مفتر من قال إن القوم ماتوا

مفتر من قال إن القوم ماتوا

حدثينا عنهم يا معجزات

حدثينا عنهم يا معجزات

A slanderer is whoever said the people were dead.

The one who said that the people died is a liar

Tell us about them, O miracles!

Tell us about them, O miracles

حدثينا كيف أودى بالأولى

حدثينا كيف أودى بالأولى

ملكوا الآفاق حراث عفاة

ملكوا الآفاق حراث عفاة

Tell us how those were laid low who

Tell us how the first perished

Ruled the horizons—by beggarly tillers;

They ruled the horizons, barefoot farmers

كيف أفنى كل ذي درع وذي

كيف أفنى كل ذي درع وذي

لأمة مدرعو النقع حفاة

لأمة مدرعو النقع حفاة

How they annihilated every bearer of a shield and

How did it destroy all those armored and armed

Armor—barefoot men armored in dust;

By a nation whose armor is rags and barefoot

نفر ظنوا ضعافا فإذا

نفر ظنوا ضعافا فإذا

هم للقرم الأشدين غزاة

هم للقرم الأشدين غزاة

A band deemed weak, and behold:

A group they thought were weak but they were

They are raiders against the fiercest champions.

The fiercest invaders against the enemy

فئة قلت وأعيا دونها

فئة قلت وأعيا دونها

عسكر ضاقت به الست الجهات

عسكر ضاقت به الست الجهات

A band small in number, before which was helpless

A few in number but in their defense

An army for which all six directions were too narrow.

An army that the six directions were too narrow for

هاجموها فتلقتهم كما

هاجموها فتلقتهم كما

تتلقى هجمة البحر الصفاة

تتلقى هجمة البحر الصفاة

They attacked it, and it met them as

They attacked them as

A rock meets the sea's assault.

The surging sea repels an assault

إنما الأضعف في الحومة من

إنما الأضعف في الحومة من

ضعفت آراؤه والفتكات

ضعفت آراؤه والفتكات

The weakest in the fray is only he

The weakest in the defense are those

Whose plans and deadly assaults are weak.

Whose opinions and views were weak

والقليل النزر في الأزمة من

والقليل النزر في الأزمة من

خانه الصبر وجافاه الثبات

خانه الصبر وجافاه الثبات

And small and meager in a crisis is he

And the few in number during crisis are those

Whom patience betrays and steadfastness forsakes.

Whom patience has betrayed and steadfastness has abandoned

قيل هذا فيهم فعل التقى

قيل هذا فيهم فعل التقى

والصلاح الحي للخوف ممات

والصلاح الحي للخوف ممات

It was said: this in them is the work of piety,

It is said this about them the act of the devout

And living righteousness is death to fear.

And the living righteousness of fear kills

صدقوا رأس التقي الفعل فإن

صدقوا رأس التقي الفعل فإن

كان قولا فهو زور وافتئات

كان قولا فهو زور وافتئات

They spoke truly: action is foremost for the devout; for if

They were truthful, the act of the devout

It is mere speech, it is falsehood and presumption.

And if it was just words then it is lies and slander

هكذا القوم وما تقواهم

هكذا القوم وما تقواهم

فقر يتلونها أو دعوات

فقر يتلونها أو دعوات

Such are these people, and their piety is not

That is how those people were, and not their piety

Passages they recite or supplications.

Either poverty they wear or supplications they make

فإذا صام الفتى منهم فعن

فإذا صام الفتى منهم فعن

دم أسراه وإن لم تعف شاة

دم أسراه وإن لم تعف شاة

So when a young man among them fasts, it is from

So if a youth among them fasts it is over

His captives' blood, even if a sheep is not spared.

Blood they nurse, even if no sheep was spared

وإذا زكى فجاري دمه

وإذا زكى فجاري دمه

في سبيل الوطن الحر زكاة

في سبيل الوطن الحر زكاة

And when he gives alms, his flowing blood

And if they pay alms, it is their spilt blood

In the cause of the free homeland is his almsgiving.

In the cause of the free nation that is their alms

وإذا صلى ففي جثوته

وإذا صلى ففي جثوته

للمراماة سجود وصلاة

للمراماة سجود وصلاة

And when he prays, his kneeling

And if they pray, in their bodies lowered in marksmanship

To exchange fire is prostration and prayer.

Is prostration and prayer

من دعا الله على غاصبه

من دعا الله على غاصبه

فالدعاء السيف والذكر القناة

فالدعاء السيف والذكر القناة

Whoever invokes God against his usurper,

Whoever invokes God against their usurper

Then supplication is the sword, and remembrance the spear;

Then that invocation is a sword and the remembrance a spearhead

أو حمى الأوطان والعرض معا

أو حمى الأوطان والعرض معا

فهو الدين كما ترضى الحياة

فهو الدين كما ترضى الحياة

Or guards homelands and honor together—

Or who protects the homelands and honor together

That is religion as life would have it.

Then that is the religion, as you wish for life

أيها السوقة كل منهم

أيها السوقة كل منهم

ملك قد توجته الهبوات

ملك قد توجته الهبوات

O commoners, each one of them

O you villains, each of them

Is a king whom dust clouds have crowned.

A king crowned by the winds

أيها الجهال كل منهم

أيها الجهال كل منهم

قائد تؤثر عنه الخدعات

قائد تؤثر عنه الخدعات

O ignorant ones, each one of them

O you ignorant ones, each of them

Is a commander whose stratagems are handed down.

A leader about whom you circulate rumors

يا حماة الخلق الحر وقد

يا حماة الخلق الحر وقد

عافه الناس وخانته الحماة

عافه الناس وخانته الحماة

O guardians of the free spirit, though

O protectors of free people, while

People have spurned it and its guardians betrayed it,

The people pardoned them and their own kinsmen betrayed them

صائني دارهم العذراء عن

صائني دارهم العذراء عن

واطيء إلا وما فيها موات

واطيء إلا وما فيها موات

Guardians of their virgin home against

Guardians of their chaste home from

Any trespasser, unless all within it are dead:

Any violator, and there is no life in it but theirs

شيدوا تاريخكم من نقض ما

شيدوا تاريخكم من نقض ما

شاده في أزل الدهر الطغاة

شاده في أزل الدهر الطغاة

Build your history from the rubble of what

Build your history from destroying what

Tyrants raised in time immemorial.

The eternal tyrants built in ancient times

ثابروا في وثبكم ولتهننا

ثابروا في وثبكم ولتهننا

في تلاشينا الهنات الهينات

في تلاشينا الهنات الهينات

Persevere in your leaping, and let us be weakened

Persevere in your resolve and let us grieve

As we fade away, by petty failings.

In our collapse, our soft girlish defeats

تابعوا النصر بنصر ولتكن

تابعوا النصر بنصر ولتكن

خجلة الأنذال هذي النصرات

خجلة الأنذال هذي النصرات

Follow victory with victory, and let

Continue victory with victory, and let it be

These victories be the scoundrels' shame.

The disgrace of the lowly, these victories

يصفع الجبار من تعدمه

يصفع الجبار من تعدمه

منكم للضرب والطعن أداة

منكم للضرب والطعن أداة

The tyrant is slapped by whoever lacks

The oppressor who lacks any of you

Among you, a tool for striking and thrusting.

As a tool for striking and stabbing slaps himself

وفتانا يلثم الكف التي

وفتانا يلثم الكف التي

في جبين الملك منها صفعات

في جبين الملك منها صفعات

And our young man kisses the hand that

And sometimes the hand that

Has dealt slaps upon the king's brow.

Slaps the face of the king is ours

من لمينا أن يرى في لحده

من لمينا أن يرى في لحده

كيف أخنت ببنيه الموبقات

كيف أخنت ببنيه الموبقات

Who will let Menes see, in his grave,

Who can prevent us from seeing in his grave

How deadly sins have ravaged his sons?

How the heinous deeds have betrayed his sons

فلقد أرنو مصر التي

فلقد أرنو مصر التي

خلدتها الباقيات الصالحات

خلدتها الباقيات الصالحات

For indeed I gaze at Egypt, which

They have shown us Egypt, which

Enduring righteous deeds have immortalized;

The righteous deeds have immortalized

فأرى روحا قديما طائفا

فأرى روحا قديما طائفا

باكيا مما جنت مصر الفتاة

باكيا مما جنت مصر الفتاة

So I see an ancient spirit wandering,

I saw an ancient soul wandering

Weeping over what young Egypt has wrought.

Crying over what young Egypt has committed

كيف تحيا أمة هالتهم

كيف تحيا أمة هالتهم

شقة المجد فذلوا واستماتوا

شقة المجد فذلوا واستماتوا

How can a nation live, whose people were daunted

How can a nation whose glory

By glory's long road, so they submitted and resigned themselves to death?

Has vanished live, when they were humiliated and died

كيف يقوى معشر عدتهم

كيف يقوى معشر عدتهم

هزلهم والمشرفيات النكات

هزلهم والمشرفيات النكات

How can a people grow strong, when their armament

How can a group whom their weakness

Is their jesting, and their Mashrafi swords are jokes?

And jokes made weak be strengthened

أبخوف الغول يرجى عندهم

أبخوف الغول يرجى عندهم

خلق البأس وترجى العظمات

خلق البأس وترجى العظمات

Through fear of the ghoul, is there hope among them

Can the fear of ghosts be hoped for in them

For a spirit of valor, and hope for great deeds?

To create valor and greatness be hoped for

أم بآداب وألحان يهي

أم بآداب وألحان يهي

معها العزم وتقوى الشهوات

معها العزم وتقوى الشهوات

Or through literature and melodies, with which

Or is it through manners and melodies that

Resolve weakens and desires grow strong?

Determination with it is awakened and desires strengthened

فارفع الصوت وأيقظهم فقد

فارفع الصوت وأيقظهم فقد

طال عهدا بهم هذا السبات

طال عهدا بهم هذا السبات

So raise your voice and wake them, for

Then raise your voice and awaken them, for too long

This slumber has stayed with them a long time.

Has this slumber lasted for them

ما لمصر شبه قبر واسع

ما لمصر شبه قبر واسع

منذ فرعون ومن فيها رفات

منذ فرعون ومن فيها رفات

Why has Egypt been like a vast grave

Egypt is like a vast tomb

Since Pharaoh, with all within her mere remains?

Since the days of the Pharaohs and those buried in it