ظَهَرَتْ حَيَاةٌ فِي البِلاَدِ جَدِيدَةٌ

مَلأَتْ جَوَانِبَهَا بِلاَ إِمْهَالِ

A new life has appeared in the country

It has filled its corners without delay

قَدْ كَانَ أَوَّلَ بَاعِثِيهَا مُصْطَفَى

وَتَلاَ فَرِيدٌ وَهْوُ نِعْمَ التَّالِي

The first to inspire it was Mustafa

Then Farid followed, and he is the best successor

وَاسْتَنَّ أَحْمَدْ ذَلِكَ السَّننَ الَّذِي

عَانَى مَصَاعِبَهُ بِغَيْرِ كَلاَلِ

And Ahmed held on to that tradition

He endured its difficulties without fatigue

لِيُتِمَّ فِي سُبُلِ العُلَى مَا أَبْدَأ

وَيَمُوتَ وَهْوَ بَقيَّة الأَبدَالِ

To complete the paths to glory that was started

And he died as the remainder of the righteous

تِلْكَ الحَيَاةُ عَلَى حَدَاثَةِ عَهْدِها

قَوِيَتْ بِهَا نَزَعَاتُ الاِستِقْلاَلِ

That life, despite its recent beginning

Its tendencies toward independence grew strong

وَعَلَتْ شِكَايَةُ رَاسِفٍ فِي قَيْدِهِ

مِنْ أَلْفِ وَعْدٍ أُعْقِبَتْ بِمِطَالِ

And the complaint of the one bound in chains arose

From a thousand promises met with procrastination

وَاسْتُسْمِعَتْ بَعْدَ الشْوَادِي فِي رُبَى

مِصْرٍ وَفِي الْوَادِي لُيُوثُ دِحَالِِ

And after the plateau between Egypt and the valley

The roars of lions were heard in the wilderness

فَإِذَا الدِّيَارُ وَمَا الدِّيَارُ كَعَهْدِهَا

وَإِذَا كَحَدِّ المُنْصُلِ المُتَلاَلِي

So the homelands became as they once were

As the sharp, unsheathed sword

وَإِذَا حِجَابُ اليَأْسِ شُقَّ وَدُوَنَهُ

أَمَلٌ كَحَدِّ المُنْصَلِ المُتَلاَلِي

And the veil of despair was torn, beyond it

Hope like the sharp, unsheathed sword

وَإِذَا الضِّعافُ الْوَادِعْونَ تَقَحَّمُوا

مُسْتَصْغِرِينَ عَظَائِمَ الأَهْوَالِ

And the weak and resigned charged forth

Belittling the enormities of the tribulations

لَكِنْ تَصَدَّى لِلزَّمَانِ يَعُوقُهُ

مَنْ خَالَ نَهْضَةَ مِصْرَ ضَرْبَ مُحَالِ

But time was opposed by one who hindered

The rise of Egypt, an impossible feat

قَاسَ العَتِيدَ عَلَى الْعَهِيدِ لِوَهْمِهِ

أَنَّ الجُمُودَ بَعِيدُ الاسْتِئْصالِ

He measured the new against the old in his delusion

That stagnation was hard to uproot

خَطَلٌ قَدِيمٌ لَمْ يَدَعْ فِي أُمَّةٍ

أَنْ يَرْمِيَ الآسَادَ بِالأَشْبَالِ

An old misconception that does not allow

For the elders to cast aside the youth

مَنْ ذَا يَرُدُّ عَنِ التَّقلُّبِ دَهرَهُ

إِنْ شَاءَ وَهْوَ مُحَوِّلُ الأَحْوَالِ

Who can divert the changes of time

If it wills, as it alters conditions?

لاَ يَوْمَ كَالْيَوْمِ الَّذِي فُجِعَتْ بِهِ

مِصْرٌ وَقَدْ فُجِئَتْ بِصْرعَةِ غَالِي

No day like the day Egypt was struck with grief

Struck with the loss of its most precious

لَكَأَنَّ زَنْداً وَارِياً فِي صُبْحِهِ

وَصَلَ الجَنُوبَ دَوِيُّه بِشَمَالِ

As if in the morning an awakened volcano

Reached the south, its echo to the north

أَلْقَتْ عَلَى الرَّجْلِ الْعَظِيم بِنَارِهِ

يَدُ مُقْدِمٍ لِحَيَاتِهِ بِذَّالِ

The hand of an assailant threw its fire

At the great man, disgracing his life

مِنْ عُصْبةٍ لِلتَّفدِيَاتِ تَطَوَّعَتْ

وَفَدَتْ عَقِيدَتَهَا بِالاِسْتِبْسَالِ

From a faction volunteering

To ransom its creed through sacrifice

ظَنَّت حُمَاةَ الْحَيِّ قَد غَرَّتْهُمُ

أَقْسَامُ حَنَّاثِينَ فِيهِ حِلاَلِ

They thought the guardians of the living were duped

By the oaths of traitors permitting what was forbidden

فَرَمَتْ إِلى إيقَاظِهِمْ لَكِنْ رَمَتْ

بِأَشَدَّ قَارِعَةً مِنَ الزَّلْزَالِ

So they moved to awaken them, but they moved

With a blow more jolting than an earthquake

نَظَرَتْ إِلى رَجُلِ الْحِمَى وَقَضَت عَلَى

ذِي الْعزَّةِ الْقَعْسَاءِ بِالإِعْجَالِ

They looked upon the man of resolve and decided

To destroy the dignified with haste

فَهَوَى بِهِ فِي كِبْرِياءِ فَخَارِهِ

وَبُزُوغِ دَوْلَتِهِ الشِّهابُ الصَّالِي

So he fell in the glory of his prime

And the rise of his state, the rising flame

لَمْ يَجْهَلِ الْعَادِي عَلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ

يُودَى بِهِ وَأنْقَضَّ غَيْرَ مُبَالِي

The attacker did not realize he

Would perish and collapse without a care

لَوْ ظَنَّه بِالرَّأْيِ بَالِغَ أَمْرِهِ

لَمْ يَبْغِهِ بِمُقَطَّع الأَوْصَالِ

Had he thought his matter through

He would not have torn him limb from limb

مُسْتَبْقِياً لِبِلاَدِهِ وَلِقَوْمِهِ

عَزَمَاتِ ذَاكَ المِقْوَل الْفَعَّالِ

Preserving for his country and people

The will of that effective saying

أَرَأَيْتَ أَحْمَدَ كَيْفَ هَبَّ مُنَاضِلاً

فِي مَوْقِفٍ نَاب بِكُلَّ نِضَالِ

Did you see how Ahmed rose up fighting

In a critical situation full of strife

وَأَتَى عَجَائِبَ فِي بَدِيع دِفَاعِهِ

لَمْ يَأْتِهنَّ أَوَاخِرٌ وَأَوَالِي

And performed wonders in his eloquent defense

Not just at first, but until the end

فَلَوِ القَتِيلُ مِنَ الْخَطِيبِ بِمَسْمَعٍ

لَعَفَا وَرَأْيُ المَجْدِ فِيهِ عَالِي

If only the deceased could have heard the orator

He would have forgiven, for glory was his aim

وَأَبَى قِيَامَ الخُلْفِ فِي آثَارِهِ

سُوقاً لِبَيْعِ قَدِيمَةِ الأَسْمَالِ

But he refused the succession in his footsteps

Dragged to sell the old goods

قَدْ يَضْربُ الحَدَثُ المُفَاجِيءُ ضَرْبَهُ

بِيَدِ المُدَمِّر أَوْ يَدِ المُغْتَالِ

Circumstance may strike its sudden blow

By the hand of the destroyer or assassin

فَيَبِيتُ قَوْمٌ وَالْهُمُومُ بِهَامِهِمْ

نَاءَتْ كَبَاهِظَةٍ مِنَ الأَثْقَالِ

And a people will sleep with worries as their pillows

Weighted down like heavy loads

لاَ صَوْتَ أَنْكَرُ إِذْ تُرَاجِعُ أُمَّةٌ

تَارِيخَهَا مِنْ صَيْحَةِ الدَّلاَّلِ

No surprising sound when a nation reviews

Its history with the cry of the guide

لَكِنَّه خُلْفٌ عَفَتْ آثَارُهُ

بِكِيَاسَةِ الأَبْرَارِ فِي الأَنْجَالِ

But it is a succession that has transcended

With the wisdom of the righteous in dire straits