بَني مِصرَ ما لِلطامِعينَ وَما لَكُم
وَلِلنَهبِ مِنها في الأَكُفِّ المُقَسَّمِ
O people of Egypt, neither the greedy nor you
Have any share of it to grab in cupped palms,
أَنَوماً عَلى الزلزالِ أَم لا يَهولُكُم
تَخَمُّطُ هَذا الصائِلِ المُتَجَهِّمِ
Do you sleep through the earthquake or does it not appall you
The writhing of this raging, frowning monster?
لَعَمرُ الأُلى أَنتُم بَنوهُم وَما بَنوا
مِنَ المَجدِ في ظِلِّ الوَشيجِ المُقَوَّمِ
By the life of the sublime, you are their children though not what they built
Of glory in the shade of the towering palm,
لَئِن لَم تَهَبّوا هَبَّةَ اللَيثِ زائِراً
لَتَمسُنَّ مِن زورِ الحَديثِ المُرَجَّمِ
If you do not rouse as lions do at the roar
You will suffer from the falsity of disjointed talk.
لَقَد وَعَظتكُم لَو فَهِمتُم عِظاتِها
خُطوبٌ تُضيءُ النَهجَ لِلمُتَفَهِّمِ
Indeed advice has enlightened you, had you but understood it,
Discourses that illuminate the path for the comprehending mind.
أَلَم يَئنِ مِن قَومي إِلى عُلوَ نَهضَةٌ
لِإِجلاءِ عِقبانٍ عَلى مِصرَ حُوَّمِ
Has not one of my people aspired to the height of awakening
To drive off disgrace that has settled on Egypt?
بَلى قَد أَنى لَو عاوَدَتهُم حُلومُهُم
وَأَفزَعَهُم كَرُّ المُغيرِ المُصَمِّمِ
Yes, they would have, had their determination returned to them
And if the hatred of the adamant aggressor had alarmed them.
بِطاءٌ عَنِ الأَمرِ العَظيمِ كَأَنَّما
يَرَونَ بِهِ مَقضِيَّ مَوتٍ مُحَتَّمِ
They are slow to the great task, as though they see in it
A prescribed death sentence.
أَذِلّاءُ حَمّالونَ كُلَّ ظَلامَةٍ
وَمَن يَتَهَيَّب جانِبَ البَأسِ يُظلَمِ
Wretched submissives bearing every darkness,
And he who fears the side of might will be oppressed.
وَما الناسُ إِلّا في جِهادٍ وَغَمرَةٍ
مِنَ العَيشِ يَعلو مُقدِمٌ شِلوَ مُحجِمِ
People are but in struggle and torrential
Life where the daring lead and the timid diminish.
وَكَالعَيلَمِ الدُنيا افتَدى بَعضُ أَهلِهِ
بِبَعضٍ فَأَمسوا بَينَ غَرقَى وَعُوَّمِ
The world ransomed some of its people with others
And they came to be amid drowned and floating ones.
يَدُقُّ قَوِيُّ القَومِ عُنقَ ضَعيفِهِم
وَيَغدو عَلى ما جَرَّ غَيرَ مُلَوَّمِ
The strongman of a people breaks the neck of their weakling
And proceeds to what he has dragged without remorse.
وَلا حَقَّ إِلّا حَيثُ يَشتَجِرُ القَنا
وَحَيثُ يُلاقي مِخذَمٌ غَربَ مِخذَمِ
Right is only where the spear is locked in battle,
And where a sword's edge meets the strike of sword.
هُناكَ إِذا ما الحَربُ حَطَّت غُبارَها
فَسائِل بِهِ أَعلى اللِوائَينِ تَعلَمِ
There, when war casts off its cover,
Ask which banner flies the highest and you will know.
كَذاكَ خِشاشُ الطَيرِ لِلنَسرِ خُضَّعٌ
وَلِلأُسدِ مِن وَحشِ الفَلا خَيرُ مَطعَمِ
Thus is the flock of birds in thrall to the eagle
And the lion feasts well on wild game.
أَرى مِصرَ في عَمياءَ يَقذِفُ جَوفُها
بَوائِقَ تودي بِالبَصيرِ وَبِالعَمي
I see Egypt casting in blind confusion
Spews that would lead the sighted and the blind astray.
يُسَدِّدُها رامٍ مِنَ الهَولِ لَو رَمى
بِها الفَلَكَ الدَوّارَ لَم يَتَقَدَّمِ
One resolute with terror would guide them
Did the circling heavens hurl them in its rounds.
عَنائي عَلى مِصرَ المُحَبَّبِ نيلُها
إِلَيَّ عَناءُ الحائِنِ العِرضِ وَالدَمِ
My worry for beloved Egypt and its Nile
Is the worry of passionate care and blood.
أَفيقوا فَهَذي جُذوَةُ الشَرِّ بَينَكُم
تَلَظّى وَأَلّا تَخمِدِ اليَومَ تَعظُمِ
Awaken! Here is the glowing coal of evil amongst you
Blazing ever brighter; quench it today before it spreads.
وَجِدّوا فَإِنَّ الهونَ أَشأَمُ صاحِبٍ
وَإِنَّ العُلا لِلكادِحِ المُتَجَشِّمِ
Be resolute! For laxity is the worse companion,
And glory belongs to the striving and enduring.
أَهابَ بِكُم مِنّي أَجَشُّ كَأَنَّما
يُرَدِّدُ صَوتَ القاصِفِ المُتَهَزِّمِ
My roaring at you is the roar of one in retreat,
Echoing the sound of the defeated army in flight.
وَمَبثوثَةٍ دعَّاءَةٍ أَخَذَتكُمو
قَديماً بِأَمثالِ الأَباءِ المُضَرَّمِ
And the entreaties of old have grabbed and held you still,
Like those of your mumbling and blinded forebears.
رَمَيتُ بِها أَقصى الجَماهيرِ مِنكُمو
فَسَدَّت عَلَيكُم كُلَّ فَجٍّ وَمَخرِمِ
I have cast them to the furthest throngs among you
And so they barred you off from every pass and narrow way.
وَلَولا خِلالُ السوءِ مِنكُم لَقُوِّمَت
دَعائِمُ مَجدٍ لِلبِلادِ مُهَدَّمِ
Were it not for the evil wrought by some of you
The pillars of glory for the lands would have been upright.
وَإِنَّ صَريحَ القَولِ تُخلصُهُ النُهى
فَيَنمى إِلى أَقصى البِقاعِ وَيَرتَمي
For candor brings salvation to advice
And it grows to the far horizons and space.
لَنِعمَ ثَناءُ المَرءِ حَيّاً وَغادِياً
بِهِ الصَحبُ مِن باكٍ وَمِن مُتَرَحِّمِ
How excellent the praise of a man alive and gone
By it friends lament or reminisce.
