أُعلِّلُ نَفسي وَالأَماني طماعةٌ

وَنَفسُ الفَتى تَلهو وَذو العَيش يَأملُ

I justify myself while my hopes are greedy,

And the soul of youth is heedless while he who lives hopes.

أُعلّلها بِالصالحاتِ مِن المُنى

وَبِالدَهرِ مِن بَعد الإِساءَةِ يُجمِلُ

I justify it with good deeds and wishes

And with time after wrongdoing becoming beautiful.

وَما حاجَتي أَن أَرتَعي العَيش ناضِراً

أُعَلُّ بِماءِ الخَفضِ فيهِ وَأُنهَلُ

I have no need to graze upon lush life,

I quench my thirst with the water of humility.

وَلكنّني أَرجو الحَياةَ لِأُمَّةٍ

تُقادُ إِلى الجَلّادِ ظُلماً وَتُقتَلُ

But I hope for life for a nation

That is led unjustly to the executioner and is killed,

يَكيدُ لَها أَعداؤُها وَيَخونُها

بَنوها فَما تَدري عَلى مَن تُعوِّلُ

Its enemies scheme against it and its own sons betray it

So it knows not in whom it should place its trust,

أَرى سَوءَةً شَنعاءَ لَستُ إِخالها

بِغَيرِ الدَمِ المُهراقِ عَن مَصرَ تُغسَلُ

I see an ugly disgrace that I cannot remove

Except with shed blood washed away from Egypt.