بِنادي الجَزيرَةِ قِف ساعَةً
وَشاهِد بِرَبِّكَ ما قَد حَوى
In Al Gezira Club stop an hour
And see, by your Lord, what it contains
تَرى جَنَّةً مِن جِنانِ الرَبيعِ
تَبَدَّت مَعَ الخُلدِ في مُستَوى
You will see a garden of spring’s gardens
Appearing with eternity on a level plain
جَمالُ الطَبيعَةِ في أُفقِها
تَجَلّى عَلى عَرشِهِ وَاِستَوى
Nature’s beauty on its horizon
Was manifest on its throne and plateaued
فَقُل لِلحَزينِ وَقُل لِلعَليلِ
وَقُل لِلمَولي هُناكَ الدَوا
So say to the sorrowful and say to the sick
And say to the longing there is the remedy
وَقُل لِلأَديبِ اِبتَدِر ساحَها
إِذا ما البَيانُ عَلَيكَ اِلتَوى
And say to the writer seize its open space
When eloquence twists around you
وَقُل لِلمُكِبِّ عَلى دَرسِهِ
إِذا نَهَكَ الدَرسُ مِنهُ القُوى
And say to the student bent over his lesson
When the lesson has drained his strength
تَنَسَّم صَباها تُجَدِّد قُواكَ
فَأَرضُ الجَزيرَةِ لا تُجتَوى
Inhale its zephyr to renew your strength
For Al Gezira land can’t be surpassed
فَفيها شِفاءٌ لِمَرضى الهُمومِ
وَمَلهىً كَريمٌ لِمَرضى الهَوى
In it is a cure for the sick at heart
And a noble playmate for the lovesick
وَفيها وَفي نيلِها سَلوَةٌ
لِكُلِّ غَريبٍ رَمَتهُ النَوى
In it and in its Nile is solace
For every stranger fate has blown
وَفيها غِذاءٌ لِأَهلِ العُقول
إِذا الرَأسُ إِثرَ كَلالٍ خَوى
In it is food for people of intellect
When the head is tired and power fades
وَيا رُبَّ يَومٍ شَديدِ اللَظى
رَوى عَن جَهَنَّمَ ما قَد رَوى
O Lord of a day hot and blazing
It tells of hell and what hell portrays
بِهِ الريحُ لَفّاحَةٌ لِلوُجوهِ
بِهِ الشَمسُ نَزّاعَةٌ لِلشَوى
The wind in it fans the faces
The sun in it kindles the flame’s blaze
قَصَدتُ الجَزيرَةَ أَبغي النَجاةَ
وَجِسمي شَواهُ اللَظى فَاِشتَوى
I went to Al Gezira seeking salvation
While my body roasted in the scorching blaze
فَأَلفَيتُ نادِيَها زاهِراً
وَأَلفَيتُ ثَمَّ نَعيماً ثَوى
So I found its club flourishing
And found there a blissful abode
فَأَنزَلَني مُنزَلاً طَيِّباً
وَرَوّى فُؤادِيَ حَتّى اِرتَوى
It lodged me in a goodly lodging
And quenched my heart until fully slaked
وَأَطفَأَ وارِفُ تِلكَ الظِلالِ
سَعيرَ الهَجيرِ وَحَرَّ الجَوى
The shadows of those trees dampened
The blaze of noon and heat of summer’s haze
وَحَلَّ الأَصيلُ عِقالَ الشَمالِ
فَهَبَّت بِنَشرٍ إِلَيها اِنضَوى
The gentle breeze took off from the north
So it blew to it thronging and massed in its glades
فَأَحيَت بِنَفسِيَ ذِكرى الشَبابِ
وَما كانَ مِنها وَمِنهُ اِنطَوى
It revived the memory of my youth for me
And what of it and it was enfolded
وَعاوَدَ قَلبِيَ ذاكَ الخُفوقِ
وَقَد كانَ بَعدَ المَشيبِ اِرعَوى
And my heart returned to that ardour
Though after grey hair it had slowed and fazed
فَما بالُ قَومِيَ لا يَأخُذونَ
لِتِلكَ الجِنانِ طَريقاً سَوا
Why don’t my people take
A road to those gardens traveling their ways
وَما بالُ قَومِيَ لا يَنزِلونَ
بِغَيرِ جُرُبّي وَبارِ اللِوا
Why don’t my people alight
Except for my misfortune and ill fate
تَراهُم عَلى نَردِهِم عُكَّفاً
يُبادِرُ كُلٌّ إِلى ما غَوى
You see them bent over their cards
Each hastening to what he craves
وَلَو أَنصَفوا الجِسمَ لَاِستَظهَروا
لَهُ بِالمِرانِ وَطيبِ الهَوا
If they were just to their bodies they would discover
Through exercise and wholesome air its aid
فَيا نادِياً ضَمَّ أُنسَ النَديمِ
وَلَهوَ الكَريمِ وُقيتَ البِلى
O club that gathers friends’ company
And the generous amusement and wards off decay
لَياليكَ أُنسٌ جَلاها الصَفا
فَأَسَرَت إِلَيكَ وُفودُ المَلا
Your nights have unitary eased by clarity
So delegations of intimates flock your way
فَكَم لَيلَةٍ طابَ فيكَ الحَديثُ
فَكانَ الكُؤوسَ وَكانَ الطِلا
How many a night where converse was sweet in you
With cups passed round and draughts quaffed till day
فَمِن مُشجِياتٍ إِلى مُطرِباتٍ
إِلى مُضحِكاتٍ تُسَلّى إِلى
From amusing to entrancing
To hilarious to relax
وَقَد زانَ لَهوَكَ ثَوبُ الوَقارِ
فَلَهوُكَ في كُلِّ ذَوقٍ حَلا
Seemly is the garb propriety wears
For your amusement in every taste finds its way
تَخِفُّ إِلَيهِ رِزانُ الحِجا
وَتَمشي إِلَيهِ السَراةُ الأُلى
To it gravitate dignified pilgrims
And stroll elegant supple belles its way
فَقُل لِلَّذي باتَ تَحتَ العُقودِ
بِحَربٍ عَلى نَفسِهِ مُبتَلى
So say to him who spent the night under strains
At war with himself and anguished in every way
أَتِلكَ الأَماكِنُ لا تُستَرادُ
أَتِلكَ المَناظِرُ لا تُجتَلى
Are those places not to be visited
Are those sights not to be seen
أَتَحتَ السَماءِ وَبَدرِ السَماءِ
وَبَينَ الرِياضِ وَبَينَ الخَلا
Under heaven and the moon of the sky
And amid gardens and thickets their display
يُمَلُّ الجُلوسُ وَيَفنى الحَديثُ
فَهَذا النَعيمُ وَإِلّا فَلا
Sitting grows tedious and converse comes to an end
For this is bliss, if not there’s no way
سَأَلتُ الأُلى يَقدِرونَ الحَياةَ
أَلَم تَفتَتِنكُم فَقالوا بَلى
I asked the intimates who enjoy life
Does it not entrance you, and they said: Yea!
مَكانٌ لَعَمرُكَ ما حَلَّ في
نَواحيهِ ذو الحُزنِ إِلّا سَلا
A place, by your life, in its environs
Has settled no sorrowful soul, nay!
فَما أَنتَ في مِصرَ إِن لَم تَطِر
إِلَيهِ فَتَشهَدَ تِلكَ الحُلى
You are not in Egypt if you don’t dash
To it to witness those charms on display
لَهُ مَلعَبٌ فيهِ ما يَشتَهي
مُحِبُّ الرِياضَةَ مَهما غَلا
It has a playground in which is what
The sports-lover desires, however dear he pay
لِكُلِّ فَريقٍ بِهِ لُعبَةٌ
تُلائِمُ مِن سِنِّهِ ما خَلا
Each team has a game there
Fitting for its years, nothing held away
وَلِعبٌ هُوَ الجِدُّ لَو أَنَّنا
نَظَرنا إِلَيهِ بِعَينِ النُهى
A game which, were we to look on it
With the eye of prohibition, is earnest play
لَدى غَيرِ مِصرَ لَهُ حُظوَةٌ
فَكَم راحَ يَلهو بِهِ مَن لَها
It has appeal abroad, many
Have been its dilettantes night and day
وَفي أَرضِ يونانَ شاهَدتُهُ
فَأَيُّ جَمالٍ إِلَيهِ اِنتَهى
And in Hellas’ land I saw it
What beauty tilted its way
وَشاهَدتُ مَوسِمَهُ قَد حَوَت
نَواحيهِ غايَةَ ما يُشتَهى
And saw its season crammed
With the environs’ every desire and want at bay
وَماجَ بِزُوّارِهِ المولَعينَ
وَأَضحى بِعَرشِ المُلوكِ اِزدَهى
And thronged with enthusiasts
Loftier than a king’s throne its display
وَقَد زادَ أَلعابَهُ بَهجَةً
مَكانٌ فَسيحٌ مُعَدٌّ لَها
It increased the charm of its games
A spacious place made ready for their sway
صِراعٌ وَعَدوٌ بَعيدُ المَدى
وَوَثبٌ يَكادُ يَنالُ السُها
Wrestling and distant running
And jumping nearly to touch the starry array
وَشاهَدتُ عَدّاءَهُم قَد عَدا
ثَلاثينَ ميلاً وَما إِن وَهى
And I saw their runners race
Thirty miles without toil or decay
وَقامَت مُلاكَمَةُ اللاعِبينَ
فَأَنسَت تَناطُحَ وَحشِ المَها
The boxers stood their ground
Distracting from the butting of wild beasts at bay
بِأَوحى مِنَ اللَمحِ كانَ النِزالُ
فَيا وَيلَ مَن مِنهُما قَد سَها
With the subtlest hint the bout began
Alas, whoever of them has gone astray!
وَلَو رُحتُ أَنعَتُ تِلكَ الضُروبَ
لَضاقَ القَريضُ وَأَعيا بِها
Were I to enumerate those maneuvers
My poem would be cramped, it couldn’t convey
عَلى أَنَّ في أُفقِنا نَهضَةً
سَتَبلُغُ رَغمَ القُعودِ المَدى
Though on our horizon is a renaissance
That will reach, despite stagnation, its farthest way
وَإِن لَم تَكُن بَلَغَت أَوجَها
كَذا كُلُّ شَيءٍ إِذا ما اِبتَدا
If it hasn’t attained its peak
Everything is so when it starts its day
وَنادي الرِياضَةِ أَولى بِأَن
يَكونَ عَلَيها مَنارَ الهُدى
The sports club is most deserving
To be its beacon guiding the way
أَظَلَّت جَلائِلَ أَعمالِهِ
ظِلالُ حُسَينٍ حَليفِ النَدى
The towering works of Hussein
Are shaded by the gentle shadow’s spray
مَليكٌ رَعاهُ بِإِقبالِهِ
وَحُسنِ عِنايَتِهِ وَالجَدا
A king who prospered it by his favor
And excellent care and effort each day
فَفي عَهدِهِ فَليَجِدَّ المُجِدُّ
فَإِنَّ السُعودَ بِهِ قَد بَدا
So in his reign the glorious will find
For with him prosperity began its sway
