أَقدِم فَلَيسَ عَلى الإِقدامِ مُمتَنِعُ
وَاِصنَع بِهِ المَجدَ فَهوَ البارِعُ الصَنَعُ
I advance, for nothing is impossible to one who dares,
And achieve glory through it, for it is the most skillful achievement,
لِلناسِ في كُلِّ يَومٍ مِن عَجائِبِهِ
ما لَم يَكُن لِاِمرِئٍ في خاطِرٍ يَقَعُ
Every day the people witness its wonders,
Things no mind had ever imagined before.
هَل كانَ في الوَهمِ أَنَّ الطَيرَ يَخلُفُها
عَلى السَماءِ لَطيفُ الصُنعِ مُختَرَعُ
Who would have imagined that birds would be followed
Across the sky by such finely crafted creations,
وَأَنَّ أَدراجَها في الجَوِّ يَسلُكُها
جِنٌّ جُنودُ سُلَيمانٍ لَها تَبَعُ
And that guiding them through the air
Would be jinn, Solomon's armies following them.
أَعيا العُقابَ مَداهُم في السَماءِ وَما
راموا مِنَ القُبَّةِ الكُبرى وَما فَرَعوا
I wonder at eagles extending their wings in the sky, never
Aiming for the highest domes or branching out beyond them.
قُل لِلشَبابِ بِمِصرَ عَصرُكُم بَطَلٌ
بِكُلِّ غايَةِ إِقدامٍ لَهُ وَلَعُ
Tell the youth of Egypt, your time is one of heroes
With every daring goal belonging to them.
أُسُّ المَمالِكِ فيهِ هِمَّةٌ وَحِجىً
لا التُرَّهاتُ لَها أُسٌّ وَلا الخِدَعُ
The pillar of kingdoms lies in their ambition and protection,
Not in delusions or tricks.
يُعطي الشُعوبَ عَلى مِقدارِ ما نَبَغوا
وَلَيسَ يَبخَسُهُم شَيئاً إِذا بَرَعوا
They give each people according to what they have achieved,
Never stinting anything if they excel.
ماذا تُعِدّونَ بَعدَ البَرلَمانِ لَهُ
إِذا خِيارُكُمُ بِالدَولَةِ اِضطَلَعوا
What will you prepare after parliament for them
Once your best people assume power in the state?
البَرُّ لَيسَ لَكُم في طولِهِ لُجُمٌ
وَالبَحرُ لَيسَ لَكُم في عَرضِهِ شُرُعُ
The land has no expanse limiting you
And the sea has no breadth restricting you.
هَل تَنهَضونَ عَساكُمُ تَلحَقونَ بِهِ
فَلَيسَ يَلحَقُ أَهلَ السَيرِ مُضطَجِعُ
Will you rise up and catch up with them?
Those resting cannot catch up with the travelers.
لا يُعجَبَنَّكُمُ ساعٍ بِتَفرِقَةٍ
إِنَّ المِقَصَّ خَفيفٌ حينَ يَقتَطِعُ
Let not someone hastening to divide delight you,
The clippers seem light when they snip.
قَد أَشهَدوكُم مِنَ الماضي وَما نَبَشَت
مِنهُ الضَغائِنُ ما لَم تَشهَدِ الضَبُعُ
They have shown you the past, and what it exhumed
Of resentments that even the hyena never witnessed.
ما لِلشَبابِ وَلِلماضي تَمُرُّ بِهِم
فيهِ عَلى الجِيَفِ الأَحزابُ وَالشِيَعُ
What business do the youth and the past have with them
When parties and factions pass decaying over them?
إِنَّ الشَبابَ غَدٌ فَليَهدِهِم لِغَدٍ
وَلِلمَسالِكِ فيهِ الناصِحُ الوَرِعُ
The youth are tomorrow, so guide them to a tomorrow
And the righteous mentor to its paths.
لا يَمنَعَنَّكُمُ بِرُّ الأُبُوَّةِ أَن
يَكونَ صُنعُكُمُ غَيرَ الَّذي صَنَعوا
Do not let a father’s kindness prevent you
From doing what is unlike what they did.
لا يُعجِبَنَّكُمُ الجاهُ الَّذي بَلَغوا
مِنَ الوِلايَةِ وَالمالُ الَّذي جَمَعوا
Do not let the status they reached
Or the money they collected impress you.
ما الجاهُ وَالمالُ في الدُنيا وَإِن حَسُنا
إِلّا عَوارِيُّ حَظٍّ ثُمَّ تُرتَجَعُ
What are status and money in life, even if good?
Just fleeting luck, to be regained.
عَلَيكُمُ بِخَيالِ المَجدِ فَأتَلِفوا
حِيالَهُ وَعَلى تِمثالِهِ اِجتَمَعوا
Rally around the image of glory, unite
Around its statue, come together.
وَأَجمِلوا الصَبرَ في جِدٍّ وَفي عَمَلٍ
فَالصَبرُ يَنفَعُ ما لا يَنفَعُ الجَزَعُ
Show patience, with seriousness and action,
For patience benefits what impatience cannot.
وَإِن نَبَغتُم فَفي عِلمٍ وَفي أَدَبٍ
وَفي صِناعاتِ عَصرٍ ناسُهُ صُنُعُ
And if you excel, then in knowledge and etiquette,
And in the crafts of an era whose people are artisans.
وَكُلُّ بُنيانِ قَومٍ لا يَقومُ عَلى
دَعائِمَ العَصرِ مِن رُكنَيهِ مُنصَدِعُ
No people’s structure will stand unless
It rests on the pillars of the age from its corners.
شَريفُ مَكَّةَ حُرٌّ في مَمالِكِهِ
فَهَل تُرى القَومُ بِالحُرِيَّةِ اِنتَفَعوا
The noble Makkah is free in his realms,
So do you see people benefiting from freedom?
كَم في الحَياةِ مِنَ الصَحراءِ مِن شَبَهٍ
كِلتاهُما في مُفاجاةِ الفَنى شَرَعُ
How much in life resembles the desert, the two
Alike in the suddenness of demise.
وَراءَ كُلِّ سَبيلٍ فيهِما قَدَرٌ
لا تَعلَمُ النَفسُ ما يَأتي وَما يَدَعُ
Beyond each path in them is fate—
The soul knows not what will come and what will leave.
فَلَستَ تَدري وَإِن كُنتَ الحَريصَ مَتى
تَهُبُّ ريحاهُما أَو يَطلُعُ السَبَعُ
So you do not know, even if cautious, when
Its winds will blow or the predators appear.
وَلَستَ تَأمَنُ عِندَ الصَحوِ فاجِئَةً
مِنَ العَواصِفِ فيها الخَوفُ وَالهَلَعُ
You feel no safety upon waking from
Sudden storms, full of fear and panic.
وَلَستَ تَدري وَإِن قَدَّرتَ مُجتَهِداً
مَتى تَحُطُّ رِحالاً أَو مَتى تَضَعُ
You do not know, even if you try diligently,
When you will pitch tents or when depart.
وَلَستَ تَملُكُ مِن أَمرِ الدَليلِ سِوى
أَنَّ الدَليلَ وَإِن أَرداكَ مُتَّبَعُ
You own nothing of the guide’s affair except
That no matter what, the guide must be followed.
وَما الحَياةُ إِذا أَظمَت وَإِن خَدَعَت
إِلّا سَرابٌ عَلى صَحراءَ يَلتَمِعُ
What is life, even if deluding, except
A mirage shimmering over the desert?
أَكبَرتُ مِن حَسَنَينٍ هِمَّةً طَمَحَت
تَروُم ما لا يَرومُ الفِتيَةُ القُنُعُ
I aspired beyond my sweet sixteen, with ambition
Seeking what content youth do not seek.
وَما البُطولَةُ إِلّا النَفسُ تَدفَعُها
فيما يُبَلِغُها حَمداً فَتَندَفِعُ
Heroism is just the soul pushing itself
Toward what will bring it praise, so it rushes forth.
وَلا يُبالي لَها أَهلٌ إِذا وَصَلوا
طاحوا عَلى جَنَباتِ الحَمدِ أَم رَجَعوا
It cares not if kinfolk, having reached
The sides of glory, fell or returned.
رَحّالَةَ الشَرقِ إِنَّ البيدَ قَد عَلِمَت
بِأَنَّكَ اللَيثُ لَم يُخلَق لَهُ الفَزَعُ
Traveler of the East, the deserts now know
That you are the lion, unafraid.
ماذا لَقيتَ مِنَ الدَوِّ السَحيقِ وَمِن
قَفرٍ يَضيقُ عَلى الساري وَيَتَّسِعُ
What have you encountered of deep sands, and
Of deserts tight on the walker, yet wide?
وَهَل مَرَرتَ بِأَقوامٍ كَفِطرَتِهِم
مِن عَهدِ آدَمَ لا خُبثٌ وَلا طَبَعُ
Have you passed people whose nature since Adam's days
Holds no malice or instinct?
وَمِن عَجيبٍ لِغَيرِ اللَهِ ما سَجَدوا
عَلى الفَلا وَلِغَيرِ اللَهِ ما رَكَعوا
Astounding that they bow to none but God,
And to none but God kneel.
كَيفَ اِهتَدى لَهُمُ الإِسلامُ وَاِنتَقَلَت
إِلَيهُمُ الصَلَواتُ الخَمسُ وَالجُمَعُ
How did Islam guide them and how were
The five prayers conveyed to them and the Friday sermon?
جَزَتكَ مِصرُ ثَناءً أَنتَ مَوضِعُهُ
فَلا تَذُب مِن حَياءٍ حينَ تَستَمِعُ
Egypt has praised you enough—you deserve it.
Do not shy from listening when you hear it.
وَلَو جَزَتكَ الصَحارى جِئتَنا مَلِكاً
مِنَ المُلوكِ عَلَيكَ الريشُ وَالوَدَعُ
Had the deserts praised you, you would have come to us
A king above other kings, honored and obeyed.
