عزاء بهذا الموت يا من فدى مصرا

عزاء بهذا الموت يا من فدى مصرا

ومن عيشه ذكرى وومن موته ذكرى

ومن عيشه ذكرى وومن موته ذكرى

Solace in this death, O you who gave your life for Egypt,

Solace for this death, O you who ransomed Egypt

And whose life is a remembrance, and whose death is a remembrance.

And whose life is a memory, and whose death is a memory

صديق الصبا ماذا غنمنا من الصبا

صديق الصبا ماذا غنمنا من الصبا

وما غمرنا إلا مغارمنا تترى

وما غمرنا إلا مغارمنا تترى

Friend of youth, what did we gain from youth?

Friend of my youth, what did we gain from youth

And nothing overwhelmed us but our losses, one after another.

Except for the sorrows that overwhelmed us, it seems

ولم يبق فينا منصفا غير ميتة

ولم يبق فينا منصفا غير ميتة

أتالتك مجدا لا يباع ولا يشرى

أتالتك مجدا لا يباع ولا يشرى

And none remained among us to do justice but a death

None remains among us an impartial judge except your death

That bestowed on you a glory neither sold nor bought.

Your glory has come to you, not to be sold or bought

سقطت كجنديّ شهيد مماته

سقطت كجنديّ شهيد مماته

حياة لعمري حرة تخلد الفكرا

حياة لعمري حرة تخلد الفكرا

You fell like a martyred soldier, whose death

You fell like a martyred soldier, your death

Is, by my life, a free life that makes thought immortal.

Is life for the free thought that immortalizes ideas

ومت عزيزا في الدفاع لأمّة

ومت عزيزا في الدفاع لأمّة

أنابتك عنها في ملماتها الكبرى

أنابتك عنها في ملماتها الكبرى

And you died with honor, in defense of a nation

And you died nobly defending the nation

That appointed you to act for it in its greatest calamities.

That entrusted you in its greatest tribulations

إذا سقط الجندي في ساحة الوغى

إذا سقط الجندي في ساحة الوغى

فأيّ قصيد بعد هذا به يطرى

فأيّ قصيد بعد هذا به يطرى

When the soldier falls on the field of battle,

When the soldier falls in the fury of battle

Then with what poem, after this, can he be praised?

What poem henceforth could soar with it?

كأن مماتا ذقت أبلغ حجّة

كأن مماتا ذقت أبلغ حجّة

وأوقع في تفنيد متهم مصرا

وأوقع في تفنيد متهم مصرا

As though the death you tasted were a more eloquent argument

As if your death tasted the most eloquent argument

And more telling in refuting an accuser of Egypt,

And refuted thoroughly the accuser of Egypt

ولو أن نارا من بيانك أشعلت

ولو أن نارا من بيانك أشعلت

ركاما من الإسعاف خصّ به الأسرى

ركاما من الإسعاف خصّ به الأسرى

Even if a fire from your eloquence had ignited

Had you lit a fire with your eloquence

A heap of aid set aside for the captives.

That kindled a heap of fuel for the captives

فيا مدرة الأحرار عمرك كله

فيا مدرة الأحرار عمرك كله

خطاب مدو بالحقيقة لا يغرى

خطاب مدو بالحقيقة لا يغرى

So, O spokesman of the free, your whole life

O source of the free, your life

Was a ringing proclamation of truth, immune to enticement.

Was an undeviating address of truth that does not mislead

فلم تدر معنى الجبن يوما ولا الهوى

فلم تدر معنى الجبن يوما ولا الهوى

ولم ترض يوما في اتباعهما عذرا

ولم ترض يوما في اتباعهما عذرا

For you never knew the meaning of cowardice or caprice,

You never knew the meaning of cowardice or passion

And never accepted an excuse for following them.

And never accepted any excuse for following them

ولم تهو للطاغوت يوما مصليا

ولم تهو للطاغوت يوما مصليا

وكنت لي الخل المدافع والبرا

وكنت لي الخل المدافع والبرا

And never prostrated yourself in prayer to the tyrant.

You never bowed in prayer to a tyrant

And you were my friend, my defender, and my benefactor.

And you were to me the defiant vinegar and healing honey

وأنحى عليّ الصاغرون فزدتني

وأنحى عليّ الصاغرون فزدتني

ولاء وقد كفرت من خص بي الكفرا

ولاء وقد كفرت من خص بي الكفرا

And the abject assailed me, so you showed me greater

The humbled lean on me, and you increased

Loyalty, and you branded as an unbeliever whoever charged me with unbelief.

My loyalty, though others damned me with blasphemy

وبجّلتني حتى كأنّك تابعي

وبجّلتني حتى كأنّك تابعي

ولست الذي صالت مواهبه دهرا

ولست الذي صالت مواهبه دهرا

And you honored me so much that you seemed my follower,

You honored me until it was as if you were my follower

And not the one whose talents had long held sway.

And not I who for ages sought your talents

سجية نفس حرة ليس تمتري

سجية نفس حرة ليس تمتري

كذاك النبيل الحر من يكرم الحرا

كذاك النبيل الحر من يكرم الحرا

The nature of a free soul, beyond doubt;

The nature of a free soul does not vacillate

Such is the noble, free man: he who honors the free.

Thus is the noble free spirit who honors the free

ومهما اختلفنا كنت ترفع قدرتي

ومهما اختلفنا كنت ترفع قدرتي

إلى قدرك العالي فتخلق لي قدرا

إلى قدرك العالي فتخلق لي قدرا

And however we differed, you would raise my ability

However we differed, you raised my worth

To your lofty stature, thus conferring stature on me.

To your lofty worth, and so created worth for me

وما كنت من بالي الخفافيش مرّة

وما كنت من بالي الخفافيش مرّة

ولا الصقر مجتاحا ولا الجارح النسرا

ولا الصقر مجتاحا ولا الجارح النسرا

And never once were you one to heed the bats,

And never once did I think of bats

Nor the ravaging falcon, nor the predatory eagle.

Or the predatory eagle or the raptor

ولكنما باليت بالحق وحده

ولكنما باليت بالحق وحده

ولم تخش دون الحق في شدة أمرا

ولم تخش دون الحق في شدة أمرا

But you cared for truth alone,

Rather, my thoughts were occupied only with truth

And in hardship, defending truth, you feared nothing.

And you did not fear anything but truth in adversity

وأشغلت بالإنسان فردا وأمة

وأشغلت بالإنسان فردا وأمة

ويا لجهود منك لم تعرف الحصرا

ويا لجهود منك لم تعرف الحصرا

And you were absorbed in humanity, as individual and nation,

And you were busy with humankind, individual and nation

And oh, your efforts, which knew no bounds!

O, your tireless efforts cannot be enumerated

وأشغلت بالفكر النزيه محررا

وأشغلت بالفكر النزيه محررا

وكل الذي جافاه صورته نكرا

وكل الذي جافاه صورته نكرا

And you were absorbed in honest thought, as an editor,

And you were busy with free, unfettered thought

And all that departed from it you portrayed as abhorrent.

All of which reality had made ugly and denied

كأن خراب الكون رهن بذلة

كأن خراب الكون رهن بذلة

يصاب بها العقل الذي عز واستذرى

يصاب بها العقل الذي عز واستذرى

As though the ruin of the universe hinged on a humiliation

It was as if the ruin of the world depended

That afflicts the mind that grew mighty and rose aloft.

On the humiliation that afflicted the proud mind

حرام على عيني الدموع فإنها

حرام على عيني الدموع فإنها

شفاء وحزني قد يموت ولا يبرا

شفاء وحزني قد يموت ولا يبرا

Tears are forbidden to my eyes, for they

My eyes are forbidden to shed tears, for they

Are a cure, and my grief may die but will not heal.

Are a cure, and my sorrow may die, not heal

حرام على شعري رثاؤك قادرا

حرام على شعري رثاؤك قادرا

فإن الرثاء الفخم قد يلد الصبرا

فإن الرثاء الفخم قد يلد الصبرا

My verse is forbidden to elegize you, though it is able,

My poetry is forbidden to eulogize you, able

For a grand elegy may give birth to patience.

To give birth to patience through grand eulogies

حرام على نثري البيان وهذه

حرام على نثري البيان وهذه

صحائفك الشماء آيتك الأخرى

صحائفك الشماء آيتك الأخرى

Eloquence is forbidden to my prose, and these

My prose is forbidden, though these

Lofty pages of yours are your other sign.

Pages of yours are your other verse

لقد كنت من شخصت داءك أولا

لقد كنت من شخصت داءك أولا

فكنت كأني لاحد يفتح القبرا

فكنت كأني لاحد يفتح القبرا

Indeed, I was the one who first diagnosed your illness,

You were the first to diagnose your illness

So I was like a gravedigger opening the grave.

It was as if I opened your grave for no one

ومرت سنون لالتياعي عديدة

ومرت سنون لالتياعي عديدة

وفي كل عام كنت أستبق العمرا

وفي كل عام كنت أستبق العمرا

And many years of my anguish passed,

Many long years passed while I despaired

And each year I would try to outrun life,

Racing against time every year

إلى أن أتى العام الذي ران نصره

إلى أن أتى العام الذي ران نصره

ولكن حكم الموت قد صحب النصرا

ولكن حكم الموت قد صحب النصرا

Until the year came whose victory held sway,

Until the year came that seemed to bring victory

But death's decree had accompanied the victory.

But the judgment of death accompanied the victory