غالِ في قيمَةِ اِبنِ بُطرُسَ غالي
عَلِمَ اللَهُ لَيسَ في الحَقِّ غالي
Gallant is Ibn Butrus Galli's worth
God knows in truth nothing is too dear
نَحتَفي بِالأَديبِ وَالحَقُّ يَقضي
وَجَلالُ الأَخلاقِ وَالأَعمالِ
Let us celebrate the man of letters though justice prevails
And the majesty of manners and deeds
أَدَبُ الأَكثَرينَ قَولٌ وَهَذا
أَدَبٌ في النُفوسِ وَالأَفعالِ
The education of the masses is mere talk
While true education is in souls and deeds
يُظهِرُ المَدحُ رَونَقَ الرَجُلِ الما
جِدِ كَالسَيفِ يَزدَهي بِالصِقالِ
Praise brings out the elegance of the earnest man
Like a sword made more splendid by polishing
رُبَّ مَدحٍ أَذاعَ في الناسِ فَضلاً
وَأَتاهُمُ بِقُدرَةٍ وَمِثالِ
Much praise proclaimed among the people some merit
And presented them with might and example
وَثَناءٍ عَلى فَتى عَمَّ قَوماً
قيمَةُ العِقدِ حُسنُ بَعضِ اللَآلي
And praise of a lad who excelled a nation
A necklace's value lies in some rare stones
إِنَّما يَقدُرُ الكِرامُ كَريمٌ
وَيُقيمُ الرِجالُ وَزنَ الرِجالِ
Only the noble know the worth of the noble
And men appraise the weight of men
وَإِذا عَظَّمَ البِلادَ بَنوها
أَنَزَلتُهُم مَنازِلَ الإِجلالِ
And when a land is exalted by its sons
It gives them stations of veneration
تَوَّجَت هامَهُم كَما تَوَّجوها
بِكَريمٍ مِنَ الثَناءِ وَغالي
Their ambitions were crowned as they crowned it
With a treasure of praise and esteem
إِنَّما واصِفٌ بِناءٌ مِنَ الأَخ
لاقِ في دَولَةِ المَشارِقِ عالي
He is but a portrayal of character in the state
Of the Levant, lofty and sublime
وَنَجيبٌ مُهَذَّبٌ مِن نَجيبٍ
هَذَّبَتهُ تَجارِبُ الأَحوالِ
A refined gentleman of a refined line
Refined by the tests of time
واهِبُ المالِ وَالشَبابِ لِما يَن
فَعُ لا لِلهَوى وَلا لِلضَلالِ
Bestowing wealth and youth for what benefits
Not for passion or misguidance
وَمُذيقُ العُقولِ في الغَربِ مِمّا
عَصَرَ العُربُ في السِنينَ الخَوالي
And making minds in the West taste what
The Arabs pressed in bygone ages
في كِتابٍ حَوى المَحاسِنَ في الشِع
رِ وَأَوعى جَوائِزَ الأَمثالِ
In a book filled with beauties in verse
And storing prizes for proverbs
مِن صِفاتٍ كَأَنَّها العَينُ صِدقاً
في أَداءِ الوُجوهِ وَالأَشكالِ
With attributes that are in truth the eye
In representing forms and figures
وَنَسيبٌ تُحاذِرُ الغيدُ مِنهُ
شَرَكَ الحُسنِ أَو شِباكَ الدَلالِ
A syntax that coy metaphor fears
Lest it rival beauty or lure the heart
وَنِظامٍ كَأَنَّهُ فَلَكُ اللَي
لِ إِذا لاحَ وَهوَ بِالزُهرِ حالي
And a system like the orbiting night sky
When it appears adorned in flowers
وَبَيانٍ كَما تَجَلّىعَلى الرُس
لِ تَجَلّى عَلى رُعاةِ الضالِ
And eloquence that revealed itself to the Messenger
As it reveals itself to the shepherds of flocks
ما عِلمُنا لِغَيرِهِم مِن لِسانٍ
زالَ أَهلوهُ وَهوَ في إِقبالِ
We know of no other tongue for others
That persisted as it gained momentum
بَلِيَت هاشِمٌ وَبادَت نِزارٌ
وَاللِسانُ المُبينُ لَيسَ بِبالي
Hashim declined and Nizar fell
But the eloquent tongue remains strong
كُلَّما هَمَّ مَجدُهُ بِزَوالٍ
قامَ فَحلُ فَحالَ دونَ الزَوالِ
Whenever its glory threatened to fade
It arose and came between it and fading
يا بَني مِصرَ لَم أَقُل أُمَّةَ ال
قِبطِ فَهَذا تَشَبُّثٌ بِمُحالِ
O sons of Egypt, I said not Coptic nation
For that is clinging to the impossible
وَاِحتِيالٌ عَلى خَيالٍ مِنَ المَج
دِ وَدَعوى مِنَ العِراضِ الطِوالِ
And plotting with fanciful glory
And claiming the highest accolades
إِنَّما نَحنُ مُسلِمينَ وَقِبطاً
أُمَّةٌ وُحِّدَت عَلى الأَجيالِ
Rather we are Muslims and Copts
A nation united through generations
سَبَقَ النيلُ بِالأُبُوَّةِ فينا
فَهوَ أَصلُ وَآدَمُ الجَدُّ تالي
The Nile preceded in fatherhood over us
So it is the origin and Adam the elder
نَحنُ مِن طينِهِ الكَريمِ عَلى اللَ
هِ وَمِن مائِهِ القَراحِ الزُلالِ
We are of its generous clay, by God's grace
And of its cool, limpid water
مَرَّ ما مَرَّ مِن قُرونٍ عَلَينا
رُسَّفاً في القُيودِ وَالأَغلالِ
Centuries passed over us
Peering through shackles and bonds
وَاِنقَضى الدَهرُ بَينَ زَغرَدَةِ العُر
سِ وَحَثوِ التُرابِ وَالإِعوالِ
And time elapsed between warriors' ululations
And the scattering of dust and exile
ما تَحَلّى بِكُم يَسوعُ وَلا كُن
نا لِطَهَ وَدينِهِ بِجَمالِ
Jesus adorned you not, nor were we
By Taha and his faith graced
وَتُضاعُ البِلادُ بِالقَومِ عَنها
وَتُضاعُ الأُمورُ بِالإِهمالِ
Lands diminish by the people from them
And matters diminish by neglect
يا شَبابَ الدِيارِ مِصرُ إِلَيكُم
وَلِواءُ العَرينِ لِلأَشبالِ
O youth of the country, Egypt needs you
And the banner of the lair is for cubs
كُلَّما رُوِّعَت بِشُبهَةِ بَأسٍ
جَعَلَتكُم مَعاقِلَ الآمالِ
Whenever alarmed by the specter of harm
It made you bastions of hopes
هَيِّؤوها لِما يَليقُ بِمَنفٍ
وَكَريمِ الآثارِ وَالأَطلالِ
Prepare it for what befits the noble-spirited
Of splendid relics and ruins
وَاِنهَضوا نَهضَةَ الشُعوبِ لِدُنيا
وَحَياةٍ كَبيرَةِ الأَشغالِ
And rise, the awakening of nations, for a world
And a great vibrant life
وَإِلى اللَهِ مَن مَشى بِصَليبٍ
في يَدَيهِ وَمَن مَشى بِهِلالِ
To God belong those who walked with crosses in hand
And those who walked with crescents
