تحية لَك يا مصر الفراعين

تحية لَك يا مصر الفراعين

ذَوي المآثر مِن حَيٍّ وَمَدفون

ذَوي المآثر مِن حَيٍّ وَمَدفون

A greeting to you, O Egypt of the pharaohs,

Greetings to you, O Egypt of heroism

men of glorious deeds, living and buried alike.

Home of glorious deeds, of the living and the buried

وَلَم تَزَل دَوحة الآداب وارفة

وَلَم تَزَل دَوحة الآداب وارفة

عَلى جِوارك خَضراء الأفانين

عَلى جِوارك خَضراء الأفانين

And the great tree of letters still spreads its shade

Your oasis of literature remains verdant

over your environs, its branches green.

With genius flourishing in your midst

إِلَيك يا مصر إِيمائي وَملتَهفي

إِلَيك يا مصر إِيمائي وَملتَهفي

وَنور نَهضتك الغَراء يَهديني

وَنور نَهضتك الغَراء يَهديني

To you, O Egypt, go my gesture and my yearning,

To you, O Egypt, go my gestures and yearnings

and the light of your glorious renaissance guides me.

And the light of your resurgence guides me

وَلي أَواصر قُربى فيكَ ما بَرحت

وَلي أَواصر قُربى فيكَ ما بَرحت

لَما مَضى ذات تَوثيق وَتَمكين

لَما مَضى ذات تَوثيق وَتَمكين

And I have bonds of kinship in you that have remained

I have familial ties in you that have not ceased

since bygone days, firmly bound and secure.

Once firmly established and strengthened

شَقوا القَناة عَساها عَنكَ تبعدني

شَقوا القَناة عَساها عَنكَ تبعدني

أَني وَمِن لَهفتي جسر سَيُدنيني

أَني وَمِن لَهفتي جسر سَيُدنيني

They dug the canal—perhaps it would keep me far from you.

They dug the canal hoping it would distance me

How could it, when a bridge of my yearning will draw me near?

Yet my ardour will build a bridge to unite us

أُحب مصر وَلَكن مصرَ راغِبَة

أُحب مصر وَلَكن مصرَ راغِبَة

عَني فتعرض مِن حين إِلى حين

عَني فتعرض مِن حين إِلى حين

I love Egypt, yet Egypt turns

I love Egypt but Egypt shuns me

away from me, shunning me from time to time.

Turning away from time to time

وَإِن بَكَت لا بَكَت هَماً فَقَد عَلِمَت

وَإِن بَكَت لا بَكَت هَماً فَقَد عَلِمَت

وَأَيقَنَت أن ذاكَ الهَمّ يبكيني

وَأَيقَنَت أن ذاكَ الهَمّ يبكيني

And if she weeps for sorrow—may she never weep!—she knows

If she wept, she wept not out of sorrow, for she knew

and is certain that that sorrow makes me weep.

And was certain that this grief makes me weep

وَما عَتبت عَلى هَجر تدلُّ بِهِ

وَما عَتبت عَلى هَجر تدلُّ بِهِ

إِن الد لال يمنيني وَيغريني

إِن الد لال يمنيني وَيغريني

Nor have I resented the estrangement with which she plays coy;

I do not reproach her for the separation that

indeed, coquetry gives me hope and entices me.

Seduces and teases me

لَكن جَزعت عَلى وِد أَخاف إِذا

لَكن جَزعت عَلى وِد أَخاف إِذا

فَقَدتهُ لَم أَجِد خلّاً يواسيني

فَقَدتهُ لَم أَجِد خلّاً يواسيني

Yet I have fretted over a bond of affection, fearing that if

Rather, I grieve for a love I fear that if

I lose it, I shall find no friend to console me.

Lost, I will find none to console me

في أَصدِقائي أُغَزّى إِن هُمُ هَلَكوا

في أَصدِقائي أُغَزّى إِن هُمُ هَلَكوا

وَفي الصداقات ما لي مَن يُعزيني

وَفي الصداقات ما لي مَن يُعزيني

For my friends, I am consoled if they perish;

Amongst friends I boast, though if they perish

but for friendships, I have no one to console me.

In friendships, I've none to comfort me

قالوا شفاؤك في مصر وَقَد يَئسوا

قالوا شفاؤك في مصر وَقَد يَئسوا

مني وَأَعيي سقامي مَن يُداويني

مني وَأَعيي سقامي مَن يُداويني

They said, "Your cure is in Egypt," having already despaired

They said: "Your cure is in Egypt," though they despaired

of me, and my illness had exhausted whoever treated me.

Of me, my sickness defying any cure

خَلفتها بلدة يَعقوبُ خلفها

خَلفتها بلدة يَعقوبُ خلفها

شَوقاً ليوسف قَبلي فَهُوَ يَحكيني

شَوقاً ليوسف قَبلي فَهُوَ يَحكيني

I left behind a town that Jacob had left behind

I left behind a town Jacob left behind

longing for Joseph before me; thus he mirrors me.

Yearning for Joseph before me telling my tale

تقليني مِن بَنات النار زافِرَةٌ

تقليني مِن بَنات النار زافِرَةٌ

تَكتَنُّني وَهَجير البيد يَصليني

تَكتَنُّني وَهَجير البيد يَصليني

A snorting daughter of fire carries me;

It takes me from the daughters of fire hissing

she shelters me while the desert's midday heat scorches me.

Enveloping me while estrangement's ember roasts me

تَمضي عَلى سنن الفولاذ جامِحَة

تَمضي عَلى سنن الفولاذ جامِحَة

وَجذوة الشَوق تَزجيها وَتَرجيني

وَجذوة الشَوق تَزجيها وَتَرجيني

She races along the path of steel, unbridled,

It marches on the ways of steel raging

and the ember of longing urges her onward and gives me hope.

While the ember of longing melts and pleads for me

حَتّى سمت ليَ جنات النَخيل عَلى

حَتّى سمت ليَ جنات النَخيل عَلى

ضفاف مطرد النَعماءِ مَيمون

ضفاف مطرد النَعماءِ مَيمون

Until gardens of palms rose into view before me upon

Until it raised for me palm groves on

the banks of a blessed river, ceaseless in bounty.

The banks of the blessed Nile

هَبطت مصر وَظني أَنَّها رَقَدت

هَبطت مصر وَظني أَنَّها رَقَدت

في ظلِّ أَجنِحَة مِن لَيلِها جون

في ظلِّ أَجنِحَة مِن لَيلِها جون

I alighted in Egypt, thinking she had fallen asleep

Egypt descended and I thought she slept

under the shadow of black wings of her night.

In the shade of wings from her dark night

كَأَنَّها وَكَأنَ اللَيل مُنصَدِعاً

كَأَنَّها وَكَأنَ اللَيل مُنصَدِعاً

بِنورها سرُّ صدر غَير مَكنون

بِنورها سرُّ صدر غَير مَكنون

As though she, and the night split open

As if she and as if the night split open

by her light, were a secret of the heart laid bare.

With her light, a secret in an unconcealed breast

وَالأَزبكيّةُ في الأَمساء راقِصة

وَالأَزبكيّةُ في الأَمساء راقِصة

لَها غَلائل مِن شَتى الرَياحين

لَها غَلائل مِن شَتى الرَياحين

And al-Azbakiyya dances in the evenings,

The Albikkiya dances through the nights

with gauzy gowns of every kind of fragrant flower.

With tresses from all the winds

وَالنور ذو لحظات في خَمائلها

وَالنور ذو لحظات في خَمائلها

كَأَنَّها لَحظات النَهدِ اللعين

كَأَنَّها لَحظات النَهدِ اللعين

And the light has glints within her leafy groves,

And light has glances in her seductions

like glimpses of the accursed breast.

As if they're the glances of a wicked breast

ما لي وَللسقم أَخشاه وَأَسأل عَن

ما لي وَللسقم أَخشاه وَأَسأل عَن

طَبيبهِ وَعِماد الدين يَشفيني

طَبيبهِ وَعِماد الدين يَشفيني

What have I to do with illness, that I should fear it and ask about

What business have I with the sickness I dread and ask

its physician, when Imad al-Din heals me?

Of its doctor, and the pillar of faith will cure me?

لَو أَنشب المَوت بي أَظفاره لكفى

لَو أَنشب المَوت بي أَظفاره لكفى

بِأُم كَلثوم أَن تشدو فَتحييني

بِأُم كَلثوم أَن تشدو فَتحييني

If death sank its claws into me, it would suffice

If death sank its claws in me, it would suffice

for Umm Kulthum to sing and bring me back to life.

For Oum Kalthoum to sing and revive me

هَذا وَمَصر بَساتين منمقة

هَذا وَمَصر بَساتين منمقة

شبابها بَعض أَزهار البَساتين

شبابها بَعض أَزهار البَساتين

All this—and Egypt is a land of richly adorned gardens;

This while Egypt is groves bedecked

her youth are among the flowers of those gardens.

Some blossoms of the groves

خاضوا ميَادين مِن جدٍّ وَمِن لعب

خاضوا ميَادين مِن جدٍّ وَمِن لعب

فَأَحرَزوا السَبق في كُلِّ الميادين

فَأَحرَزوا السَبق في كُلِّ الميادين

They plunged into arenas of earnest effort and play,

They entered arenas of diligence and play

and so won first place in every arena.

And took the lead in every arena