مَلَلنا وَما مَلَّ العَدُوُّ المُغاضِبُ
وَلِنّا وَما لانَ الزَمانُ المُشاغِبُ
We are weary, though the angry foe be not weary,
And though the time of trouble be not weary.
يُعاجِلُنا ما لا نُريدُ مِنَ الأَذى
وَيُبطِئُ مِن آمالِنا ما نُراقِبُ
It hurries us on to misery when we desire it not,
And from our hopes it lags when we observe it.
حَمَلنا قُلوباً يَعصِفُ الدَهرُ حَولَها
وَتَهفو بِها أَحداثُهُ وَالنَوائِبُ
We bear hearts around which the days storm
And at which events stab and catastrophes rage.
نُريدُ سَبيلَ الأَمنِ وَالأَرضُ كُلُّها
مَشارِقُها مَذعورَةٌ وَالمَغارِبُ
We desire the way to safety, yet the whole earth
Is filled with fear in the east and the west.
تَثورُ شُعوبُ العالَمينَ وَيَنطَوي
عَلى الذُلِّ شَعبٌ في السَكينَةِ راغِبُ
The peoples of the two worlds are in ferment,
While a people in the midst of calmness wishes for submission.
رُمينا بِأَقوامٍ مِراضٍ قُلوبُهُم
يَسومُونَنا ما لا يُسامُ المُحارِبُ
We have been thrown among a people whose hearts' sickness
Inflicts upon us what a warrior's swords cannot inflict.
فَلا الدَمُ مَمنوعٌ وَلا العِرضُ سالِمٌ
وَلا العَسفُ مَحظورٌ وَلا الرِفقُ واجِبُ
Neither blood nor honor is forbidden,
Neither violence prohibited nor kindness obligatory.
يُقادُ إِلى الهَيجاءِ مَن لا يُريدُها
فَيَمشي إِلَيها وَهوَ طَيّانُ ساغِبُ
He who does not desire havoc is led toward it
And goes reluctantly, though with a yearning soul.
أَطاعَ العِدى لا أَنَّهُ خانَ قَومَهُ
وَلَكِنَّما ضاقَت عليه المذاهبُ
He has obeyed the foe, not because he betrayed his people,
Rather because party strife restricted him.
هُمو سَلَبوهُ المالَ وَالآلَ وَاِحتَوَوا
مِنَ الحَبِّ وَالأَنعامِ ما هُوَ كاسِبُ
They robbed him of wealth and family and took possession
Of the love and bounty that were his livelihood.
فَأَصبَحَ لا يَدري أَفي الأَرضِ مَذهَبٌ
أَمِ اِنطَبَقَت أَطرافُها وَالمَناكِبُ
So he knows not whether there is room for him in the land
Or whether the horizons have closed in upon him.
تَطَوَّعَ يَلقى المَوتَ لا مِن شَجاعَةٍ
وَلِكِنَّهُ مِن خيفَةِ المَوتِ هارِبُ
He volunteered to face death, not out of courage,
But because he flees in fear from the fear of death.
رَماهُ مِنَ الجوعِ المُبَرِّحِ مِقنَبٌ
تَدينُ لَهُ الهَيجا وَتَعنو المَقانِبُ
Hunger's violence drives him on though he be doubly armed;
Spears push him from the rear, and likewise sharp swords.
إِذا كَرَّ لاقَتهُ الأَسِنَّةُ خُضَّعاً
وَجاءَتهُ في زِيِّ العِصِيِّ القَواضِبُ
When he turns his back the tongues attack him,
And when he comes to them, the weapons come in war apparel.
أَسِفتُ لِشَعبٍ مُستَباحٍ وَأُمَّةٍ
أَحاطَ بِها جَيشٌ مِنَ الظُلمِ غالِبُ
I pity a people made prey and a nation
Encircled by an army of oppression made victorious.
تُمارِسُ مِنهُ غارَةً بَعدَ غارَةٍ
وَتَرقُبُ فيهِ ما تَجيءُ العَواقِبُ
They make attack after attack upon it
And spy out its vulnerable points for the final assault.
تَروحُ وَتَغدو وَالنُفوسُ نَوازِعٌ
تُدافِعُها آمالها وَتُجاذِبُ
By day it advances and attacks, while death's pangs
Drive it onward and calamities' chains pull it.
طَوَت حِجَجاً سوداً كَأَنَّ شُهورَها
بَناتُ الدُجى أَهوالُها وَالغَياهِبُ
It has wrapped itself in black nights like months
Whose daughters are horrors ever lying in wait.
تَسيرُ بِطاءً وَالمَكارِهُ رُكَّضٌ
بِأَرجائِها وَالمُزعِجاتُ دوائِبُ
It moves slowly though disasters run fleetly
At its sides, while sorrows press hard behind.
نَشُدُّ القُلوبَ الخافِقاتِ تَهُزُّها
خُطوبُ اللَيالي وَالهُمومُ النَواصِبُ
We appeal to hearts that quiver so that the nights' misfortunes
And endless worries may shake them.
وَأَهلَكنا غَدرُ الوُلاةِ وَقَولُهُم
هَنيئاً لِشَعبٍ اَخطَأَتهُ المَعاطِبُ
The guards' treason has destroyed us, and their cry:
"Congratulations to a people whose envoys have erred!"
أَرونا بِلاداً فاتَها ما أَصابَكُم
وَتَمَّت لَها حاجاتُها وَالمَطالِبُ
They have shown us lands that have escaped the fate which has befallen you
And ended happily with their wants fulfilled.
أُبيدَت شُعوبٌ جَدَّ في الحَربِ جِدُّها
وَغودِرَ شَعبٌ في الكِنانَةِ لاعِبُ
Nations were annihilated despite their supreme struggle,
While a people at play has been destroyed.
لَبِستُم رِداءَ السِلمِ إِذ كُلُّ أُمَّةٍ
لَها مِن دِماءِ الهالِكينَ جَلابِبُ
You have put on the garb of peace, though to every nation
Belong some blood-smeared tatters.
فَلا تَكفُروها يا بَني مِصرَ نِعمَةً
وَلا يَجلِبَنَّ الشَرَّ في مِصرَ جالِبُ
So do not impugn it, O Sons of Egypt, as a blessing
Nor let a despoiler bring destruction to Egypt.
لَعَمري لَقَد غالَ النُفوسَ فَسادُها
وَلا كَنُفوسٍ أَفسَدَتها المَناصِبُ
By my life! Souls have been corrupted by the corruption of position,
And no souls have been more corrupted than those of governors.
تَطيبُ سَجايا المَرءِ حَتّى إِذا سَما
بِهِ مَنصِبٌ دَبَّت إِلَيهِ المَعائِبُ
A man's qualities are sound until, when he attains
A position, defects creep over him.
أَخَذنا عَلى القَومِ العُهودَ فَما وَفوا
وَلا صَدَقَت أَخلاقُهُم وَالضَرائِبُ
We made agreements with the people, but they did not keep their word,
Nor did their pledges and promises prove sincere.
كَأَنّا وَإِيّاهُم عَلى مُستَكِنَّةٍ
مِنَ الحِقدِ نُخفيها مَعاً وَنُوارِبُ
We and they are as though, in our hatred, we charge at each other
While outwardly we feign friendliness and amity!
يَخافونَ بَعضَ اللائِمينَ وَنَتَّقي
بَوادِرَهُم فَالشَرُّ حَيرانُ هائِبُ
We fear some of the critics and so avoid
Taking precautions against them, so confusion stalls the mind.
كِلانا عَلى ما يَسلِبُ النَفسَ حِلمَها
مِنَ الأَمرِ لا راضٍ وَلا هُو غاضِبُ
We both refrain from things that deprive the soul of its tolerance
Whether we are content or angry.
وَإِنَّ بِلاداً سامَها الضَيمَ أَهلُها
لَأَجدَرُ أَن يَقضي عَلَيها الأَجانِبُ
Countries that have been wronged by their own people
Are more deserving to be rid of foreigners!
يُصيبونَ مِنها كُلَّ يَومٍ فَريسَةً
تُمَزِّقُها أَنيابُهُم وَالمَخالِبُ
From these countries they snatch each day some prey
Which their swords shred and their claws tear.
أُسودٌ عَلى المُستَضعَفينَ ثَعالِبٌ
تَروغُ إِذا هَبَّ القَوِيُّ المُواثِبُ
They are lions toward the weak, creeping foxes
When the strong young lion springs up.
سَئِمنا حَياةَ الذُلِّ وَالذُلُّ مَركَبٌ
يُسايِرُ فيهِ المَوتَ مَن هُوَ راكِبُ
We are tired of the life of humiliation, and humiliation
Accompanies him who rides upon it to death.
نُريدُ فَيَأبى الظالِمونَ وَنَشتَكي
فَيَحجِبُنا مِنهُم عَنِ العَدلِ حاجِبُ
We demand, but the oppressors refuse
And we complain, but the guard of justice bars us from equity.
دَهانا مِنَ الأَقوامِ ما لَو دَها الصَفا
لَفاضَت دَماً عَن جانِبَيهِ المَذانِبُ
We have tasted harm from the peoples such as if harm like unto it
Were tasted, the sides of high mountains would flow with blood.
وَلَو أَنَّ بِالشُمِّ الشَوامِخِ ما بِنا
لَما ثَبُتَت مِنها الذُرى وَالجَوانِبُ
Had my withstanding been in high mountains,
Their peaks would not have stood firm.
أَما تُحسِنُ الأَيّامُ صُنعاً بِأُمَّةٍ
أَساءَت بِها الصُنعَ اللَيالي الذَواهِبُ
Can the nights deal graciously with a people
So ill-treated by their nights rapidly fleeing?
صَبَرنا وَهَذا مُنتَهى الصَبرِ كُلِّهِ
فَأَينَ أَمانينا وَأَينَ المَآرِبُ
We were patient, and that was the utmost limit of all patience.
So where are our hopes and where is deliverance?
فَلا مَجدَ لِلأَوطانِ حَتّى يَزورَها
كَتائِبُ تُزجيها لِقَومي كَتائِبُ
No glory belongs to homelands if only
Battalions that drive them like battalions visit them.
