بَكيت وَلَكِن بِالدُموعِ السَخينَةِ

وَما نَفَذَت حَتّى بَكَيتُ بِمُهجَتي

I wept but with hot tears,

I wept, but with scalding tears,

And they had barely flowed before I wept with my soul,

And they did not cease until I wept with my very soul.

عَلى الكامِلِ الأَخلاق وَالنَدبِ مُصطَفى

فَقَد كانَ زَينَ العَقلِ الفُتُوَّةِ

For the perfect moraled, Mustafa's loss moaned,

For Mustafa, the one of perfect character and noble bearing,

For he was the beauty of sane chivalry.

For he was the adornment of reason and the essence of chivalry.

نَعاهُ لَنا الناعي فَكادَت بِنا الدُنى

تَميدُ لِهَولِ الخَطبِ خَطبِ المُروأَةِ

The announcer announced his loss, we were almost

The herald announced his death, and the world almost,

Swooning from the awfulness of the saddening speech,

Shook from the horror of the calamity, the calamity of virtue itself.

وَذابَت قُلوبُ العالَمينَ تَلَهُّفاً

وَسالَت دُموعُ الحُزنِ مِن كُلِّ مُقلَةِ

And the hearts of both worlds melted yearning

The hearts of all people melted in anguish,

And the tears of sorrow flowed from every eyelid.

And tears of sorrow flowed from every eye.

أَجَل قَد قَضى في مِصرَ أَعظَمُ كاتِبٍ

فَخَلَّفَ في الأَكبادِ أَعظَمَ حَسرَةِ

Yes, the greatest writer passed away in Egypt

Indeed, the greatest writer has passed away in Egypt,

Leaving in the hearts the greatest remorse.

Leaving behind the deepest heartbreak within our souls.

فَتى وَأَبي لَوَ اَنَّ في الناسِ مِثلَهُ

لَهانَ عَلَينا وَقعُ هَذي الرَزيأَةِ

A gallant young man, if only the people had one like him,

A young man—by my father's life—were there any like him among men,

The impact of this misfortune would be lighter upon us.

The blow of this disaster would have been easier for us to bear.

وَلَو كانَ يُفدى بِالنُفوسِ مِنَ الرَدى

جَعَلنا فَداهُ كُلَّ نَفسٍ أَبِيَّةِ

If he could be saved by souls from demise

And if he could be ransomed with souls from the grasp of death,

We would sacrifice every obstinate soul.

We would have offered every proud soul as his ransom.

فَتىً ماتَ غَضَّ العُمرِ لَم يَعرِفِ الخَنا

وَلَم يَنطَوي في نَفسِهِ حُبُّ رَيبَةِ

A young man who died before his time, never knew treachery

A youth who died in the bloom of life, knowing no corruption,

And never harbored in his soul the love of doubt.

And harboring no love for deceit within his heart.

وَقَد كانَ مِقداماً جَريئا وَلَم يَكُن

لِيَبغي الرَدى غَيرَ النُفوسِ الجَريأَةِ

He was bold and fearless and he would not

He was intrepid and daring, for indeed,

Seek harm except for fearless souls.

Only the daring souls seek to challenge death.

وَكانَ جَواداً لا يَضُنُّ بِحاجَةٍ

لِذَلِكَ أَعطى روحَهُ لِلمَنِيَّةِ

And he was generous, never stingy with a need

He was generous, never withholding what was needed,

That's why he gave his soul to death.

And so he gave even his soul to the hand of fate.

سَلامٌ عَلى مِصرَ الأَسيفَةَ بَعدَهُ

فَقَد أَودَعَت آمالَهُ جَوفَ حُفرَةِ

Peace be upon mighty Egypt after him

Peace be upon sorrowful Egypt in his absence,

For it buried his hopes in the depths of a grave.

For she has buried her hopes within the depth of a grave.

خَطيبُ بِلادِ النيلِ مالَك ساكِناً

وَقَد كُنتَ تُلقي خُطبَةً إِثرَ خُطبَةِ

The orator of the Nile's land, Malik lies

O Orator of the Land of the Nile, why do you lie so still,

And you would deliver speech after speech,

When you used to deliver speech after speech?

تَطاوَلَتِ الأَعناقُ حَتّى اِشرَأَبَّتِ

فَهَل أَنتَ مُسديها وَلَو بَعضَ لَفظَةِ

The necks were craned until fully quenched

Necks have stretched out, craning in anticipation,

Will you quench them even with some words?

Will you grant them even a fragment of a word?

نَعَم كُنتَ لَولا المَوتِ فارِجَ كَربِها

فَيا لِلرَدى مِن غاشِمٍ مُتَعَنِّتِ

Yes, if not for death you would relieve their thirst

Yes, were it not for death, you would have dispelled her grief,

Oh how stubborn the demise was!

Oh, what a tyrant, what an obstinate oppressor is death!

تَفَطَّرَتِ الأَكبادُ حُزناً كَأَنَّما

مَماتَكَ سَهمٌ حَلَّ في كُلِّ مُهجَةِ

The souls cracked with sorrow as if

Hearts have been torn asunder with grief, as though,

Your death pierced every soul.

Your death were an arrow piercing every soul.

وَما حَزِنَت أُمٌّ لِفَقدِ وَحيدِها

بِأَعظَمَ مِن حُزني عَلَيك وَلَوعَتي

No mother ever mourned her only child’s loss

And no mother ever grieved for the loss of her only child,

More than my mourning and agony over you.

More deeply than I grieve and anguish over you.

تُناديكَ مِصرُ الآنَ يا خَيرَ راحِلٍ

وَيا خَيرَ مَن يُرجى لِدَفعِ المُلِمَّةِ

Egypt calls you now, O best departed

Egypt calls to you now, O best of those who have departed,

And O best one hoped to ward off torment.

O best of those relied upon to repel calamity.

عَهَدتُكَ تَأبى دَعوَةً غَيرَ دَعوَتي

فَمالَكَ تَأبى مُصطَفى كُلَّ دَعَوَةِ

I knew you refuse every call but mine

I knew you to refuse any summons but mine,

Why do you refuse, O Mustafa, every call?

So why do you now refuse, Mustafa, every call?

فَقَد تَكُ رَيّاناً فَيا طولَ لَهفَتي

لَقَد كُنتَ سَيفي في الخُطوب وَجَنَّتي

Indeed you were a pillar, O my prolonged craving

Though you may be quenched, oh how endless is my sorrow,

You were my sword in the battles and my shield.

For you were my sword in times of trouble, and my shield.

أَجَل طالَما دافَعتَ عَن مِصرَ مِثلَما

يُدافِعُ عَن مَأواهُ نَحلُ الخَلِيَّةِ

Yes, many times you defended Egypt as

Indeed, for so long you defended Egypt, just as,

Bees defend their homestead.

The bees of the hive defend their dwelling.

فَأَيقَظَتها مِن رَقدَةٍ بَعدَ رَقدَةٍ

وَأَنهَضَتها مِن كَبوَةٍ تِلوَ كَبوَةِ

You awakened it after slumber over slumber

You awakened her from slumber after slumber,

And you roused it from stumbled after stumbled,

And raised her up from stumble after stumble.

وَقَوَّيتَ في أَبنائِها الحُبَّ نَحوَها

وَكُنتَ لَهُم في ذاكَ أَفضَلَ قُدوَةِ

And you strengthened in its children love towards it

You strengthened the love for her within her sons,

And you were for them the best example.

And in that, you were to them the finest example.

رَفَعتَ لِواءَ الحَقِّ فَوقَ رُبوعِها

فَضَمَّ إِلَيهِ كُلَّ ذي وَطَنِيَّةِ

You raised the banner of truth over its expanse

You raised the banner of truth above her lands,

And every patriot joined under it.

Rallying to it every true patriot.

لَئِن تَكُ أَترَعتَ القُلوبَ مَحبَّةً

فَإِنَّكَ لَم تُخلَق لِغَيرِ المَحَبَّةِ

If you nurtured hearts with love

If you have filled our hearts to the brim with love,

You were not created for anything but love.

It is because you were created for naught but love.

فَنَم آمِناً وَفَيتَ قَومَكَ قِسطَهُم

فَيا طالَما ناموا وَأَنتَ بِيَقظَةِ

Sleep in peace and fulfill for your people their share

So sleep in peace; you have paid your people their due,

For long had they slept while you kept vigil.

For often they slept while you remained vigilant.

سَيُبقي لَكَ التاريخُ ذِكراً مُخَلَّداً

فَقَد كُنتَ خَيرَ الناسِ في خَيرِ أُمَّةِ

History will preserve for you immortal memory

History shall preserve for you an eternal memory,

For you were the best of people in the best nation.

For you were the best of men in the best of nations.

عَلَيكَ مِنَ الرَحَمَنِ أَلفُ تَحِيَّةٍ

وَمِن أَرضِن مِصرَ أَلفُ أَلفِ تَحِيَّةِ

Upon you, a thousand greetings from the Merciful

Upon you, from the Most Merciful, be a thousand greetings,

And from our land Egypt, a thousand thousand greetings.

And from the land of Egypt, a million greetings more.