Sol 6.1

  1. أَيّامُكُم أَم عَهدُ إِسماعيلا

    أَم أَنتَ فِرعَونٌ يَسوسُ النيلا

    Is this your age, or Ismail's reign?

    Or are you a Pharaoh ruling the Nile?

  2. أَم حاكِمٌ في أَرضِ مِصرَ بِأَمرِهِ

    لا سائِلاً أَبَداً وَلا مَسؤولا

    Or a ruler in Egypt's land, by his own command,

    never asking anyone, nor held accountable?

  3. يا مالِكاً رِقَّ الرِقابِ بِبَأسِهِ

    هَلّا اِتَّخَذتَ إِلى القُلوبِ سَبيلا

    O you who hold necks in bondage by your might,

    why did you not find a way to hearts?

  4. لَمّا رَحَلتَ عَنِ البِلادِ تَشَهَّدَت

    فَكَأَنَّكَ الداءُ العَياءُ رَحيلا

    When you left the land, it recited the testimony of faith,

    as though you were an incurable disease taking leave.

  5. أَوسَعتَنا يَومَ الوَداعِ إِهانَةً

    أَدَبٌ لَعَمرُكَ لا يُصيبُ مَثيلا

    You heaped insults on us on the day of farewell—

    manners, by your life, without an equal!

  6. هَلّا بَدا لَكَ أَن تُجامِلَ بَعدَ ما

    صاغَ الرَئيسُ لَكَ الثَنا إِكليلا

    Did it not occur to you to show courtesy, after

    the chairman fashioned you a crown of praise?

  7. اُنظُر إِلى أَدَبِ الرَئيسِ وَلُطفِهِ

    تَجِدِ الرَئيسَ مُهَذَّباً وَنَبيلا

    Look at the chairman's manners and kindness:

    you will find the chairman courteous and noble.

  8. في مَلعَبٍ لِلمُضحِكاتِ مُشَيَّدٍ

    مَثَّلتَ فيهِ المُبكِياتِ فُصولا

    In a playhouse built for comedies,

    you staged tragedies, act by act.

  9. شَهِدَ الحُسَينُ عَلَيهِ لَعنَ أُصولِهِ

    وَيُصَدَّرُ الأَعمى بِهِ تَطفيلا

    Husayn witnessed there the cursing of his forebears,

    and the blind man is seated at its head as an interloper.

  10. جُبنٌ أَقَلَّ وَحَطَّ مِن قَدرَيهِما

    وَالمَرءُ إِن يَجبُن يَعِش مَرذولا

    Cowardice diminished and debased the standing of them both;

    a man who acts the coward lives despised.

  11. لَمّا ذَكَرتُ بِهِ البِلادَ وَأَهلَها

    مَثَّلتَ دَورَ مَماتِها تَمثيلا

    When I mentioned the land and its people there,

    you acted out the role of its death.

  12. أَنذَرتَنا رِقّاً يَدومُ وَذِلَّةً

    تَبقى رِحالاً لا تَرى تَحويلا

    You threatened us with lasting bondage and humiliation

    that stays encamped, never to be moved.

  13. أَحَسِبتَ أَنَّ اللَهَ دونَكَ قُدرَةً

    لا يَملُكُ التَغييرَ وَالتَبديلا

    Did you think God was less powerful than you,

    unable to alter or transform?

  14. اللَهُ يَحكُمُ في المُلوكِ وَلَم تَكُن

    دُوَلٌ تُنازِعُهُ القُوى لِتَدولا

    God rules over kings; there never were

    states to rival Him in power and gain dominion.

  15. فِرعَونُ قَبلَكَ كانَ أَعظَمَ سَطوَةً

    وَأَعَزَّ بَينَ العالَمينَ قَبيلا

    Pharaoh before you was greater in might

    and had a stronger following among all peoples.

  16. اليَومَ أَخلَفَتِ الوُعودَ حُكومَةٌ

    كُنّا نَظُنُّ عُهودَها الإِنجيلا

    Today a government has broken its promises,

    whose pledges we had thought were Gospel.

  17. دَخَلَت عَلى حُكمِ الوِدادِ وَشَرعِهِ

    مِصراً فَكانَت كَالسُلالِ دُخولا

    It entered, under friendship's rule and law,

    Egypt, and its entry was like consumption.

  18. هَدَمَت مَعالِمَها وَهَدَّت رُكنَها

    وَأَضاعَتِ اِستِقلالَها المَأمولا

    It razed her landmarks and shattered her foundation,

    and squandered her hoped-for independence.

  19. قالوا جَلَبتَ لَنا الرَفاهَةَ وَالغِنى

    جَحَدوا الإِلَهَ وَصُنعَهُ وَالنيلا

    They said, 'You brought us prosperity and wealth';

    they denied God, His handiwork, and the Nile.

  20. كَم مِنَّةٍ مَوهومَةٍ أَتبَعتَها

    مِنّا عَلى الفَطِنِ الخَبيرِ ثَقيلا

    How many a fancied favor you have followed

    with boastful reminders, burdensome to the discerning and experienced!

  21. في كُلِّ تَقريرٍ تَقولُ خَلَقتُكُم

    أَفَهَل تَرى تَقريرَكَ التَنزيلا

    In every report you say, 'I created you';

    do you then regard your report as revealed scripture?

  22. هَل مِن نَداكَ عَلى المَدارِسِ أَنَّها

    تَذَرُ العُلومَ وَتَأخُذُ الفُوتبولا

    Is it your generosity to the schools that makes them

    forsake the sciences and take up football?

  23. أَم مِن صِيانَتِكَ القَضاءَ بِمِصرَ أَن

    تَأتي بِقاضي دِنشِوايَ وَكيلا

    Or is it your protection of Egypt's judiciary that makes you

    bring in the judge of Dinshaway as a deputy?

  24. أَم هَل يَعُدُّ لَكَ الإِضاعَةَ مِنَّةً

    جَيشٌ كَجَيشِ الهِندِ باتَ ذَليلا

    Or does an army reckon your neglect a favor—

    an army, like India's, that has become abased?

  25. اُنظُر إِلى فِتيانِهِ ما شَأنُهُم

    أَوَ لَيسَ شَأناً في الجُيوشِ ضَئيلا

    Look at its young men: what is their standing?

    Is it not a lowly standing among armies?

  26. حَرَّمتُهُم أَن يَبلُغوا رُتَبَ العُلا

    وَرَفَعتَ قَومَكَ فَوقَهُم تَفضيلا

    I barred them from attaining the highest ranks,

    and you raised your people above them in preference.

  27. فَإِذا تَطَلَّعَتِ الجُيوشُ وَأَمَّلَت

    مُستَقبَلاً لا يَملِكوا التَأميلا

    Thus, when armies aspire and hope

    for a future, these men cannot even hope,

  28. مِن بَعدِ ما زَفّوا لِإِدوَردَ العُلا

    فَتحاً عَريضاً في البِلادِ طَويلا

    after they had brought Edward glory—

    a conquest broad and far-reaching across the lands.

  29. لَو كُنتُ مِن جُمرِ الثِيابِ عَبَدتُكُم

    مِن دونِ عيسى مُحسِناً وَمُنيلا

    Had I been among those in ember-red clothes, I would have worshipped you,

    instead of Jesus, as a benefactor and giver.

  30. أَو كُنتُ بَعضَ الإِنكِليزَ قَبِلتُكُم

    مَلِكاً أُقَطِّعُ كَفَّهُ تَقبيلا

    Or had I been one of the English, I would have accepted you

    as a king, kissing his hand to pieces.

  31. أَو كُنتُ عُضواً في الكُلوبِ مَلَأتُهُ

    أَسَفاً لِفُرقَتِكُم بُكاً وَعَويلا

    Or had I been a member of the club, I would have filled it

    with grief at your departure, with weeping and wailing.

  32. أَو كُنتُ قِسّيساً يَهيمُ مُبَشِّراً

    رَتَّلتُ آيَةَ مَدحِكُم تَرتيلا

    Or had I been a priest roaming as a missionary,

    I would have chanted the verse of your praise in measured tones.

  33. أَو كُنتُ صَرّافاً بِلُندُنَ دائِناً

    أَعطَيتُكُم عَن طيبَةٍ تَحويلا

    Or had I been a money-changer in London, a creditor,

    I would gladly have given you a bank draft.

  34. أَو كُنتُ تَيمَسَكُم مَلَأتُ صَحائِفي

    مَدحاً يُرَدَّدُ في الوَرى مَوصولا

    Or had I been your Times, I would have filled my pages

    with praise echoed ceaselessly among mankind.

  35. أَو كُنتُ في مِصرٍ نَزيلاً جاهِداً

    سَبَّحتُ بِاِسمِكِ بُكرَةً وَأَصيلا

    Or had I been a striving sojourner in Egypt,

    I would have glorified your name, morning and evening.

  36. أَو كُنتُ سِريوناً حَلَفتُ بِأَنَّكُم

    أَنتُم حَوَيتُمُ بِالقَناةِ الجيلا

    Or had I been Sirion, I would have sworn that you

    yourselves encompassed a generation through the Canal.

  37. ما كانَ مِن عَقَباتِها وَصِعابِها

    ذَلَّلتُموهُ بِعَزمِكُم تَذليلا

    Whatever obstacles and difficulties it had,

    you thoroughly subdued through your resolve.

  38. عَهدُ الفِرَنجِ وَأَنتَ تَعلَمُ عَهدَهُم

    لا يَبخَسونَ المُحسِنينَ فَتيلا

    The Franks' custom—and you know their custom:

    they do not shortchange benefactors by so much as a thread.

  39. فَاِرحَل بِحِفظِ اللَهِ جَلَّ صَنيعُهُ

    مُستَعفِياً إِن شِئتَ أَو مَعزولا

    So depart under God's protection—exalted is His handiwork—

    seeking to resign, if you wish, or dismissed.

  40. وَاِحمِل بِساقِكَ رَبطَةً في لُندُنٍ

    وَاِخلِف هُناكَ غِرايَ أَو كَمبيلا

    And wear a garter on your leg in London,

    and succeed Grey or Campbell there.

  41. أَو شاطِرِ المُلكَ العَظيمَ بِلادَهُ

    وَسُسِ المَمالِكَ عَرضَها وَالطولا

    Or share the great empire's lands,

    and rule the kingdoms across their breadth and length.

  42. إِنّا تَمَنَّينا عَلى اللَهِ المُنى

    وَاللَهُ كانَ بِنَيلِهِنَّ كَفيلا

    We asked God to grant our wishes,

    and God guaranteed their fulfillment.

  43. مَن سَبَّ دينَ مُحَمَّدٍ فَمُحَمَّدٌ

    مُتَمَكِّنٌ عَنّا الإِلَهُ رَسولا

    Whoever reviles Muhammad's faith—Muhammad

    stands firm as God's messenger on our behalf.