أَي رِجالَ الدُنيا الجَديدَةِ مَهلاً

قَد شَأَوتُم بِالمُعجِزاتِ الرِجالا

O men of the new world, pause!

You have become great through miracles, O men!

وَفَهِمتُم مَعنى الحَياةِ فَأَرصَد

تُم عَلَيها لِكُلِّ نَقصٍ كَمالا

And understood the meaning of life, so you set

To remedy each flaw a perfection.

وَحَرَصتُم عَلى العُقولِ فَحَزَّمـ

ـتُم عَصيراً يَراهُ قَومٌ حَلالا

You cared for minds, so you prepared

A juice some people see as lawful.

وَقَدَرتُم دَقيقَةَ العُمرِ حِرصاً

وَسِواكُم لا يَقدُرُ الأَجيالا

You valued each minute of life, striving

And none but you value generations.

كَم أَحالوا عَلى غَدٍ كُلَّ أَمرٍ

وَمُحيلُ الأُمورِ يَبغي المُحالا

How often they put off every matter

To tomorrow, and who defers seeks the impossible!

قَد تَحَدَّيتُمُ المَنِيَّةَ حَتّى

هَمَّ أَن يَغلِبَ البَقاءُ الزَوالا

You challenged death until

Immortality almost overcame extinction.

وَطَوَيتُم فَراسِخَ الأَرضِ طَيّاً

وَمَشَيتُم عَلى الهَواءِ اِختِيالا

You folded the miles of earth,

And walked on air pretentiously.

ثُمَّ سَخَّرتُمُ الرِياحَ فَسُستُم

حَيثُ شِئتُم جَنوبَها وَالشَمالا

Then you subjugated the winds and rode

Them wherever you wanted, south or north.

تُسرِجونَ الهَواءَ إِن رُمتُمُ السَيـ

ـرَ وَفي الأَرضِ مَن يَشُدُّ الرِحالا

You saddle the air if you wish to travel

While on earth some still journey on foot.

وَتَخِذتُم مَوجَ الأَثيرِ بَريداً

حينَ خِلتُم أَنَّ البُروقَ كُسالى

You took the waves of ether as a coolness

When you wearied of lightning being inactive.

ثُمَّ حاوَلتُمُ الكَلامَ مَعَ النَجـ

ـمِ فَحَمَّلتُمُ الشُعاعَ مَقالا

Then you tried speaking to the stars

And charged the rays with discourse.

وَمَحا فوردُ آيَةَ المَشيِ حَتّى

شَرَعَ الناسُ يَنبِذونَ النِعالا

The verse about walking was erased

Until people began casting off their shoes.

وَاِنتَزَعتُم مِن كُلِّ شِبرٍ بِظَهرِ الـ

ـأَرضِ أَو بَطنِها المُحَجَّبِ مالا

And you snatched from each inch of earth,

Whether its surface or depths, treasure.

وَأَقَمتُم في كُلِّ أَرضٍ صُروحاً

تَنطَحُ السُحبَ شامِخاتٍ طِوالا

And in every land you erected edifices

That pierce the clouds, rising high.

وَغَرَستُم لِلعِلمِ رَوضاً أَنيقاً

فَوقَ دُنيا الوَرى يَمُدُّ الظِلالا

And you planted a lovely garden for knowledge

Above the world’s abode, spreading shade.

وَحَلَلتُم بِأَرضِنا فَعَرَفنا

كَيفَ تُنمونَ بَينَنا الأَطفالا

And you came to our land, so we knew

How you raise children among us.

وَرَأَينا البَناتِ كَيفَ يُثَقَّفـ

ـنَ بِعِلمٍ يَزيدُهُنَّ جَمالا

And we saw the girls learn knowledge

That adds to their beauty.

لَيتَ شِعري مَتى أَرى أَرضَ مِصرٍ

في حِمى اللَهِ تُنبِتُ الأَبطالا

Would that I know when I’ll see Egypt’s land

Under God’s protection, growing heroes!

وَأَرى أَهلَها يُبارونَكُم عِلـ

ـماً وَوَثباً إِلى العُلا وَنِضالا

And see its people vie with you

In knowledge and zeal for sublime struggle!

قَد نَفَضنا عَنّا الكَرى وَاِبتَدَرنا

فُرَصَ العَيشِ وَاِنتَقَلنا اِنتِقالا

We shook off worries and seized

Chances for life, moving on.

وَعَلِمنا بِأَنَّ غَفلَةَ يَومٍ

تَحرِمُ المَرءَ سَعيَهُ أَحوالا

And we knew that one heedless day

Deprives a man of his lifelong toil.

فَشَقَقنا إِلى الحَياةِ طَريقاً

وَأَصَبنا عَلى الزِحامِ مَجالا

So we split a path to life

And found room in the crush.

وَنَهَضنا في ظِلِّ عَرشِ فُؤادٍ

وَرَفَعنا لِعَهدِهِ تِمثالا

And we rose in the shade of a heart’s throne,

And raised a statue to its era.

قَد أَبى اللَهُ أَن نَعيشَ عَلى النا

سِ وَإِن ضاقَتِ الوُجوهَ عِيالا

God refused that we live off people

Though faces contracted in want.