هَنيئاً أَيُّها المَلِكُ الأَجَلُّ

لَكَ العَرشُ الجَديدُ وَما يَظِلُّ

Congratulations, O noble King!

The new throne is yours, may it cast its shade.

تَسَنَّمَ عَرشَ إِسماعيلَ رَحباً

فَأَنتَ لِصَولَجانِ المُلكِ أَهلُ

You have assumed the vast throne of Ismail,

For you are fit to hold the scepter of kingship.

وَحَصِّنهُ بِإِحسانٍ وَعَدلٍ

فَحِصنُ المُلكِ إِحسانٌ وَعَدلُ

Fortify it with benevolence and justice,

For the fortress of kingship is benevolence and justice.

وَجَدِّد سيرَةَ العُمَرَينِ فينا

فَإِنَّكَ بَينَنا لِلَّهِ ظِلُّ

And renew for us the ways of the two righteous Caliphs,

For you are to us Allah’s protection.

لَقَد عَزَّ السَريرُ وَتاهَ لَمّا

تَبَوَّأَهُ المَليكُ المُستَقِلُّ

The throne gained glory when

The sovereign master assumed it.

وَهَشَّ التاجُ حينَ عَلا جَبيناً

عَلَيهِ مَهابَةٌ وَعَلَيهِ نُبلُ

And the crown shone when it adorned

A brow majestic and noble.

تَمَنّى لَو يَقِرُّ عَلى أَبِيٍّ

تَذِلُّ لَهُ الخُطوبُ وَلا يَذِلُّ

It wished that it might settle on an upright father,

Before whom hardships bow down without humiliation.

وَقَد نالَ المَرامَ وَطابَ نَفساً

فَها هُوَ ذا بِلابِسِهِ يُدِلُّ

And he attained his wish, rejoiced and exulted,

So here he is, manifest in his raiment.

وَما كُنتَ الغَريبَ عَنِ المَعالي

وَلا التاجُ الَّذي بِكَ باتَ يَعلو

You were never estranged from glory,

Nor was the crown that now crowns your head.

وَإِنَّكَ مُنذُ كُنتَ وَلا أُغالي

حُسامٌ لِلأَريكَةِ لا يُفَلُّ

Indeed, ever since you were born, I do not exaggerate,

You have been a sword for the throne that never fails.

فَكَم نَهنَهتَ مِن غَربِ العَوادي

وَكَم لَكَ في رُبوعِ النيلِ فَضلُ

How many from the land of the West have you scolded,

And how much merit you have in the regions of the Nile!

وَما مِن مَجمَعٍ لِلخَيرِ إِلّا

وَمِن كَفَّيكَ سَحَّ عَلَيهِ وَبلُ

There is no assembly for good but that

Your hands have lavished generosity and favor upon it.

فَقَد عَرَفَ الفَقيرُ نَداكَ قِدماً

وَقَد عَرَفَ الكَبيرُ عُلاكَ قَبلُ

The poor knew your munificence early on,

And the great knew your eminence before.

لَكَ العَرشانِ هَذا عَرشُ مِصرٍ

وَهَذا في القُلوبِ لَهُ مَحَلُّ

You have the two thrones—this, the throne of Egypt,

And that which occupies the hearts has its place.

فَأَلِّف ذاتَ بَينِهِما بِرَأيٍ

وَعَزمٍ لا يَكِلُّ وَلا يَمَلُّ

Then unite the two with wisdom

And determination that never falters or tires.

فَعَرشٌ لا تَحُفُّ بِهِ قُلوبٌ

تَحُفُّ بِهِ الخُطوبُ وَيَضمَحِلُّ

For a throne that hearts enshrouded with love do not surround

Will be surrounded by tribulations and decay.

أَبا الفَلّاحِ كَم لَكَ مِن أَيادٍ

عَلى ما فيكَ مِن كَرَمٍ تَدُلُّ

O Abu Al-Fallaah, your hands have so much

Bounty and kindness they confer as gifts.

وَآلاءٍ وَإِن أَطنَبتُ فيها

وَفي أَوصافِها فَأَنا المُقِلُّ

And if I were to prolong in their description

And in describing their traits, my words would still fall short.

عُنيتَ بِحالَةَ الفَلّاحِ حَتّى

تَهَيَّبَ أَن يَزورَ الأَرضَ مَحلُ

You have set your mind to the state of the farmer

To the point that drought dared not visit the land.

وَكَيفَ يَزورُ أَرضاً سِرتَ فيها

وَأَنتَ الغَيثُ لَم يُمسِكهُ بُخلُ

How could drought visit a land you walked upon,

When you are the rain withheld by no stinginess.

وَكَم أَحيَيتَ مِن أَرضٍ مَواتٍ

فَأَضحَت تُستَرادُ وَتُستَغَلُّ

How many barren lands have you revived,

To become purchased and cultivated.

وَأَخصَبَ أَهلُها مِن بَعدِ جَدبٍ

وَفاضَ عَلَيهِمُ رَغَدٌ وَنَفلُ

And after drought its inhabitants prospered

And plenty and abundance poured upon them.

وَكَم أَسعَفتَ في مِصرٍ جَريحاً

عَلَيهِ المَوتُ مِن كَثَبٍ يُطِلُّ

How you have rescued in Egypt many a wounded soul

Upon whom death crept with lingering assault.

وَكُنتَ لِكُلِّ مِسكينٍ وِقاءً

وَأَهلاً حينَ لَم تَنفَعهُ أَهلُ

You have been the protector of every pauper

When his own folk availed him nothing.

وَكُنتَ فَتىً بِعَهدِ أَبيكَ نَدباً

لَهُ رَأيٌ يُسَدِّدُهُ وَفِعلُ

You were an astute youth in your father’s era,

With judgment guided aright by his actions.

لِكُلِّ عَظيمَةٍ تُدعى فَتُبلي

بَلاءَ مُجَرِّبٍ يَحدوهُ عَقلُ

You have taken up every great affair put to the test,

A test that one with intelligence and reason confronts.

تَوَلَّيتَ الأُمورَ فَتىً وَكَهلاً

فَلَم يَبلُغ مَداكَ فَتىً وَكَهلُ

You have assumed affairs as a youth and grown man,

No youth or grown man has reached your extent.

وَجَرَّبتَ الحَوادِثَ مِن قَديمٍ

وَمِثلُكَ مَن يُجَرِّبُها وَيَبلو

You have tried tribulations from early days,

And who but you can try them and endure?

وَكُنتَ لِمَجلِسِ الشورى حَياةً

وَنِبراساً إِذا ما القَومُ ضَلّوا

You have been the life of the Consultative Council

And its guiding light when the people went astray.

فَلَم يُلمِم بِساحَتِهِ جَحودٌ

وَلَم يَجلِس بِهِ عُضوٌ أَشَلُّ

No disavowal has dared sit in its precincts,

Nor has any paralyzed member taken seat.

وَما غادَرتَهُ حَتّى أَفاقوا

وَمِن أَمراضِ عَيشِهِمُ أَبَلّوا

You never left it until they came to,

And recovered from the sickness of their living.

فَعِش لِلنيلِ سُلطاناً أَبِيّاً

لَهُ في مُلكِهِ عَقدٌ وَحَلُّ

So live as a magnificent, willful Sultan of the Nile

With a necklace and solution in his kingdom.

وَوالِ القَومُ إِنَّهُمُ كِرامٌ

مَيامينُ النَقيبَةِ أَينَ حَلّوا

And lead a people who indeed are generous,

The lances of chivalry—wherever they camped.

لَهُم مُلكٌ عَلى التاميزِ أَضحَت

ذُراهُ عَلى المَعالي تَستَهِلُّ

They have a dominion over excellence that

Its splendor rises to the heights.

وَلَيسَ كَقَومِهِم في الغَربِ قَومٌ

مِنَ الأَخلاقِ قَد نَهِلوا وَعَلّوا

Among the people of the West there is no people like them

In morals—they have attained the utmost elevation.

فَإِن صادَقتَهُم صَدَقوكَ وُدّاً

وَلَيسَ لَهُم إِذا فَتَّشتَ مِثلُ

If you befriend them sincerely they reciprocate sincerely,

When you investigate, you find none like them.

وَإِن شاوَرتَهُم وَالأَمرُ جِدُّ

ظَفِرتَ لَهُم بِرَأيٍ لا يَزِلُّ

And if you consult them while the matter is grave,

You gain, through them, an opinion never deviating.

وَإِن نادَيتَهُم لَبّاكَ مِنهُم

أَساطيلٌ وَأَسيافٌ تُسَلُّ

And if you call on them, legions and swords

From among them hurry to you in haste.

فَمادِدهُم حِبالَ الوُدِّ وَاِنهَض

بِنا فَقِيادُنا لِلخَيرِ سَهلُ

So draw them nigh with bonds of affection

And rise, for our guidance to good is smooth.

وَخَفِّف مِن مُصابِ الشَرقِ فينا

فَنَحنُ عَلى رِجالِ الغَربِ ثِقلُ

And lighten for us the affliction of the East within us,

For we are heavily burdened compared to the men of the West.

إِذا نَزَلَت هُناكَ بِهِم خُطوبٌ

أَلَمَّ بِنا هُنا قَلَقٌ وَشُغلُ

Whenever there calamities befall them,

Restlessness and worry befall us here.

حَيارى لا يَقِرُّ لَنا قَرارٌ

تُنازِلُنا الخُطوبُ وَنَحنُ عُزلُ

Perplexed, we have no repose,

Tribulations assault us while we are powerless.

فَأَهلاً بِالدَليلِ إِلى المَعالي

أَلا سِر يا حُسَينُ وَنَحنُ نَتلو

Welcome, O guide, to the heights!

Come, O Hussein, and we follow!

وَأَسعِدنا بِعَهدِكَ خَيرَ عَهدٍ

بِهِ أَيّامُنا تَصفو وَتَحلو

And delight us with your era—the best era

By which our days become pure and sweet.

فَأَمرُكَ طاعَةٌ وَرِضاكَ غُنمٌ

وَسَيفُكَ قاطِعٌ وَنَداكَ جَزلُ

Your command is obedience, your approval a bounty,

Your sword cutting, and your hand munificent.