إِنif تَسأَليyou ask عَنabout مِصرَEgypt حَوّاءِEve القُرىthe cities
إِن تَسأَلي عَن مِصرَ حَوّاءِ القُرى
وَقَرارَةِand the repository of التاريخِhistory وَالآثارِand antiquities
وَقَرارَةِ التاريخِ وَالآثارِ
If you ask about Egypt, the Eve of cities,
If you ask of me about Egypt, repository of villages,
And the repository of history and antiquities,
And steadfastness of history and relics,
فَالصُبحُthen the dawn فيin مَنفٍMemphis وَثيبَةand Thebes واضِحٌclear
فَالصُبحُ في مَنفٍ وَثيبَة واضِحٌ
مَنwho ذاthis one يُلاقيmeets الصُبحَthe dawn بِالإِنكارِwith denial
مَن ذا يُلاقي الصُبحَ بِالإِنكارِ
Then dawn in Memphis and Thebes is clear;
Then sunrise in Memphis and Thebes is evident,
Who would meet the dawn with denial?
Who would meet sunrise with denial?
بِالهَيلِamid the sand heaps مِنof مَنفٍMemphis وَمِنand of أَرباضِهاits outskirts
بِالهَيلِ مِن مَنفٍ وَمِن أَرباضِها
مَجدوعُcut off أَنفٍnose فيin الرِمالِthe sands كُفاريa huge lion
مَجدوعُ أَنفٍ في الرِمالِ كُفاري
Amid the piled sands of Memphis and its outskirts,
With the night from Memphis and from its meadows,
A huge lion, his nose cut off, lies in the sands.
A nose buried in the sands, a heathen.
خَلَتِpassed الدُهورُthe ages وَماand never اِلتَقَتmet أَجفانُهُhis eyelids
خَلَتِ الدُهورُ وَما اِلتَقَت أَجفانُهُ
وَأَتَتand came عَلَيهِupon him كَلَيلَةٍlike a night وَنَهارِand a day
وَأَتَت عَلَيهِ كَلَيلَةٍ وَنَهارِ
The ages passed, yet his eyelids never met,
The ages passed and its eyelids never met,
And passed over him like a night and a day.
Night and day came upon it.
ماnot فَلَّweakened ساعِدَهُhis forearm الزَمانُtime وَلَمand did not يَنَلharm
ما فَلَّ ساعِدَهُ الزَمانُ وَلَم يَنَل
مِنهُfrom him اِختِلافُthe succession of جَوارِفٍsweeping floods وَذَوارِand scattering winds
مِنهُ اِختِلافُ جَوارِفٍ وَذَوارِ
Time has not weakened his arm, nor has he been harmed
Time never weakened its arms, nor
By the succession of sweeping floods and scattering winds.
Did the change of pouring rains and downpours affect it.
كَالدَهرِlike Time لَوif مَلَكَhad the power of القِيامَrising لِفَتكَةٍfor a deadly assault
كَالدَهرِ لَو مَلَكَ القِيامَ لِفَتكَةٍ
أَوor كانَwere غَيرَnot مُقَلَّمِclipped الأَظفارِthe claws
أَو كانَ غَيرَ مُقَلَّمِ الأَظفارِ
Like Time, if only he could rise for a deadly assault,
As if time, were it to rule a moment of violence,
Or if his claws had not been clipped.
Or was it not short-clawed.
وَثَلاثَةٍand three شَبَّgrew to youth الزَمانُtime حِيالَهاbefore them
وَثَلاثَةٍ شَبَّ الزَمانُ حِيالَها
شُمٍّlofty عَلىthrough مَرِّthe passage of الزَمانِtime كِبارِgreat
شُمٍّ عَلى مَرِّ الزَمانِ كِبارِ
And three, before which Time itself grew up,
And three faced time with lofty experience,
Lofty and great throughout the passage of time.
Proud throughout the flow of time.
قامَتthey stood عَلىbeside النيلِthe Nile العَهيدِthe age-old عَهيدَةًage-old
قامَت عَلى النيلِ العَهيدِ عَهيدَةً
تَكسوهُthey clothe it ثَوبَa robe of الفَخرِpride وَهيَand they are عَوارِbare
تَكسوهُ ثَوبَ الفَخرِ وَهيَ عَوارِ
They stand beside the age-old Nile, themselves age-old,
It stood on the Nile, the old, olden,
Clothing it in a robe of pride, though they are bare.
Clothing it in the garb of pride, yet naked.
مِنof كُلِّeach مَركوزٍfirmly rooted كَرَضوىlike Radwa فيin الثَرىthe earth
مِن كُلِّ مَركوزٍ كَرَضوى في الثَرى
مُتَطاوِلٍtowering فيin الجَوِّthe sky كَالإِعصارِlike a whirlwind
مُتَطاوِلٍ في الجَوِّ كَالإِعصارِ
Each firmly rooted like Radwa in the earth,
From every edifice, a pleasure in the soil,
Towering into the sky like a whirlwind.
Towering in the air like a hurricane.
الجِنُّthe jinn فيin جَنَباتِهاtheir flanks مَطروقَةٌawestruck
الجِنُّ في جَنَباتِها مَطروقَةٌ
بِبَدائِعِby the marvels of البَنّاءِthe builder وَالحَفّارِand the carver
بِبَدائِعِ البَنّاءِ وَالحَفّارِ
In their flanks, the jinn are awestruck
The jinn in its sides, checkmated,
By the marvels of the builder and the carver.
With wonders of architect and digger.
وَالأَرضُand the earth أَضَيعُmore helpless حيلَةًresourcefulness فيin نَزعِهاuprooting them
وَالأَرضُ أَضَيعُ حيلَةً في نَزعِها
مِنthan حيلَةِthe resourcefulness of المَصلوبِthe crucified man فيwith المِسمارِthe nail
مِن حيلَةِ المَصلوبِ في المِسمارِ
And the earth is more helpless to uproot them
And the earth missing a trick to wrest it
Than a crucified man is to pull out the nail.
From the trick of the crucified by the nails.
تِلكَthose القُبورُthe tombs أَضَنَّmore withholding مِنthan غَيبٍthe unseen بِماof what
تِلكَ القُبورُ أَضَنَّ مِن غَيبٍ بِما
أَخفَتthey have hidden مِنَof الأَعلاقِprecious objects وَالأَذخارِand hoarded treasures
أَخفَت مِنَ الأَعلاقِ وَالأَذخارِ
Those tombs guard more jealously than the unseen what
Those graves more concealed than the unseen, what
They have hidden of precious objects and hoarded treasures.
They hid from depths and treasures.
نامَslept المُلوكُthe kings بِهاin them الدُهورَfor ages طَويلَةًlong
نامَ المُلوكُ بِها الدُهورَ طَويلَةً
يَجِدونَthey find أَروَحَthe most restful ضَجعَةٍrepose وَقَرارِand a resting place
يَجِدونَ أَروَحَ ضَجعَةٍ وَقَرارِ
The kings slept in them for long ages,
Kings slept there ages long,
Finding the most restful repose and resting place.
Finding restful repose and peace.
كُلٌّeach كَأَهلِlike the People of الكَهفِthe Cave فَوقَupon سَريرِهِhis bed
كُلٌّ كَأَهلِ الكَهفِ فَوقَ سَريرِهِ
وَالدَهرُand Time دونَbeneath سَريرِهِhis bed بِهِجارِin fetters
وَالدَهرُ دونَ سَريرِهِ بِهِجارِ
Each, like the People of the Cave, lies upon his bed,
Each like the people of the cave over his couch,
And Time is fettered beneath his bed.
While time underneath the couch snarling.
أَملاكُkings مِصرَEgypt القاهِرونَthe conquerors عَلىover الوَرىhumankind
أَملاكُ مِصرَ القاهِرونَ عَلى الوَرى
المُنزَلونَthose lodged مَنازِلَthe mansions of الأَقمارِthe moons
المُنزَلونَ مَنازِلَ الأَقمارِ
The kings of Egypt, conquerors over humankind,
The rulers of Egypt, conquerors of the world,
Lodged in the mansions of the moons.
Given orbits like the moon.
هَتَكَtore away الزَمانُtime حِجابَهُمtheir veil وَأَزالَهُمand removed them
هَتَكَ الزَمانُ حِجابَهُم وَأَزالَهُم
بَعدَafter الصِيانِsafekeeping إِزالَةَthe removal of الأَسرارِthe secrets
بَعدَ الصِيانِ إِزالَةَ الأَسرارِ
Time tore away their veil and brought them forth,
Time tore their veil and removed them
After safekeeping, as secrets are brought to light.
After protection, like secrets are removed.
هَيهاتَfar from it! لَمdid not يَلمِسtouch جَلالَهُموtheir majesty البِلىdecay
هَيهاتَ لَم يَلمِس جَلالَهُمو البِلى
إِلّاexcept بِأَيدٍwith hands فيin الرَغامِthe dust قِصارِshort
إِلّا بِأَيدٍ في الرَغامِ قِصارِ
Far from it! Decay has not touched their majesty
Alas, decay never touched their grandeur,
Save with hands of little reach amid the dust.
Except through hands too short to reach.
كانواthey were وَطَرفُand the gaze of الدَهرِTime لاnot يَسموrises لَهُمtoward them
كانوا وَطَرفُ الدَهرِ لا يَسمو لَهُم
ماwhat بالُهُمtheir condition عُرِضواthey were displayed عَلىbefore النُظّارِthe onlookers
ما بالُهُم عُرِضوا عَلى النُظّارِ
They lived, and Time's gaze did not rise to them;
They were when time's glance aspired not to them.
What befell them, that they were displayed before onlookers?
Why were they exposed to viewers?
لَوif أَمهَلواthey were given respite حَتّىuntil النُشورِresurrection بِدَورِهِمin their dwellings
لَو أَمهَلوا حَتّى النُشورِ بِدَورِهِم
قامواthey rose لِخالِقِهِمfor their Creator بِغَيرِwithout غُبارِdust
قاموا لِخالِقِهِم بِغَيرِ غُبارِ
Had they been left in their dwellings until the Resurrection,
Had they tarried till Resurrection in their abode,
They would have risen before their Creator without dust.
They would have stood before their Creator without dust.
Sol 6.1