أَيُّها الوَسمِيُّ زُر نَبتَ الرُبا

وَاِسبِقِ الفَجرَ إِلى رَوضِ الزَهَر

O nightingale, visit the garden where love blossoms,

And precede dawn to the meadow of flowers.

حَيِّهِ وَاِنثُر عَلى أَكمامِهِ

مِن نِطافِ الماءِ أَشباهَ الدُرَر

Greet it, and scatter on its sleeves,

Pearl-like drops of water.

أَيُّها الزَهرُ أَفِق مِن سِنَةٍ

وَاِصطَبِح مِن خَمرَةٍ لَم تُعتَصَر

O flower, awaken from slumber,

And freshen yourself with wine unstrained,

مِن رَحيقٍ أُمُّهُ غادِيَةٌ

ساقَها تَحتَ الدُجى رَوحُ السَحَر

With nectar brought by the wandering breeze,

In the dim of dawn, the spirit of magic.

وَاِنفَحِ الرَوضَ بِنَشرٍ طَيِّبٍ

عَلَّهُ يوقِظُ سُكّانَ الشَجَر

Perfume the garden with sweet fragrances,

Hoping to awaken the dwellers of the trees.

إِنَّ بي شَوقاً إِلى ذي غُنَّةٍ

يُؤنِسُ النَفسَ وَقَد نامَ السَمَر

For I long for the one with a beautiful voice,

Who entertains the soul when the night companions sleep.

إيهِ يا طَيرُ أَلا مِن مُسعِدٍ

إِنَّني قَد شَفَّني طولُ السَهَر

Rise, o bird, and give me good news of happiness,

For wakefulness has cured me.

قُم وَصَفِّق وَاِستَحِر وَاِسجَع وَنُح

وَاِروِ عَن إِسحاقَ مَأثورَ الخَبَر

Get up and clap and ask and relate,

And tell of Isaac's oft-repeated tale.

ظَهَرَ الفَجرُ وَقَد عَوَّدتَني

أَن تُغَنّيني إِذا الفَجرُ ظَهَر

Dawn has appeared, and you have accustomed me,

To sing to me when dawn appears.

غَنِّني كَم لَكَ عِندي مِن يَدٍ

سَرَّتِ الأَشجانَ عَنّي وَالفِكَر

Sing to me, for you have ample reward from me,

You have dispelled my worries and thoughts.

اِخرِقِ السَمعَ سِوى مِن نَبَإٍ

خَرَقَ السَمعَ فَأَدمى فَوَقَر

Shock the hearing, unless it be news,

That shocked the hearing, and it deafened and buzzed.

كُلَّ يَومٍ نَبأَةٌ تَطرُقُنا

بِعَجيبٍ مِن أَعاجيبِ العِبَر

Each day a news item shocks us,

With a wondrous one of the admonitions.

أُمَمٌ تَفنى وَأَركانٌ تَهي

وَعُروشٌ تَتَهاوى وَسُرُر

Nations disappear and pillars crumble,

Thrones topple down and seats of honor.

وَجُيوشٌ بِجُيوشٍ تَلتَقي

كَسُيولٍ دَفَقَت في مُنحَدَر

And armies meet with armies,

Like torrents rushing down a slope.

وَرِجالٌ تَتَبارى لِلرَدى

لا تُبالي غابَ عَنها أَم حَضَر

And men compete for evil,

Not caring whether absent or present.

مَن رَآها في وَغاها خالَها

صِبيَةً خَفَّت إِلى لِعبِ الأُكَر

Whoever saw them in their frenzy imagined them,

To be little girls playing with their dolls.

وَحُروبٌ طاحِناتٌ كُلَّما

أُطفِئَت شَبَّ لَظاها وَاِستَعَر

And grinding wars, whenever,

Their flames are put out, their embers flare up.

ضَجَّتِ الأَفلاكُ مِن أَهوالِها

وَاِستَعاذَ الشَمسُ مِنها وَالقَمَر

The planets cried out from their horrors,

And the sun and moon sought refuge from them.

في الثَرى في الجَوِّ في شُمِّ الذُرا

في عُبابِ البَحرِ في مَجرى النَهَر

On land, in air, in the ether of space,

In the haze of the sea, in the course of the river.

أَسرَفَت في الخَلقِ حَتّى أَوشَكوا

أَن يَبيدوا قَبلَ ميعادِ البَشَر

They raged against creation until they almost,

Caused them to perish before the time of humankind.

فَاِصمِدوا ثُمَّ اِحمَدوا اللَهَ عَلى

نِعمَةِ الأَمنِ وَطيبِ المُستَقَرّ

So be steadfast, then praise Allah for,

The blessing of security and good settlement.

نِعمَةُ الأَمنِ وَما أَدراكَ ما

نِعمَةُ الأَمنِ إِذا الخَطبُ اِكفَهَرّ

The blessing of security! And what will convey to you,

What the blessing of security is when calamities rage?

وَاِشكُروا سُلطانَ مِصرٍ وَاِشكُروا

صاحِبَ الدَولَةِ مَحمودَ الأَثَر

Thank the Sultan of Egypt, thank

The Master of the State, Mahmoud the Great.

نَحنُ في عَيشٍ تَمَنّى دونَهُ

أُمَمٌ في الغَربِ أَشقاها القَدَر

We live in comfort, which nations in the West,

Whose fate has made them miserable, long for.

تَتَمَنّى هَجعَةً في غِبطَةٍ

لَم تُساوِرها اللَيالي بِالكَدَر

They long for a night's rest in happiness,

Which sorrowful nights have not cloaked.

إِنَّ في الأَزهَرِ قَوماً نالَهُم

مِن لَظى نيرانِها بَعضُ الشَرَر

Verily, in Al-Azhar there are people,

Sparks of its blazing fires have reached them.

أَصبَحوا لا قَدَّرَ اللَهُ لَنا

في عَناءٍ وَشَقاءٍ وَضَجَر

They have become, Allah did not decree for us,

In distress, misery and discontent.

نُزَلاءٌ بَينَنا إِن يُرهَقوا

أَو يُضاموا إِنَّها إِحدى الكُبَر

Guests among us, if they are persecuted,

Or wronged, it is surely one of the major sins.

فَأَعينوهُم فَهُم إِخوانُكُم

مَسَّهُم ضُرٌّ وَنابَتهُم غِيَر

So help them, for they are your brothers,

Misfortune has touched them and calamity has afflicted them.

أَقرِضوا اللَهَ يُضاعِف أَجرَكُم

إِنَّ خَيرَ الأَجرِ أَجرٌ مُدَّخَر

Lend Allah a goodly loan, He will multiply your reward,

For the best reward is a treasure stored away.