يَا مِصْرُ لَوْ تُقْدَرُ الأَقْدَارُ بِالكِرَمِ

لَكُنْتِ سَابِقَةَ الأَمْصَار وَالأُمَمِ

O Egypt, if destinies were judged by generosity,

You would be foremost among nations and realms.

مَا أَشْرَفَ الجودَ لا يُبْغَى بِهِ عَوَضٌ

كَمَا تَجُودِينَ عَنْ بُعْدٍ ومن أَمَمِ

The most noble generosity needs no recompense,

As you give freely from afar and from nearby.

إِنِّي أَرَى مِنْكِ آياتٍ تُحَقِّقُ لي

أَنَّ النَّدَى سَيِّدُ الأَخْلاقِ وَالشِّيَمِ

I see in you signs that prove to me

That dew is the master of manners and traits.

وَأَنَّهُ شممٌ خَافٍ يُعَزُّ بِهِ

عَلَى الغُزَاةِ وَمَا يُبْدُونَ مِنْ شَمَمِ

And that it is a piercing fragrance with which

The invaders and their insolence can be resisted.

أَبْكَاكِ من رَقَّةٍ خَطْبٌ بِهِ صَمَمٌ

عَمَّنْ شكا ولَبِئْسَِ الخَطْبُ ذًو الصَّمَمِ

Your tears of tenderness are pleas by which one who complains is rebuffed,

And wretched is the plea of one who is stubborn and deaf.

دَهَى دِمَشْقَ بِنَارٍ مِنْهُ هَاتِكَةٍ

نَهَّاشَةِ اللُّسْنِ للأَعْرَاضِ وَالحُرَمِ

It set Damascus ablaze with a consuming fire

That tore into dignities and sanctities.

سَطَتْ عَلَى مَوْضِعِ الأَرْزَاقِ مَا تَرَكَتْ

مِنْهَا سِوَى كُلِّ عَافٍ تَحْتَ مُنْهَدِمِ

It stretched over the places of livelihood, leaving

Nothing but each horror in ruins.

تَشُبُّ وَ الغُوطَةُ الْفَيْحَاءُ ضَاحِكَةٌ

حِيَالَهَا ضَحِكَ المَرْزُوءِ بِاللَّمَمِ

Al-Ghouta and Zabadani laugh,

Mocking the sneer of the accursed.

يُهْدِي زُمُرُّدُهَا أَنْوَارَ نَضْرَتِهِ

إِلَى سَعِيرٍ كَذَوْبِ التِّبْرِ مُحْتَدِمِ

Its emerald sends its lights of greenness

To a blaze as fierce as ignited sulfur.

وَحَوْلَهَا السَّبْعَةُ الأَنْهَارُ جَارِيَةٌ

مِنْ غَيْرِ جَدْوَى بِذَاكَ المَدْمَعِ الشَّبِمِ

And around it the seven rivers flow

Uselessly, in the face of those pouring tears.

نِكَايَةُ الدَّهْرِ لا يَفْنَى لَهَا لَعِبٌ

بِالنَّاسِ تَلْعَبُهُ فِي اللَّهْوِ وَالأَلَمِ

Time's reprisal - its play with people, in joy and pain, does not end.

It has brought woe to Damascus, whose aid you know

أَشْقَتْ دِمَشْقَ الَّتِي تَدْرُونَ نَجْدَتَهَا

إِذْ يَبْتَغِيهَا جَلالُ المُلْكِ مِنْ قِدَمْ

When the glory of the kingdom sought it,

And when its people were lions, if they entered

وَإِذْ بَنُوهَا هُمُ الآسَادُ إِنْ وَرَدُوا

مَوَارِدَ الْحَرْبِ وَالأَجْوَادُ فِي السَّلمِ

The arenas of war, and the most generous in peace.

The flowers of their glories and prides

زُهْرٌ مَآثِرُهُمْ زَهْرٌ مَفَاخِرُهُمْ

فِي مُجْتَلَى الْحِلْمِ أَوْ فِي مُجْتَنَى الْحِكَمِ

Were in the cream of wisdom or essence of governance -

The virtuous midst of valor, manners and magnanimity,

خِلالُ بَأْسٍ وَآدَابٍ وَمَكْرُمَةٍ

آثَارُهُما الغُرُّ فِي الأَعْقَابِ لَمْ تَرِمِ

Whose fragrance in tracing footsteps did not vanish.

By God, when they were overthrown in their abodes,

للهِ مَنْ نُكِبُوا فِي دُورِهِمْ فَأَوَى

سَوَادُهُمْ بَعْدَ أَنْ بَادَتْ إِلَى الظُّلْمِ

Their throngs vanished after the darkness came.

None quenching the heat of their souls’ fire,

لا مُطْفِيءٌ بَرَدَى حَرّاً بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ

وَلا مُعِينٌ عَلَى الطَّاغِي مِنَ الضَّرَمِ

And none aiding against the tyrant.

But your great kindness has come to their aid

لَكِنْ تَدَارَكَهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِكُمْ عَمَمٌ

يَأْسُو جِرَاحَاتِ ذَاكَ الكَارِثِ العَمَمِ

Binding the wounds of that immense calamity.

So God bless these faces and

فَبَارَكَ اللهُ فِي هَذِي الْوُجُوهِ وَفِي

هَذِي الْقُلُوبِ وَمَا أَسْدَتْ مِنَ النِّعَمِ

These hearts, and what they have offered of blessings.