تَغَلغَلَ في القَلبِ حَتّى وَقَرْ

وَأَشرَقَ في العَينِ حَتّى بَهَرْ

It penetrated the heart until it settled

And shone in the eyes until it dazzled

حَديثٌ شَفى النَفسَ مِن دائِها

وَأَطفَأَ مِن وَجدِها المُستَعِرْ

A talk that healed the soul of its disease

And extinguished the burning anguish

فَقُل لِبَني مِصرَ جَدَّ الثِقاتُ

فَسُدّوا المَسامِعَ عَمَّن هَذَرْ

So say to the people of Egypt, the trusted ones

Stop up your ears against the babbler

أَلا إِنَّهُ لَحَديثُ المُلوكِ

فَنِعمَ الحَديثُ وَنِعمَ الخَبَرْ

Behold, it is the talk of kings

How excellent is this talk and news

أَذاعوهُ ثانِيَةً فَاِنبَرى

يَروحُ بِهِ البَرقُ أَو يَبتَكِرْ

Broadcast it a second time, for with it

Flashes the lightning or breaks the dawn

أَبانَ لِملنرَ مَعنى الشَبابِ

لِشَعبٍ يَراهُ صَريعَ الكِبَرْ

It showed the meaning of youth

To a people who see old age vanquished

لَقَد أَخَذَ الشَكُّ بَعضَ النُفوسِ

فَرابَ السَبيلُ وَزاعَ البَصَرْ

Doubt has indeed seized some souls

So the path was obscured and sight confounded

وَمِن نَكَدِ الدَهرِ أَن يَستَعينَ

بِكَيدِ العِظاتِ وَظُلمِ العِبَرْ

And of the bitterness of fate that it should seek help

Through the guile of tyrants and injustice of lessons

أَلَم يَأنِ لِلدَهرِ أَن يَزدَجِرْ

فَقَد أَتعَبَ الناسَ ما يَأتَمِرْ

Is it not time for fate to be deterred

For it has wearied people with its commands

رُوَيدَ الحَوادِثِ إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ

رَأَيتُ الأَعاجيبَ شَتّى الصُوَرْ

Restrain yourselves, events, I am a man

Who has seen wonders of varied forms

وَأَعجَبُها أُمَّةٌ تَشتَكي

خُطوبَ الزَمانِ وَفيها عُمَرْ

And the strangest is a nation complaining

Of the blows of fate while in its prime

فَتى الهِمَمِ الناهِضاتِ الكِبارِ

وَمَولى الفِعالِ الحِسانِ الغُرَرْ

The youth of high resolves and great deeds

And master of fine, noble actions

يَصونُ الذِمارَ وَيَأَبى القَرارَ

إِذا عَصَفَ الحادِثُ المُكفَهِرّْ

Who guards ambitions and refuses to settle

When disaster rides roughshod

عَرَفناهُ أَكبَرَنا مَوقِفاً

وَأَصدَقَنا نَجدَةً في الغِيَرْ

We knew him to be our greatest in stance

And truest to help in time of need

إِذا اِنتَظَرَ القَومُ في النازِلاتِ

تَوَثَّبَ أَروَعَ ما يَنتَظِرْ

When the people await in disasters

The finest that may be awaited leaps up

يُبادِرُها غَيرَ ذي رَعدَةٍ

إِذا اِستَوهَلَ الراجِفُ المُقشَعِرّْ

He forestalls them though not a thunderbolt

When the trembling coward is terrified

وَما جُعِلَت عَفَواتُ الثَنا

ءِ إِلّا لِذي الجُرأَةِ المُبتَدِرْ

And the oversights of praise are but

For the daring risk-taker

نُؤَمِّلُهُ عِصمَةً لِلنُفوسِ

فَنِعمَ المُؤَمَّلُ وَالمُعتَصَرْ

We pin hopes on him to protect souls

Excellent the hoped for and the sheltered

وَنَرمي بِهِ حادِثاتِ الزَمانِ

إِذا ما رَمَتنا بِأَمرٍ نُكُرْ

And we hurl at fate's accidents

Whenever it hurls at us something novel

لَهُ دَعوَةُ الخَيرِ تَجلو العَمى

وَتَهدي السَبيلَ وَتَنفي الغَرَرْ

His prayer for good reveals the blindness

And guides the path and dispels delusions

تَدارَكَهُ فَاِستَوى مِن عَلٍ

وَأَرسى قَواعِدَهُ فَاِستَقَرْ

It helps him until he rises from his stumble

And establishes his foundations firm

إِذا زَلزَلَ اليَأسُ صَرحَ الرَجاءِ

وَمالَ بِأَركانِهِ وَالجُدُرْ

When despair shakes the palace of hope

And makes it lean with all its walls

يَعُدُّ مِنَ النَفَرِ الكابِرينَ

جَلالَ العُروشِ وَزَينَ السُرُرْ

He is counted among the defiant titans

The glory of thrones and grace of seats

حُماةُ البِلادِ إِذا اِستَصرَخَت

تُريدُ النَجاءَ وَتَبغي المَفَرّْ

The guardians of countries when they cry out

Seeking rescue and desiring escape

وَأَقمارُها حينَ يُخفي الظَلامُ

ضِياءَ النُجومِ وَنورَ القَمَرْ

And their moons when darkness hides

The stars' light and the moon's radiance

إِذا سَطَعوا في دَياجي الخُطوبِ

جَرى النورُ مِن حَولِهِم يَنتَشِرْ

When they shine in the darkness of disasters

Light flows around them spreading

وَإِن سَلَكوا خُطَّةً أَقبَلَت

تَسيرُ الجُموعُ وَتَمشي الزُمَرْ

And if they take a course, the masses proceed

And the groups walk in accord

لَهُم بَينَنا الغُرَرُ السابِقاتُ

مِنَ المَجدِ وَالباقِياتُ الأُخَرْ

For them among us precedents of glory

And lasting deeds for later times

وَما مِصرُ إِلّا رَجاءُ الجَميعِ

فَإِن ذَهَبَت ذَهَبوا في الأَثَرْ

For Egypt is but the hope of all

If it goes, they go in its tracks

أَمانَةُ آبائِنا الأَوَّلينَ

وَإِرثُ البَنينَ وَذُخرُ العُصُرْ

Trust of our early forefathers

And inheritance of sons and treasure of the age

فَقُل لِلمُساوِمِ في عِرضِها

مَكانَكَ إِنّا رِجالٌ غُيُرْ

So say to him who bargains with its honour

Your place, we are other men

نَرُدُّ الهَضيمَةَ نُرمى بِها

وَنَصدُفُ عَن تُرَّهاتِ النُذُرْ

We return the affront made against us

And ward off the threats and hints

وَنَعلَمُ أَنّا عَلى واضِحٍ

مِنَ الحَقِّ يَعرِفُهُ ذو النَظَرْ

And we know we stand clearly

On the truth that the discerning know

أَفي الحَقِّ أَنّا نَخونُ البَنينَ

وَنُغضِبُ آباءَنا في الحُفَرْ

Is it truth that we betray the sons

And anger our dead fathers in their graves?

يُخَوِّفُنا مَعشَرُ الموعِدينَ

وَلا خَوفَ مِمّا يَجُرُّ القَدَرْ

The warner’s threats frighten us not

Nor fear we what fate will spin

سِوانا يَجُرُّ قِيادَ الذَليلِ

وَيَنزِلُ مَنزِلَةَ المُحتَقَرْ

Let fate spin the cord of disgrace

And descend to despised lowliness

أَيُقضى عَلَينا قَضاءَ العَبيدِ

وَنُؤخَذُ بِالخَسفِ أَخذَ الحُمُرْ

Is it decreed for us the judgement of slaves

And are we seized like asses?

فَلا وَأَبيكَ نُقِرُّ الأَذى

وَنَرضى الهَوانَ وَنَلقى الضَرَرْ

No, by your father! We accept no harm

Or consent to disgrace or sustain injury

رَدَدنا عَلى القَومِ أَحكامَهِم

وَإِن أَصبَحَت شِرعَةً لِلبَشَرْ

We turned their judgements back on the people

Though in the morning enacted as law among mankind

فَلا الأَمرُ لِلقادِرِ المُستَبِدِّ

وَلا الحَقُّ لِلغالِبِ المُنتَصِرْ

So neither command belongs to the domineering tyrant

Nor truth to the victorious conqueror