يا دارُ أَينَ ظِباؤُكِ اللُعسُ

قَد كانَ لي في إِنسِها أُنسُ

O house, where are your friendly owls

Whose company I found so sweet

أَينَ البُدورُ عَلى غُصونِ نَقا

مِن تَحتِهِنَّ خَلاخِلٌ خُرسُ

Where are the buds on the branches of the nabk tree

Underneath them turtle-doves softly cooing

وَمُراسِلٌ فيهِم يُجيبُ وَقَد

حَنَّت إِلى ميعادِهِ النَفسُ

And the carrier pigeons answering them

As their hearts yearn for their promised meeting

وَكَأَنَّما يَسخو بِضَمَّتِهِ

غُصنٌ تَوَقَّدُ فَوقَهُ الشَمسُ

Like a bough kindled by the sun

Glowing at its touch

قَد سَرَّني بِالفوطَتَينِ دَمٌ

بِاللَهِ أَحلِفُ أَنَّهُ رِجسُ

The blood of the two civets brought me joy

By God I swear it is an abomination

يا عامِرَ الخَلَواتِ كَيفَ تَرى

لَو يَستَطيعُ يَمُجُّكَ الرِمسُ

O dweller of ruins, how do you see

If paralysis could seize and shake you

لِلَّهِ دَرُّ فَتى يُعَمِّرُهُ

لا مَسَّهُ شَلَلٌ وَلا نَفسُ

Praiseworthy is the youth who restores them

Untouched by inertia or lassitude

ما إِن بِمَصرَ لِأَهلِها نَشَبٌ

إِلّا وَفيهِ عَلَيهُمُ لَبسُ

In Egypt there is no trouble for its people

Without clashing and confusion added to it

في كُلِّ يَومٍ ذَرُّ شارِقَةٍ

في غَرسِ بَعضِهِمُ لَهُ غَرسُ

Each day the glitter of drawn swords

In the orchards of some of them has its thrusts

فَشِعارُهُم بِاللَيلِ بَينَهُمُ

دَبٌّ دَبيبَ النَملِ إِذ يَعسو

Their night signal amongst themselves

Is the creeping of ants when they rest

ما إِن يُفارِقُ عودَهُ أَبَداً

فَرَحاً كَأَعوَرَ ضَمَّهُ حَبسُ

Never leaving his abode

Is a one-eyed prisoner enchained by sorrows

يا أَهلَ مَصرَ قُرونَكُم سَقَطَت

مِن بَعدِهِ فَرُؤوسُكُم مُلسُ

O people of Egypt, your fortunes have fallen

After them, your heads are shaven bare