أَهذي ديارُ القَومِ غَيَّرها الدَهرُ

فَعُوجوا عَليها نَبكِها أَيُّها السَّفْرُ

Are these the dwellings of the people that time has changed?

So they bent over it, weep for it O traveler!

محا آيها مَرُّ العُصورِ وَكرُّها

إِذا مَرَّ عَصرٌ كَرَّ مِن بَعدِهِ عَصرُ

Erase them, O passer of eras and their repeater

When an era passes, another repeats after it.

نُسائِلُها أَينَ استقلَّ قطينُها

وَهَل تَنطق الدارُ المُعَطَّلةُ القَفرُ

We ask her: where are her inhabitants?

Does the abandoned, desolate abode speak?

وَكائن تَرى من ذي ثَمانين خَضَّبت

لِطُولِ البُكى مِن شَيبهِ الأَدمعُ الحُمرُ

You see an eighty year old whose tears

From prolonged weeping reddened his white hair.

بَكى وَطَناً أَودَت بِسالفِ مَجدِهِ

حَوادث دَهرٍ مِن خَلائقهِ الغَدرُ

He wept for a nation whose glories of yore

Were destroyed by the betrayals of fate.

أَغارَت عَلَيهِ مِن جَنوبٍ وَشَمأَلٍ

فَما برحت حَتّى أُتيحَ لَها النَصرُ

The south and the north attacked it

And did not stop until victory was made possible for them.

أَلا إِنَّها مصرُ الَّتي شَقِيَت بِنا

فَيا وَيحَ مصرٍ ما الَّذي لَقِيَت مِصرُ

Alas! It is Egypt that suffered because of us

So woe to Egypt! What did Egypt suffer?

مَضى عِزُّها المَسلوبُ ما يَستعيدُه

بَنُوها فَلا عِزٌّ لَديهم وَلا فَخرُ

Its lost glory cannot be restored

By its sons, who have no glory or pride.

هُمُ رَقَدوا عَنها فَطالَ رُقادُهُم

فَديتكُمُ هُبُّوا فَقَد طَلعَ الفَجرُ

They slept away from it, and their sleep was prolonged

I ransom you with my soul, arise, for dawn has risen!

أَلمّا تَروا أَن قَد تُقُسِّمَ أَمرُكُم

بَأَيدي الأُلى جَدّوا فَهل لكمُ أَمرُ

Do you not see that your affairs have been divided

By foreign hands? Make haste! Do you have any control?

أَما فيكمُ حُرٌّ إِذا قامَ داعياً

إِلى صالحٍ أَوفى فجاوَبَهُ حُرُّ

Is there no freeman among you who, if he calls

To reform, a freeman will respond to him?

كَريمان لَمّا يَجثُما عَن عَظيمةٍ

وَلا بهما إِذا يُدعوان لَها وَقرُ

Two honorable men, when invited to a glorious deed,

Will not cower, nor refrain when called to it.

هُما هَضبَتا عَزمٍ وَحَزمٍ كِلاهُما

يَخافُهما الخَطبُ المَخُوفُ فَما يَعرو

Both are resolute and prudent,

Feared by frightening tribulations, but they do not know fear.

هُما الذُخرُ لِلأَوطانِ إِن جَلَّ حادِثٌ

فَضاقَت بِهِ ذَرعاً وَأَعوزَها الذُخرُ

They are the treasure of nations, if disaster befalls,

Leaving them helpless and deprived of treasure.