إِن تَسأَلي عَن مِصرَ حَوّاءِ القُرى
وَقَرارَةِ التاريخِ وَالآثارِ
If you ask of me about Egypt, repository of villages,
And steadfastness of history and relics,
فَالصُبحُ في مَنفٍ وَثيبَة واضِحٌ
مَن ذا يُلاقي الصُبحَ بِالإِنكارِ
Then sunrise in Memphis and Thebes is evident,
Who would meet sunrise with denial?
بِالهَيلِ مِن مَنفٍ وَمِن أَرباضِها
مَجدوعُ أَنفٍ في الرِمالِ كُفاري
With the night from Memphis and from its meadows,
A nose buried in the sands, a heathen.
خَلَتِ الدُهورُ وَما اِلتَقَت أَجفانُهُ
وَأَتَت عَلَيهِ كَلَيلَةٍ وَنَهارِ
The ages passed and its eyelids never met,
Night and day came upon it.
ما فَلَّ ساعِدَهُ الزَمانُ وَلَم يَنَل
مِنهُ اِختِلافُ جَوارِفٍ وَذَوارِ
Time never weakened its arms, nor
Did the change of pouring rains and downpours affect it.
كَالدَهرِ لَو مَلَكَ القِيامَ لِفَتكَةٍ
أَو كانَ غَيرَ مُقَلَّمِ الأَظفارِ
As if time, were it to rule a moment of violence,
Or was it not short-clawed.
وَثَلاثَةٍ شَبَّ الزَمانُ حِيالَها
شُمٍّ عَلى مَرِّ الزَمانِ كِبارِ
And three faced time with lofty experience,
Proud throughout the flow of time.
قامَت عَلى النيلِ العَهيدِ عَهيدَةً
تَكسوهُ ثَوبَ الفَخرِ وَهيَ عَوارِ
It stood on the Nile, the old, olden,
Clothing it in the garb of pride, yet naked.
مِن كُلِّ مَركوزٍ كَرَضوى في الثَرى
مُتَطاوِلٍ في الجَوِّ كَالإِعصارِ
From every edifice, a pleasure in the soil,
Towering in the air like a hurricane.
الجِنُّ في جَنَباتِها مَطروقَةٌ
بِبَدائِعِ البَنّاءِ وَالحَفّارِ
The jinn in its sides, checkmated,
With wonders of architect and digger.
وَالأَرضُ أَضَيعُ حيلَةً في نَزعِها
مِن حيلَةِ المَصلوبِ في المِسمارِ
And the earth missing a trick to wrest it
From the trick of the crucified by the nails.
تِلكَ القُبورُ أَضَنَّ مِن غَيبٍ بِما
أَخفَت مِنَ الأَعلاقِ وَالأَذخارِ
Those graves more concealed than the unseen, what
They hid from depths and treasures.
نامَ المُلوكُ بِها الدُهورَ طَويلَةً
يَجِدونَ أَروَحَ ضَجعَةٍ وَقَرارِ
Kings slept there ages long,
Finding restful repose and peace.
كُلٌّ كَأَهلِ الكَهفِ فَوقَ سَريرِهِ
وَالدَهرُ دونَ سَريرِهِ بِهِجارِ
Each like the people of the cave over his couch,
While time underneath the couch snarling.
أَملاكُ مِصرَ القاهِرونَ عَلى الوَرى
المُنزَلونَ مَنازِلَ الأَقمارِ
The rulers of Egypt, conquerors of the world,
Given orbits like the moon.
هَتَكَ الزَمانُ حِجابَهُم وَأَزالَهُم
بَعدَ الصِيانِ إِزالَةَ الأَسرارِ
Time tore their veil and removed them
After protection, like secrets are removed.
هَيهاتَ لَم يَلمِس جَلالَهُمو البِلى
إِلّا بِأَيدٍ في الرَغامِ قِصارِ
Alas, decay never touched their grandeur,
Except through hands too short to reach.
كانوا وَطَرفُ الدَهرِ لا يَسمو لَهُم
ما بالُهُم عُرِضوا عَلى النُظّارِ
They were when time's glance aspired not to them.
Why were they exposed to viewers?
لَو أَمهَلوا حَتّى النُشورِ بِدَورِهِم
قاموا لِخالِقِهِم بِغَيرِ غُبارِ
Had they tarried till Resurrection in their abode,
They would have stood before their Creator without dust.
