاء

Whether we have wronged you or have not,

we are doomed to perish; may you long endure.

إِنَّما مِصرُ إِلَيكُم وَبِكُم

وَحُقوقُ البِرِّ أَولى بِالقَضاء

Egypt rests with you alone, and depends upon you;

and the claims of filial duty most deserve fulfillment.

عَصرُكُم حُرٌّ وَمُستَقبَلُكُم

في يَمينِ اللَهِ خَيرِ الأُمَناء

Your age is free, and your future

is in the right hand of God, the best of trustees.

لا تَقولوا حَطَّنا الدَهرُ فَما

هُوَ إِلّا مِن خَيالِ الشُعَراء

Do not say, "Time has brought us low," for that

is nothing but the poets' imagination.

هَل عَلِمتُم أُمَّةً في جَهلِها

ظَهَرَت في المَجدِ حَسناءَ الرِداء

Have you known a nation that, in its ignorance,

appeared in glory, beautifully robed?

باطِنُ الأُمَّةِ مِن ظاهِرِها

إِنَّما السائِلُ مِن لَونِ الإِناء

A nation's inward state is known by its outward state;

the liquid has only the color of the vessel.

فَخُذوا العِلمَ عَلى أَعلامِهِ

وَاِطلُبوا الحِكمَةَ عِندَ الحُكَماء

So acquire knowledge from its masters,

and seek wisdom among the wise.

وَاِقرَأوا تاريخَكُم وَاِحتَفِظوا

بِفَصيحٍ جاءَكُم مِن فُصَحاء

And read your history, and hold fast

to eloquent speech that came to you from eloquent speakers.

أَنزَلَ اللَهُ عَلى أَلسُنِهِم

وَحيَهُ في أَعصُرِ الوَحيِ الوِضاء

God sent down upon their tongues

His revelation in the radiant ages of revelation.

وَاِحكُموا الدُنيا بِسُلطانٍ فَما

خُلِقَت نَضرَتُها لِلضُعَفاء

And rule the world with power, for

its beauty was not created for the weak.

وَاِطلُبوا المَجدَ عَلى الأَرضِ فَإِن

هِيَ ضاقَت فَاِطلُبوهُ في السَماء

And seek glory upon earth; but if

it grows too narrow, then seek it in the sky.