أَيُّها الكاتِبُ المُصَوِّرُ صَوِّر

مِصرَ بِالمَنظَرِ الأَنيقِ الخَليقِ

O painter who depicts, portray

Egypt with a delicate, graceful scene

إِنَّ مِصراً رِوايَةُ الدَهرِ فَاِقرَأ

عِبرَةَ الدَهرِ في الكِتابِ العَتيقِ

Indeed Egypt is the tale of time so read

The moral of time in the ancient book

مَلعَبُ مَثَّلَ القَضاءُ عَلَيهِ

في صِبا الدَهرِ آيَةَ الصِدّيقِ

It was toyed with by destiny in

The youth of time, a sign of the truthful one

وَاِمِّحاءَ الكَليمِ آنَسَ ناراً

وَاِلتِجاءَ البَتولِ في وَقتِ ضيقِ

And the wink of the devoted one found fire

And the refuge of the virgin in time of distress

وَمَنايا مِنّا فَكِسرى فَذي القَر

نَينِ فَالقَيصَرَينِ فَالفاروقِ

And our death knells so Chosroes, he of the throne

The two Caesars, and the Farooq

دُوَلٌ لَم تَبِد وَلَكِن تَوارَت

خَلفَ سِترٍ مِنَ الزَمانِ رَقيقِ

States that did not appear but were concealed

Behind a thin veil of time

رَوضَتي اِزَّيَّنَت وَأَبدَت حُلاها

حينَ قالوا رِكابُكُم في الطَريقِ

My garden adorned itself and displayed its beauty

When they said your steeds are on the road

مِثلَ عَذراءَ مِن عَجائِزِ روما

بَشَّروها بِزَورَةِ البَطريقِ

Like a virgin of the old women of Rome

They gave her tidings of the Patriarch's visit

ضَحِكُ الماءِ وَالأَقاحي عَلَيها

قابَلَتهُ الغُصونُ بِالتَصفيقِ

The laughter of water and apples upon it

The branches reciprocated with applause

زُرنَها وَالرَبيعُ فَصلاً فَخَفَّت

نَحوَ رَكبَيكُما خُفوفَ المَشوقِ

Adorn it and spring a season so it swooned

Toward your two steeds light with yearning

فَاِنزِلا في عُيونِ نَرجِسِها الغَضِّ

صِياناً وَفَوقَ خَدِّ الشَقيقِ

So descend in its narcissus eyes' protection

Chastely and above the cheek of the sweet.