لك الأمر منتظر أم لنا

وعندك عقباه أم عندنا

The command is yours - are we waiting or not?

Do you have its perils or do we?

وكيف تسير غداً نحونا

وكيف تدور غداً حولنا

And how will you march towards us tomorrow?

And how will you revolve around us tomorrow?

وكيف الطريق إلى ما أرا

د من لك أوحى ومن لقّنا

And how is the road to what I saw

Of what was inspired and taught to you?

ملأت هنالك هذا الجراب

فأفرغ على القوم منه هنا

You have filled this bag over there

So empty it upon the people here

وهات كما شئت فصل الخطاب

مسيئاً قضاؤك أو محسنا

And bring, as you wish, the final word

Whether your judgement be harmful or good

وما هو إلا ضمير الزمان

تعود به بادياً بيننا

It is but the conscience of time

That returns openly amongst us

وتشغل بعد الإياب القلوب

به والمسامع والأعينا

And preoccupies after the return, the hearts

With it, and the ears, and the eyes

وتنفذ في مصر ما خطه

لمصر السجلُّ وما دونا

And it executes in Egypt what it drew

For Egypt, the record, and what we transcribed

وتعطى المنافع طلابها

على أن تكال وأن توزنا

And it gives the benefits to its seekers

On condition that it be weighed and measured

وتلقى ضمائرهم خلفها

إلى أن تباع وأن ترهنا

And it finds their consciences behind them

Until they are sold and mortgaged

فهذا أبيُّهمُ طائعاً

وهذا عزيزهمُ هينا

So this is their obedient father

And this is their dear humbled

وكل مسوق بميعاده

يكاد يجيئك مستأذنا

And each led by his deadline

That nearly comes to you seeking permission

وتشهد في موطن إخوة

تعادوا فما عرفوا الموطنا

And you witness in the place of brethren

Who became enemies, so they knew not the dwelling

فهم يترامون بالسيئا

ت لا بالسيوف ولا بالقنا

They pelt each other with evil

Not with swords or spears

فغضبان يتهَّم المعرضي

ن عنه وعن رهطه بالخنا

Two angry ones accuse the indifferent

To him, his clan with betrayal

تفرد وهو وراء الصفوف

يقول أنا الشعب وحدي أنا

He isolates himself behind the ranks

Saying: I am the only people!

وينكر هيمنة الآخرين

وإن جاء بالخير من هيمنا

And denies the leadership of others

Even if he came with good through leading

ولا يرتضي ما بنى غيره

ولو كان حصن الحمى ما بنى

He does not accept what was built by others

Even if it were the fortress of sanctity he built

كأن البلاد أبت نده

وجاءت به وحده معدنا

As if the country refused beside him

And brought him alone as its source

ومضطرب مائج صوته

بمصر ونجواه في لندنا

And turbulent, muddled is his voice

About Egypt and its rescue in London

رأى في الشقاق تعلاته

فصار الشقاق له ديدنا

He saw in discord his prominence

So discord became his habit

وأظلم ظالمٍ المشتكي

إلى الأجنبي نأى أو دنا

And an oppressor is darkened, the complainant

To the foreigner, keeping away or drawing near

ومن مكَّن الخصمَ من أهله

فللخصم من نفسه مكّنا

Whoever enabled an adversary from his own people

For the adversary from himself he enabled

وداهية راض أعداءه

وأرضى فأمَّن واستأمنا

And the cunning one pleased the enemies

And pleased, so he secured and trusted

وكوَّن سلطانه بالصنيع

فضاع الصنيع وما كوَّنا

And formed his rule through favor

So the favor was lost and not formed

ولو شاء وهو القؤول الفعول

طوى الصحف واعتقل الألسنا

Had he willed, and he is the determined, mighty

He would have folded the pages and seized the tongues

أمالته علته فالتوى

ولو صدَّه جبل ما انثنى

His arrogance made him twist

And if a mountain opposed, it would not bend

ولما مضى ارتد أنصاره

وهم شر أعدائه مطعنا

And when he passed, his supporters turned back

And they are the worst of his enemies, faulting

وما زال يطمع في أن يعود

إلى ما استحال وما أمكنا

And he still hopes to return

To what became impossible and unfeasible

ومستخلف مطمئن السبيل

إلى ما أسر وما أعلنا

And the successor is reassured, easy of way

To what he had hidden and what was declared

مضى وسطاً بين حدّيه لا

عنيف المراس ولا لينا

He passed moderately between his extremes, neither

Violent in manner nor soft

لعل السفينة من بعد ما

تولى السفينة تنجو بنا

Perhaps after he assumed leadership the ship

Will survive with us aboard

وصحف تضجُّ بما لا يليق

ولا يستفاد ولا يقتنى

And pages clamoring with what is improper

And brings no benefit and cannot be gained

وتروى من الدهر ما في الغيوب

كأن لها عنده مخزنا

And they tell of the unknown from fate

As if they have a store with it

وتلقى النفاق من الجانبي

ن من شك فيها ومن أيقنا

And they receive hypocrisy from both sides

From those who doubt them and those who believe

فهذا يطير بها مرجفاً

وذلك يعنو لها مذعنا

So this one flies with them recklessly

And that one inclines to them obediently

وما كل متبعٍ مبدأً

يكون بمبدئه مؤمنا

Not every follower of a principle

Remains a believer in his principle

وكم قلَّب الناس هذا الزما

ن للعيش فيه وكم كوَّنا

And how often people turned this time

To live in it and how we formed it

أولئك مرضى أداويهمُ

من الداء من بعد ما أزمنا

Those are sick ones whom I cure

After we fell ill and aged

وأحمل أعباءهم عنهمُ

إلى أن أشرَّد أو أُسجنا

And I carry their burdens for them

Until I am banished or imprisoned

كأنيَ بينهمُ ما أتي

تُ إلا لأغضب أو أحزنا

It is as if I did not come amongst them

Except to anger or sadden

ولو غسل الدم ذنب الزمان

غسلت لهم بدمي ما جنى

And if the blood would wash the sin of time

I would wash with my blood what it reaped

ولو لم أقم بينهم شاعراً

لما ذقت هذا الأسى والعنى

And if I did not stand amongst them as a poet

I would not have tasted this agony and toil

ولو كنت بينهمُ تاجراً

لكان نعيمي وكان الغنى

And if I were among them a merchant

My bliss and wealth would have been

عناء حملنا قديم التراث

إلى غدنا اليوم من أمسِنا

We carried the burden of antiquity

To our tomorrow from our yesterday

وما جرَّه سلفٌ قبلنا

سيُجزَى به خلفٌ بعدنا

What a predecessor brought before us

Will be rewarded through a successor after us

وما مدَّه شركاً بعضُنا

لبعضٍ تناولنا كلنا

What some of us stretched

As a bond to others, we all took

ونحن الذين دعونا الغريم

وجئنا به حكماً بيننا

It is us who invited the adversary

And brought him as a judge between us

يغرقنا بالمنى تارة

ويجمعنا تارة بالمنى

At times he drowns us with purpose

And at times he unites us with purpose

وإن شاء سلَّط جنداً وإن

يشأ سلَّط الرصد المتقنا

If he wills, he releases an army, and if

He wishes, he releases the careful surveillance

وقد يذكر الحق مستدرجاً

ليفتن من شاء أن يفتنا

And he may mention truth alluringly

To test whoever he wills to test

وما أمعن الفاتحون الغزا

ة في الأرض يوماً كما أمعنا

The conquerors have never plunged

Into land one day as we plunged

وقفنا وجاوزنا العالمُون

فيا ليتنا معهم ليتنا

We stopped and the world surpassed us

If only we were with them, if only we were

وقد جرَّبت مصرُ أحزابها

فمن صان مصر ومن حصنا

Egypt tried its parties

So who protected Egypt? Who fortified us?

وضاقت بمختلف الغارسين

وأين الظلال وأين الجنى

It narrowed with the differing planters

Where is the shade? Where is the harvest?

أتدري فأسألها أيُّنا

شهيدُ قضيتها أيُّنا

Do you know? So ask it, which of us

Is a martyr to its cause? Which of us?

ومن هو فيها الزعيم العظيم

بما يجمع اليوم من شملنا

And who is in it the great leader

With what assembles our unity today?

ومن لا يفاوض ذاك الغري

م وهو كما هو في أرضنا

And who does not negotiate with that adversary

While he remains as he is on our land?

ويضمن للشعب ما شاء من

أمانيِّه الشعب أن يضمنا

And who guarantees the people whatever

Of its wishes the people want guaranteed?