بِمِثلِكُما تَعلو الدِيارُ وَتَسعَدُ

وَتَدنو لَها الآمالُ مِن حَيثُ تَبعُدُ

With the likes of you two, homes are exalted and prosper

And hopes draw near to them from wherever they are distant

أَبى لَكُما رَعيُ الذِمامِ سِوى الَّذي

يُذاعُ فَيُطرى أَو يُشاعُ فَيُحمَدُ

You two refused to herd slander except that

Which is broadcast and excused or circulated and praised

لِيوميكُما في الحَربِ وَالسلمِ مَشهَدٌ

يَقِرُّ بِعَينَي مَن تَطَلَّعَ يَشهَدُ

For your two days in war and peace there is a scene

That delights the eye of whoever looks and witnesses

لَئِن أَوحَشَ الأَعداءَ سَيفٌ مُجَرَّدٌ

لَقَد آنَسَ الأَوطانَ رَأيٌ مُجَرَّدُ

If a bare sword has frightened the enemies

A sound opinion has brought comfort to homelands

فَبورِكتُما إِذ تَنفُضانِ يَدَيكُما

مِنَ الأَمرِ لا تَعلو بِأَمرٍ وَأَكمَدُ

So blessings upon you two when you shake off

A matter - you do not rise in any matter arrogantly

أَراهُم عَلى وَخزِ القَريضِ وَوَكزِهِ

وَما فيهِمُ إِلّا ذَليلٌ مُعَبَّدُ

I see them under the sting and jab of poetry

And among them there is none but a subservient weakling

يُساقونَ سَوقَ الحُمرِ لِلسَوطِ ما وَنى

لَدى السَيرِ مِنها فَهيَ في السَهلِ تَجهُدُ

They are driven like donkeys under the whip whenever

On the journey they grow weary and struggle on the plain

إِلى قاتِمِ الأَعماقِ ما فيهِ مُشرِقٌ

يُضيءُ وَلا مِنهُ إِلى عَلوَ مَصعَدُ

To the darkness of the depths - in it there is no bright one

To give light or from it one ascending to the heights

كَأَنّي بِهِم قَد شارَفوهُ فَأَيقَنوا

بِمَوتٍ عَلى أَسرابِهِم يَتَوَرَّدُ

It is as if I see them, having reached it, certain

Of death upon their bedouins creeping up

أَسيتُ لِأَوطانٍ أَباحوا ذِمارَها

فَأَيدي العِدى فيها تَعيثُ وَتُفسِدُ

I grieve for homelands whose precincts they permitted

So the hands of enemies in them go about corrupting and ruining

تَبَدَّدَ بَينَ الجُبنِ وَالحِرصِ رَأيُهُم

وَأَضيعُ رَأيَيكَ الَّذي يَتَرَدَّدُ

Their opinion was scattered between cowardice and greed

And I lost your sound opinion that was wavering

سَأَبكي عَلى مِصرٍ وَسالِفِ مَجدِها

وَإِن لَم يَكُن لي مِن بَني مِصرَ مُسعِدُ

I will cry over Egypt and the glory of its past

Even if I have no one from Egypt's people to bring me joy

أَرى اليَومَ مِثلَ الأَمسِ أَو هُوَ أَنكَدُ

فَيا لَيتَ شِعري ما يَجيءُ بِهِ الغَدُ

I see today like yesterday or even gloomier

Oh how I wish I knew what tomorrow will bring