أيَّهَا البَالِغُ الثُّرَيَّا مَقَامَاً

هَلْ تَرَى فَوْقَ مَا بَلَغْتَ مَرَامَا

O you who have reached sublime heights,

Do you see beyond what you have attained any goal?

كَمْ بَدَتْ مِنْكَ بَادِرَاتُ نُبُوغٍ

حَيَّرَتْ بِابْتِكَارِهَا الأَحْلامَا

How soon did signs of your genius appear

Startling dreams with their innovations.

فَإذَا يَافِعٌ يَبُزُّ شُيُوخاً

فِي التَّجَارِيبِ أفْنَوُا الأيَّامَا

So a youth outshines the elders

Who spent their days in experience,

لا يُبارِيهِ فِي إسَامَةِ مَنْ يَرْ

عَاهُمُ خَيْرُ مَنْ رَعَى وَأَسَامَا

None can equal him in courage of one who shepherds

And guides the best of all who lead and tend the flock,

يَنْصُرُ الدِّينَ يَنْشُرُ العِلمَ وَالفَنَّ

يُقِرُّ النِّظَامَ وَالأَحْكَامَا

He aids religion, spreads knowledge and art,

Confirms order, laws and justice,

يَمْنَعُ الثَّغْرَ يَدْفَعُ العُسْرَ بِاليُسْ

رِ يَذُودُ العِلاّتِ وَالآلاما

Repels distress, wards off harm with ease,

And shields from plagues and pains.

أَيُّ مَجْدٍ أَنْشَأْتَهُ يَا فَتَى الرأْ

يِ فَبَاهَى بِكَ المُلُوكَ العِظَامَا

What glory you created, O noble youth,

All the great kings are eclipsed by you.

أَيُّ خَيْرِ الفُتُوحِ مَا لَمْ تَعَبِّيءْ

فِيهِ جَيْشاً وَلَمْ تُجَرِّدُ حُسَامَا

What conquest is nobler than one where no armies

Were marshalled, no swords were drawn?

حُبُّكَ الشَّعْبَ ضَاعَفَ الحُبّ فِي الشَّعْ

بِ وَلَوْلا الإجْلالُ كَانَ غَرَامَا

Love of you redoubled the people’s love,

Were it not for awe, it would be passion.

هَذِهِ عَبْقَرِيَّةُ القَلْبِ وَالرُّو

حُ إذَا مَا سَمَا بِهَا لا يُسَامَى

This is genius of heart and soul, soaring

Where none can vie once it takes flight.

عِيدُكَ اليَوْمَ أَيُّ جَدِيرٍ

بِارْتِقَابِ المَشُوقِ عَاماً فَعَامَا

Your feast today, what worthy one

Looks for it year after year with longing?

فِي ذَرَاكَ العَالِي مَلائِكُ بِرٍّ

فَرَحُ العِيدِ عَاقَهَا أَنْ تَنَامَا

In your lofty realm, angels of grace

Rejoice that the feast be not forlorn,

وَأَبَاتَ الرَّجَاءُ حَاضِرَةَ المُلْ

كِ تُعِدُّ الزِّينَاتِ وَالأَعْلامَا

And hope remains attendant on the king

Preparing decorations and banners.

فِيمَ فَارَقْتَ مِصْرَ لَمْ تَشْهَدِ الأنْوَ

ارَ فِيهَا وَتَسْمَعِ الأَنْغَامَا

Why did you leave Egypt unseen,

Deprived of its lights and melodies?

تَتْرُكُ الصَّرْحَ وَالنَّعِيمَ إِلَى أَيْ

نَ وَتَبْغِي أَقْصَى الصَّعِيدِ عَلامَا

Abandon palace and delight for where?

Seeking remotest Sa’id as your goal,

مُدْلِجاً مُسْرِجاً تَجُوبُ الصَّحارى

وَتَجُوزُ الأَغْوَارَ وَالآكَامَا

Roving the deserts, crossing wastes and sands,

The lifeless expanses spread around you.

أَتَزُورُ الأَرْضَ المَوَاتَ وَتَعْتَا

مُ شَقَاءً مُخَيِّماً وَقَتَامَا

What is it treads on vitality and health

To these lands of waste and perils?

مَا الَّذِي يُوطِيءُ النَّضَارَةَ والصِّحَّ

ةَ هَذِي الأَوْضَارَ وَالأَسْقَامَا

Death in everything that crawls appears,

No movement shows, or form discerned.

وَالمَنَايَا فِي كُلِّ مَا دَبَّ لا تُبْ

دِي حَرَاكاً وَلا تُرِي أجْرَامَا

My King, how could you brave its defenses

In the wilds, fearing no revenge?

يَا مَلِيكِي كَيْفَ اقْتَحمْتَ حِمَاهَا

فِي الدَّيَاجِي وَمَا خَشِيتَ انْتِقَامَا

Centers of plague where from their dens

Beasts of prey and snakes are banned.

بُؤَرٌ لِلوَبَاءِ آمَنُ مِنْهَا

أَنْ تَزُورَ الآسَادَ وَالآجَامَا

Pastures for cattle where only

Herds can be called cattle.

وَمَآوٍ هِيَ الحَظَائِرُ لَوْلاَ

أَنَّ قُطْعَانَهَا تُسَمَّى أنَامَا

Are these the remnant of a people whose strength

Built pyramids enduring time’s erosion?

أفَهَذِي هِيَ البَقِيَّةُ مِنْ شَعْ

بٍ شَدِيدِ القُوَى بَنَى الأهْرَامَا

This courage you showed in the path you took

Does courage greatest honor.

إِنَّ هّذَا الإِقْدَامَ فِيمَا تَوَجَّهْ

تَ إِلَيْهِ يُشَرِّفُ الإِقْدَامَا

Not the dawn shows it is a feast

Or comforting the harmed defines the brave.

لَيْسَ فَارُوقُ مَنْ يَرَى العِيدَ عِيداً

أَوْ يُجِيرَ الحَرِيبَ وَالمُسْتَضَامَا

No glory for those who dread the wheel of chance,

No striving for those who love repose.

مَا المَرَاقِي لِمَنْ يَخَافُ دُواراً

مَا المَسَاعِي لِمَنْ يُحِبُّ الجَمَامَا

Men wondered when you came in view,

Unsure if waking or in a dream.

عَجِبَ القَوْمُ إِذْ تَرَاءى فَلَمْ يَدْ

رُوا أَصَحْواً يَرَوْنَهُ أَمْ مَنَامَا

What beauty in the radiant face of this youth

Rising like a full moon glowing.

أَيُّ حُسْنٍ فِي وَجْهِ هَذَا الفَتَى المُشْ

رِقِ يَجْلُو لِلنَّاسِ بَدْراً تَمَامَا

Can this be flesh and blood, the promised King?

Our eyes strain to see from afar.

أَمِنَ اللحْمِ وَالدَّمِ المَلِكُ المُو

فِي وأَبْصَارُنَا إلَيْهِ تَرَامَى

Never did we see the kings that went before

Except as figures on walls or idols.

مَا شَهِدْنَا المُلُوكَ مِنْ قَبْلُ إلا

صُوَراً فِي الجِدَارِ أَوْ أَصْنَامَا

You came favoring us, and had you given nothing,

Just seeing you would have sufficed.

جَاءَنَا مُنْعِماً وَلَوْ لَمْ يَزِدْنَا

لَكَفَانَا لِقَاؤُهُ إنْعَامَا

Your efforts lightened our burdens,

How we wished to kiss your feet!

سَعْيُهُ هَوَّنَ العَسِيرَ عَلَيْنا

فَوَدِدْنَا لَوْ نَلْثَمُ الأَقْدَامَا

You restored our eyesight with your gifts,

Food, clothing, all that life sustains.

رَدَّ أرْمَاقَنَا بِمَا يُمْسِكُ الأَرْ

مَاقَ طِبَاً وَكُسْوَةً وَطَعَامَا

We rose with no cry of misery,

Slept with no weeping of orphans.

فَنَهَضْنَا وَلا نُوَاحَ ثَكَالَى

وَرَقَدْنَا وَلا بُكَاءَ يَتَامَى

Can our thanks repay even if we gave you

Our souls and bodies in devotion?

هَلْ نُوَفَّيهِ شُكْرَنَا لَوْ بَذَلْنَا

فِي هَوَاهُ الأرْوَاحَ وَالأجْسَامَا

O King who toured the countryside,

Noble are your kind acts and guidance.

يَا مَلِيكاً أَجْرَى عَلَى الرِّيفِ أل

طَافاً وَزَكَّى ألطافَهُ إِلمَامَا

What joy for rural folk to look upon

The smiling face of their time.

أَيُّ سَعْدٍ لِلرِّيفِ وَهْوَ بِمَرْ

آكَ يَرَى وَجْهَ دَهْرِهِ البَسَّامَا

To describe the joy in your subjects’ hearts,

Throughout the land defeats description.

وَصْفُ مَا فَاضَ مِنْ سُرُورِ بَنيهِ

فِي الأَقَالِيمِ يُعْجِزُ الأقْلامَا

Gone are days when arbitrary power reigned,

No rights for people, who suffered wrongs.

زَالَ عَهْدٌ لَمْ يَرْعَ مَنْ سَادَ فِيهِ

حَقَّ شَعْبٍ يَفْنَى طَوىً وَأُوَامَا

God forgive Egypt through her righteous King

For her sins and transgressions.

رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِمِصْرَ بِالمَلِكِ الصَّا

لِحِ تِلكَ الذُّنُوبَ وَالآثَامَا

Guard him and guard her, facilitate his rule,

And make them both endure and last.

وَارْعَهُ وَارْعَهَا وَيَسِّرْ لَهُ الأمْ

رَ وَيَسِّرْ لَهَا وَدَامَتْ وَدَامَا