أهلا وسهلا بحاميها وفاديها

ومرحبا وسلاما يا عرابيها

Welcome to her defender and savior,

And greetings and peace to her protector.

وبالكرامة يامن راح يفضحها

ومقدم الخير يا من جاء يخزيها

And with dignity, O one who went to expose her,

And initiator of good, O one who came to shame her.

وعد لها حين لا تغنى مدافعها

عن الزعيم ولا تجدى طوابيها

And promise her when her cannons are of no avail,

To protect the leader, nor are her fortresses useful.

وارجع إليها فيا لله فاتحها

يوم الإياب ويا لله غازيها

And return to it - by God open its gates -

On the day of return, and by God conquer it.

وانزل على الطائر الميمون ساحتها

واجلس على تلّها وانعق بواديها

And descend on the auspicious plane in its field,

And sit on its hill and coo in its valleys.

وبِض لها بيضة للنصر كافلة

إن الدجاج عقيم في نواحيها

And lay for it the egg of victory which will hatch,

Since the chicken is sterile in its environs.

واظلم صحيح البخارى كل أونة

ونم عن الحرب واقرأ في لياليها

And oppress Al-Bukhari's Sahih every so often,

And sleep away from war, and read during its nights.

وأخرج القوم من مصر بخارقة

تفوق فاشودة فيها وتنسيها

And bring the people out of Egypt with a miracle,

Exceeding the Fashoda in it and forgetting it.

من العجائب صاروا من أحبتها

فيما زعمت وكانوا من أعاديها

From wonders, they became those who loved her,

As you claimed, yet were among her enemies.

كأن ما كان من حرب ومن حَرَب

عتب المودة لا يودى بصافيها

As if past wars and battles,

Were but friendliness' reproach which does not destroy its purity.

وضع عمامتك الخضراء من شرف

يعرفك كل جهول من أهاليها

Put on your green turban with honor,

So every ignoramus of its people recognizes you.

وقصّ رؤياك مكذوبا بمضحكها

على النبيين مكذوبا بمبكيها

And falsely recount your laughable vision,

Falsely mourning the prophets with its weeping.

فلست تعدم عميا من أكابرها

ولست تعدم بكما من أعاليها

For you do not lack a blind one from its dignitaries,

Nor a mute one from its nobility.

ولست تعدم وغدا من أسافلها

يزف للأمة البشرى ويهديها

Nor tomorrow one from its riffraff,

Who announces good tidings to the nation and guides it.

ولست تعدم في الأجواد ذا سفه

يحصى الديون التي تشكو ويقضيها

Nor do you lack among the generous one so foolish,

Who counts the debts which it complains of and settles them.

قل للمَّلك أدورد أصبت غنى

عن الهنود وإرلندا وما فيها

Say to King Edward you have become needless,

Of India, Ireland and what is in it.

هذا عرابي تمنى أن تقابله

وأن ينال يداً جلت أياديها

And to obtain a hand that made hands shrink.

So pass through England, wreaking havoc on its armies,

فمر بانكلترا تزجى فيالقها

وبالأساطيل تدوى في موانيها

And with the fleets thunder in its harbors.

And pass through London, appearing with its adornments,

ومر بلندرة تبدو بزينتها

وتنجلى للبرايا في مجاليها

And shining brightly in its squares.

So where is Roberts compared to him when he attacks her

فأين روبرس منه إذ ييمها

وأين سيمور منه إذ يوافيها

And where is Seymour compared to him when he confronts her?

This one whom the Franks know his might,

هذا الذي يعرف الافرنج صولته

والبر يعلمها والبحر يدريها

And the land knows it and the sea is aware of it.

And ask him by God if you shake his hand,

وسله بالله إن صافحت راحته

ما نفسه ما مناها ما مساعيها

What his soul desires, what his aspirations are.

And where are his faiths which he extolled,

وأين أيمانه اللاتي أشاد بها

أن لا يحكم فيها غير أهليها

That none should rule it but its inhabitants?

And where does he die honoured, not accepting less than it,

وأين يموت عزيزا دون أربعها

ولا يعيش ذليلا في مغانيها

And not live disgraced enjoying its pleasures?

And tell him in the Nile's tongue that pains him,

وقل له بلسان النيل توجعه

والنفس إن صغرت لا شئ يؤذيها

If the soul is small, nothing can harm it.

Those bones without a grave or shroud,

تلك العظام بلا قبر ولا كفن

لولاك لم يبل في العشرين باليها

If not for you, would not have rotted away in its ruins.

So bestow peace upon it when it mourns them,

فاقَر السلام عليها حين تندبها

وأمّل العفو منها حين تبكيها

And hope for forgiveness from it when it weeps for them.

And speak to it once in a lifetime,

وناجِها مرة في العمر واحدة

لو كان سهلا عليها أن تناجيها

If it were easy for it to speak to you.

Death has brought it no honor,

أوردتها الموت لم تبلغ بها شرفا

ولا توخيت بالأوطان تنويها

Nor have you sought glory in the homelands by supporting it.

It has not seen for you a sword to illuminate it,

وما رأت لك سيفا تستضىء به

يوم القتال ولا وجها يحييها

On the day of battle, nor a face to enliven it.

It spent the night seeing death overtaking it,

باتت يرى الموت فيها كيف يدركها

وبت تنظر مصرا كيف تأتيها

And spent the night looking at Egypt coming to it.

So it woke up like sheep which wolves preyed upon,

فأصبحت غنما مر الذئاب بها

ونام عنها غداة الروع راعيها

And its shepherd slept the next morning.

O son of Hussein, Hussein died of thirst,

يا ابن الحسين حسين مات من ظمأ

وأنت محتفل بالنفس ترويها

While you revel in the soul quenching it.

That fatherhood - how strange are its features -

تلك الأبوة ما هذى شمائلها

للعارفينَ ولا هذى معانيها

To the knowledgeable, nor how strange are its meanings!

You are too young to be granted its glories,

وأنت أصغر أن تعطى مفاخرها

وأنت أسمج أن تكسى معاليها

And too foolish to be clothed in its sublimities.

God did not support His companion with dreams,

لم ينصر الله بالأحلام صاحبها

لكن بكل عوان كان يذكيها

But with every helper who would ignite it.

And the battlefields overwhelm it with affliction,

والمواقف يغشاها مؤلّبة

والحوض يمنعه والخيل يحميها

And the pool prevents it and the horses protect it.

The Messenger's fatherhood still wears it,

أبوّة المصطفى ما زال يلبسها

حر قشيب شباب الفخر ضافيها

The free white-haired elder adorning it with youth.

Until his daughter disputed it in Egypt,

حتى تنازعها في مصر صبيتها

دعوى وحتى تردّتها غوانيها

With a claim, and until its alleys refuted her.

So it became a target for the cowardly of the people,

وأصبحت لجبان القوم منقبة

وزينة لجهول القوم يبديها

And an adornment which the ignorant of the people display.

Why did you not precede the next day of the hill announcing her death,

هلا سبقت غداة التل ناعيها

على المنية مسرورا تلاقيها

Happily meeting it?

Why were you not shrouded at Al Hejaz with its banner,

هلا تكفنت في الهيجا برايتها

مثل الدراويش خانتها عواليها

When its supreme heights betrayed it?

Their group in war continues to unfold it,

ما زال جمعهم في الحرب ينشرها

حتى أتاها فناء الجمع يطويها

Until the perishing of the group folded it.

Why did you not refuse to forgive those who pardoned,

هلا أبيت على العافين عفوهم

لكي يقال أبىّ النفس عاليها

So it can be said he refused lofty nobility?

You claimed you were more deserving than those who honored it,

زعمت أنك أولى من أعزتها

بها وأحنى عليها من مواليها

Of it, and kinder to it than its loyalists.

You would be elated when its praises were recited,

وكنت تطرب إذ تتلى مدائحها

فأين دمعك إذ تتلى مراثيها

So where are your tears when its tragedies are recited?