أَيُّها المُنتَحي بِأَسوانَ داراً
كَالثُرَيّا تُريدُ أَن تَنقَضّا
O you who has chosen Aswan as home
Like a dove you wish to settle
اِخلَعِ النَعلَ وَاِخفِضِ الطَرفَ وَاِخشَع
لا تُحاوِل مِن آيَةِ الدَهرِ غَضّا
Take off your shoes and lower your gaze and be humble
Do not try to comprehend the signs of fate
قِف بِتِلكَ القُصورِ في اليَمِّ غَرقى
مُمسِكاً بَعضُها مِنَ الذُعرِ بَعضا
Stop at those palaces submerged in the sea
Some holding others in fear
كَعَذارى أَخفَينَ في الماءِ بَضّاً
سابِحاتٍ بِهِ وَأَبدَينَ بَضّا
Like maidens hidden in the water decently
Swimming in it with hands outstretched
مُشرِفاتٍ عَلى الزَوالِ وَكانَت
مُشرِفاتٍ عَلى الكَواكِبِ نَهضا
Overlooking sunset, they once overlooked
The stars rising high
شابَ مِن حَولِها الزَمانُ وَشابَت
وَشَبابُ الفُنونِ مازالَ غَضّا
Time has aged around them but the arts
Of youth are still fresh
رُبَّ نَقشٍ كَأَنَّما نَفَضَ الصا
نِعُ مِنهُ اليَدَينِ بِالأَمسِ نَفضا
Murals as if the painter just yesterday
Brushed them off with his hands
وَدُهانٍ كَلامِعِ الزَيتِ مَرَّت
أَعصُرٌ بِالسِراجِ وَالزَيتِ وُضّا
And paints glossy as oil, squeezed
By lamps and oil abundantly
وَخُطوطٍ كَأَنَّها هُدبُ ريمٍ
حَسُنَت صَنعَةً وَطولاً وَعَرضا
And lines as if they are the ridges of sand dunes
Perfect in workmanship, length and width
وَضَحايا تَكادُ تَمشي وَتَرعى
لَو أَصابَت مِن قُدرَةِ اللَهِ نَبضا
Sacrifices that could nearly walk and graze
If given life by God's power for but a moment
وَمَحاريبَ كَالبُروجِ بَنَتها
عَزَماتٌ مِن عَزمَةِ الجِنِّ أَمضى
And prayer niches like celestial towers built
With the resolve of jinn, solid and firm
شَيَّدَت بَعضَها الفَراعينُ زُلفى
وَبَنى البَعضَ أَجنَبٌ يَتَرَضّى
Some were built by the Pharaohs with devotion
And others by foreigners who sought favor
وَمَقاصيرُ أُبدِلَت بِفُتاتِ ال
مِسكِ تُرباً وَبِاليَواقيتِ قَضّا
With powder of musk instead of brick dust
And rubies instead of gravel
حَظُّها اليَومَ هَدَّةٌ وَقَديماً
صُرِّفَت في الحُظوظِ رَفعاً وَخَفضا
Their fortune today is neglect, though long ago
They rose high and fell low
سَقَتِ العالَمينَ بِالسَعدِ وَالنَخ
سِ إِلى أَن تَعاطَتِ النَحسَ مَحضا
They brought good fortune and misfortune to the lands
Until misfortune came to them in full
صَنعَةٌ تُدهِشُ العُقولَ وَفَنٌّ
كانَ إِتقانُهُ عَلى القَومِ فَرضا
Artistry that astounds minds and mastery
That excellence was a duty upon the people
يا قُصوراً نَظَرتُها وَهيَ تَقضي
فَسَكَبتُ الدُموعَ وَالحَقُّ يُقضى
O palaces whose sight, as they perish,
Made me shed tears, for truth must perish
أَنتِ سَطرٌ وَمَجدُ مِصرَ كِتابٌ
كَيفَ سامَ البِلى كِتابَكَ فَضّا
You are a line, and Egypt's glory is a book
How did decay make your book dissolve?
وَأَنا المُحتَفي بِتاريخِ مِصرٍ
مَن يَصُن مَجدَ قَومِهِ صانَ عِرضا
I pride myself on Egypt's history
Who preserves their people's glory protects their honor
رُبَّ سِرٍّ بِجانِبَيكَ مُزالٍ
كانَ حَتّى عَلى الفَراعينِ غُمضا
Many secrets beside you have disappeared
That even the Pharaoh's concealed
قُل لَها في الدُعاءِ لَو كانَ يُجدي
يا سَماءَ الجِلالِ لا صِرتِ أَرضا
Say in prayer, though in vain:
O heavens of glory, if only you would become earth
حارَ فيكِ المُهَندِسونَ عُقولاً
وَتَوَلَّت عَزائِمُ العِلمِ مَرضى
Engineers were perplexed by you, their minds failed
And the determination of scholars grew sick
أَينَ مَلِكٌ حِيالَها وَفَريدٌ
مِن نِظامِ النَعيمِ أَصبَحَ فَضا
Where is the king in front of whom you stood, unique
In prosperity's order, brought to nothingness?
أَينَ فِرعَونُ في المَواكِبِ تَترى
يَركُضُ المالِكينَ كَالخَيلِ رَكضا
Where is Pharaoh in processions, horses
Appearing to gallop like steeds?
ساقَ لِلفَتحِ في المَمالِكِ عَرضاً
وَجَلا لِلفَخارِ في السِلمِ عَرضا
He led the conquest of kingdoms with pride
And rose high in glory and esteem
أَينَ إيزيسَ تَحتَها النيلُ يَجري
حَكَمَت فيهِ شاطِئَينِ وَعَرضا
Where is Isis, under whom the Nile flows?
She ruled over both banks and width
أَسدَلَ الطَرفَ كاهِنٌ وَمَليكٌ
في ثَراها وَأَرسَلَ الرَأسَ خَفضا
Priests and kings lower their gaze at her ruins
And bow their heads down low
يُعرَضُ المالِكونَ أَسرى عَلَيها
في قُيودِ الهَوانِ عانينَ جَرضى
Rulers are displayed as captives before her
In the shackles of humiliation, miserable and scorned
ما لَها أَصبَحَت بِغَيرِ مُجيرٍ
تَشتَكي مِن نَوائِبِ الدَهرِ عَضّا
Now she is without protector, complaining
Of the blows of fate, unceasing
هِيَ في الأَسرِ بَينَ صَخرٍ وَبَحرٍ
مُلكَةٌ في السُجونِ فَوقَ حَضوضى
She is captive between rock and sea
A queen imprisoned atop rubble
أَينَ هوروسُ بَينَ سَيفٍ وَنِطعٍ
أَبِهَذا في شَرعِهِم كانَ يُقضى
Where is Horus amidst sword and flail?
Was this how he was destined to die?
لَيتَ شِعري قَضى شَهيدَ غَرامٍ
أَم رَماهُ الوُشاةُ حِقداً وَبُغضا
I wonder if he died a martyr of love
Or was it the treacherous who enviously struck him down?
رُبَّ ضَربٍ مِن سَوطِ فِرعَونَ مَضٍّ
دونَ فِعلِ الفِراقِ بِالنَفسِ مَضّا
Many lashes of Pharaoh's whip pass
Less severe than the pain of separation
وَهَلاكٍ بِسَيفِهِ وَهوَ قانٍ
دونَ سَيفٍ مِنَ اللَواحِظِ يُنضى
And death by his sword, willingly
Less than the sword of longing one suffers
قَتَلوهُ فَهَل لِذاكَ حَديثٌ
أَينَ راوي الحَديثِ نَثراً وَقَرضا
They killed him, is there no story
Where is the narrator in prose or verse?
يا إِمامَ الشُعوبِ بِالأَمسِ وَاليَو
مِ سَتُعطى مِنَ الثَناءِ فَتَرضى
O leader of nations past and present
You will be praised, be pleased
مِصرُ بِالنازِلينَ مِن ساحِ مَعنٍ
وَحِمى الجودِ حاتِمُ الجودِ أَفضى
Egypt is home to those of generous character
Protector of protection, Hatim of nobility
كُن ظَهيراً لِأَهلِها وَنَصيراً
وَاِبذُلِ النُصحَ بَعدَ ذَلِكَ مَحضا
Be a supporter of its people and their ally
And offer sincere advice after that entirely
قُل لِقَومٍ عَلى الوِلاياتِ أَيقا
ظٍ إِذا ذاقَتِ البَرِيَّةُ غُمضا
Tell those over the provinces, if tested
By destitution, the land tastes bitter fruit
شيمَةُ النيلِ أَن يَفي وَعَجيبٌ
أَحرَجوهُ فَضَيَّعَ العَهدَ نَقضا
It is the Nile's way, if constrained, to overflow
They frustrated it, so it forsook its course
حاشَهُ الماءُ فَهوَ صَيدٌ كَريمٌ
لَيتَ بِالنيلِ يَومَ يَسقُطُ غَيضا
It encompassed the water, a generous catch
If only the Nile would flood during drought
شيدَ وَالمالُ وَالعُلومُ قَليلٌ
أَنقَذوهُ بِالمالِ وَالعِلمِ نَقضا
It built, but wealth and knowledge are little
Save it with money and knowledge in return
