يَا عَائِداً بِرِعَايَةِ الرَّحْمَنِ

أَلنِّيْلُ رَاضٍ عَنْكَ وَالهَرَمَانِ

O you who returns under the care of the Merciful

The Nile is pleased with you and the pyramids too

أَقْبَلْتَ مَوْفُورَ السَّلامَةِ فَائِزاً

وَالمَوْتُ يَنْظُرُ نِظْرَةَ الخَزْيَانِ

You have come back safe and victorious

While death stares with the gaze of disgrace

مِنْ جَانِبِ البَحْرِ المَهِيجِ تَجُوزُهُ

فِي الجَوِّ أَوْ مِنْ جَانِبِ البُركَانِ

Whether from the turbulent sea side

Or from the desert side

للهِ دَرُّكَ مِنْ جَرِيءٍ حَازِمٍ

لا مُبْطِيءٍ سَفَهاً وَلا عَجْلانِ

God bless you for being bold and decisive

Neither too slow out of foolishness nor hasty

وَدَّ الحِمَى لَوْ يَقْتَفِي آثَارَهُ

جَيْشٌ مِنَ البُلاءِ فِي الفَتْيَانِ

If the zealous army pursued his tracks

A troop of ordeals would pursue the youth

أَثْبَتَّ وَالفُلْكُ الضَّعِيفَةُ مَرْكَبٌ

مَا يُسْتَطَاعُ بِقُوَّةِ الإِيمَانِ

You have proven, though the ship was frail

What can be achieved through strength of faith

صِدْقُ العَزِيمَةِ وَاليَقِينِ إِذَا هُمَا

وَفَرَا فَأَقْصَى مَا يُؤَمَّلُ دَانِي

When true determination and certainty

Strive their utmost, exceeding all hopes

فِي مِصْرَ عِيدٌ لِلنُّبُوغِ تُقِيمُهُ

لِلْخَالِدِينَ وَلا يُقَامُ لِفَانِي

In Egypt a celebration is held for genius

For the eternal, not for the ephemeral

أَضْحَتْ وَحَاضِرُهَا كَمَا أَقْرَرْتَهُ

تَسْتَقْبِلُ الأَيَّامَ بِاطْمِئْنَانِ

Its present as you decreed is now

Facing the days with tranquility

وَتَلَفَّتَ المَاضِي إِلَيْكَ مُحَيِّياً

أَمَلاَ بِهِ المَجْدَانِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ

The past turns to you reviving

The two glories meet

لِلْمُلْكِ فِي ذِمَمِ المَفَاخِرِ وَالعُلَى

عِوَضٌ كَفَالَتُهُ عَلَى الشُّجْعَانِ

The state has in keeping the prides and heights

A recompense guaranteeing the brave

أَليَوْمَ تَخْدُو فِي العَرِينِ أُسُودُهُ

وَالنَّصْرُ بَيْنَ مَخَالِبِ العِقْيَانِ

Do its lions pace in the den today

With victory between the claws of the strong?

فِي الحَرْبِ أَوْ فِي السِّلْمِ لا تُقْضَى المُنَى

إِلاَّ وَسَاعَاتُ الكِفَاحِ ثَوَانِ

In war or peace, fate is not fulfilled

Except in the hours of struggle

صِدْقِي تَلاهُ أَحْمَدٌ وَيَلِيهِمَا

سِرْبُ الْبُزَاةِ يَجُوبُ كُلَّ عَنَانِ

My sincerity followed by Ahmed's

And a flock of gallants roams every path

إِنِّي لَمَحْتُ هِلالَنَا وَكَأَنَّمَا

يَبْدُو عَلَيْهِ تَلَهُّبُ الظَّمْآنِ

I glimpsed our crescent, as though

Ablaze with the thirst of yearning

لَوْ كَانَ شَاهَدَهُ أَخُوهُ لَرَاعَهُ

بِجَمَالِ غُرَّتِهِ الهِلالُ الثَّانِي

Had its brother witnessed its charm

Dazzled by the beauty of its curve

أَيَعُودُ فِي رَايَاتِ مِصْرَ وَظِلُّهُ

فَوْقَ القُرَى يَمْشِي بِلا اسْتِئْذَانِ

Does it return over Egypt's banners and its shade

Walking above the villages without permission?

وَنَرَاهُ كَالعَهْدِ القَدِيمِ مُصَعِّداً

وَنَرَى لَدَيْهِ تَطَامُنَ البُلْدَانِ

And we see it ascending as of old

With the lands submissive before it

أَهْلاً بِأَمْهَرِ فَارِسٍ مُتَرَجِّلٍ

عَنْ مُصْعَبٍ يُرْتَاضُ بِالعِرْفَانِ

Welcome, most skilled of dismounted knights

Dismounting from the rugged with knowledge

خَوَّاضِ أَجْوَازِ العَنَانِ مُمَانِعٍ

غَيْرَ النُّهَى عَنْ أَخْذِهِ بِعِنَانِ

Breaker of the reins' knots, preventing

All but grasping them by the bridle

فَرَسٌ كَمَا حَلُمَ الجُدُودُ مَجُنَّحٌ

قَدْ حَقَّقَتَّهُ يَقْظَةُ الأَزْمَانِ

A winged horse, just as the ancestors dreamed

Brought into being by the times' wakefulness

يَدعُو الرِّيَاحَ عَصِيَّةً فَتْنِيلُهُ

أَكْتَافُهَا بِالطَّوْعِ وَالإِذْعَانِ

Calling the winds stubborn, so they yield

Their shoulders obediently and submissively

يَسْمُو فَتَتَّضِعُ الشَّوَامِخُ دُونَهُ

حَتَّى تَؤُوبَ بِذِلَّةِ الغيطَانِ

It rises high and the peaks humble themselves before it

Until they relent with the humiliation of giants

ويَجُولُ بَيْنَ السُّحْبِ جَوْلَةَ مُمْعِنٍ

فِي الفَتْحِ لا يَثْنِيهِ عَنْهُ ثَانِ

And it circles among the clouds insistently conquering

Nothing deters it from victory

فَإِذَا مَنَاثِرُهَا عَوَاثِرُ بِالدُّجَى

وَبِحَارُهَا يَنْضُبْنَ مِنْ طُغِيَانِ

Then its scattered remains are ruins in the gloom

And its seas drained of turmoil

وَإِذَا قُرَاهَا العَامِرَاتُ وَرَوضُهَا

يُقْوِينَ مِنْ حُسْنٍ وَمِنْ عُمْرَانِ

And its flourishing villages and meadows

Gain in beauty and civilization

وَإِذَا مَنَاجِمُ تِبْرِهَا وَعَقِيقِهَا

مَهْدُودَةٌ مَشْبُوبَةُ النِّيرَانِ

And its mineral mines and gems

Smashed and ignited by fires

وَإِذَا الصُّنُوفُ الكُثْرُ مِنْ حَيَوانِهَا

صُورٌ مَنَكَّرَةٌ مِنَ الحَيوَانِ

And the diverse throngs of its creatures

Are unfamiliar shapes of animals

وَإِذَا عَوَالِمُ لَيْسَ مِنْهَا بَاقِياً

إِلاَّ اخْتِلاطُ أَشِعَّةٍ وَدُخَانِ

And its worlds where nothing remains

Except intermingled rays and smoke

هَذِي أَلاعِيبُ الخَيَالِ وَصَفْتُهَا

بِضُرُوبِ مَا تَتَوَهَّمُ العَيْنَانِ

These are the wiles of imagination I described

In ways the eyes may imagine

وَمِنَ المَخَاطِرِ مَا يَفُوقُ بِهَوْلِهِ

مَا تُخْطِرُ الأَوْهَامُ فِي الأَذْهَانِ

And dangers that surpass in their horror

What minds conjure in thoughts

مَرَّ الكَمِيَّ بِهَا وَضَرَّى طِرْفَهُ

بِالوَثْبِ فَوْقَ حَبَائِلِ الحِدْثَانِ

The brave one passed them, glancing

Above the tangled brushwood

حَتَّى إِذَا مَا جَالَ غَيْرَ مُدَافِعٍ

أَوْ عَامَ بَيْنَ اللَّيْثِ وَالسَّرَطَانِ

Until when he drew close to the throne

Angels bound it without columns

أَلْوَى يَحُطُّ فَمَا يَقُولُ شُهُودُهُ

إِلاَّ جَلاَلَ النَّسْرِ فِي الطَّيَرَانِ

When they saw him in a chariot

Wheeled by the hands of a devil

فَإِذَا دَنَا خَالُوهُ عَرْشاً قَائِماً

شَدَّتْهُ أَمْلاكٌ بِلا أَشْطَانِ

When it sped then leveled above the ground

The wonder of man was revealed to them

فَإِذَا أَسََّ رَأَوْهُ مَرْكَبةً لَهَا

عَجَلٌ تُسَيِّرُهَا يَدَا شَيْطَانِ

O son of metaphor, the arrow of its wit

Fate aimed at your mind's core

فَإِذَا جَرَى ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى فَوْقَ الثَّرَى

ظَهَرَتْ لَهُمْ أُعْجَوبَةَ الإِنْسَانِ

Yearning called so you answered, do not waver for what

You endure and suffer

يَا ابْنَ الكِنَايَةِ رَاشَ سَهْمَ فَخَارِهَا

قَدْرٌ رَمَى بِكَ مَهْجَةَ العُدْوَانِ

And I feel the fervor you carried

Pervading the ether, gushing in veins

شَوْقٌ دَعَا فَأَجَبْتَ لا تَلْوِي بِمَا

تُسْتَامُ مِنْ جَرَّائِهِ وَتُعَانِي

What distracted you, as you looked hovering

At the beauty of zeal's compelling charm?

وَأُحِسُّ بِالوَجْدِ الَّذِي حَمَّلْتَهُ

مَتْنَ الأَثِيرِ فَشَعَّ بِالتَّحْتَانِ

The great country seemed like a patch

Of green, not exceeding a garden's range

مَاذَا عَرَاكَ وَقَدْ نَظَرْتَ مُحَلِّقاً

وَجْهَ الحِمَى بِجَمَالِهِ الفَتَّانِ

And the countryside studded with treasures appeared

Mixed with the visible and hidden hues

فَبَدَا لَكَ القُطْرُ العَظِيمُ كَرُقْعَةٍ

خَضْرَاءَ لا تَعْدُو مَدَى بُسْتَانِ

In Egypt, Alexandria, and the villages

Peoples multiplied, the earth was crowded

وَجَلا لَكَ الرِّيفُ الحِلَى مَمْزُوجَةً

بِالظَّاهِرِ الخَافِي مِنَ الأَلْوَانِ

Look at their old and young

Look at the girls and boys

فِي مِصْرَ و الإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةِ وَالقُرَى

خَفَّ الوَرَى بِتَعَدَّدِ السُّكَّانِ

Look at the nomads and the greenery in

Their orchards, racing without a prize

أَنْظُرْ إِلَى أَحْدَائِهِمْ وَكُهُولِهِمْ

أُنْظُرْ إِلَى الفَتَيَاتِ وَالفِتْيَانِ

They came out to glimpse the dawn of their glory

In its caravan lined with banners

أُنْظُرْ إِلَى البَادِينَ وَالخُضَارِ فِي

حَلَبَاتِهَا اسْتَبَقُوا لِغَيْرِ رِهَانِ

And to blacken their eyelids with kohl

From the dust of that radiant powder

خَرَجُوا لِيَسْتَجْلُوا طَلِيعَةَ مَجْدِهِمْ

فِي رَكْبِهِ المَحْفُوفِ بِاللَّمَعَانِ

And to convey gratitude to that zeal

Elevating its stature to the stars

وَليَكْحَلُوا هُدْبَ الجُفُونِ بِإِثْمِدٍ

مِنْ ذَرِّ ذَاكَ المِرْوَدِ النُّورَانِي

The land inclines to you like swooning camels

And gazes facing Rawan

وَليُبْلِغُوا شُكْرَ الحِمَى ذَاكَ الَّذِي

أَعْلَى مَكَانَتَهُ إِلَى كِيوَانِ

You felt while the breezes were still

What throbbed in their hearts in the air

فَالأَرْضُ هَامَاتٌ إِلَيْكَ تَوَجَّهَتْ

وَنَوَاظِرٌ نَحْوَ رَوَانِ

And you knew in their honoring you the utmost

Reaching of generosity and kindness

أَشَعَرْتَ وَالنَّسَمَاتُ سَاكِنَةٌ بِمَا

لِقُلُوبِهِمْ فِي الجَوِّ مِنْ خَفَقَانِ

Your little ship descended from the heights

Gliding by the grace of your Bountiful Lord

وَعَرَفْتَ فِي إِكْرَامِهِمْ لَكَ مُنْتَهَى

مَا يَبْلُغُ الإِسْدَاءُ مِنْ عِرْفَانِ

No, hope cannot penetrate its gloom

In each wing and every garden

نَزَلَتْ سَفِينَتُكَ الصَّغِيرَةُ مِنْ عَلٍ

تُزْجَى بِرَحْمَةِ رَبِّكَ المَنَّانِ

No slowly descending light seizes the sights

Hesitantly like its hesitant descent

كَلاَّ وَلا يَلِجُ الرَّجَاءُ وَلُوجَها

فِي كُلِّ جَانِحَةٍ وكلِّ جَنَانِ

The cities' notables met you

For one deserving of homelands

لا يَأْخُذُ الأَبْصَارَ نُورٌ هَابِطٌ

مُتَوَانِياً كَهُبُوطِهَا المُتَوانِي

The safe harbor welcomed its guest

With the joy of one freed and laughing

لَقِيَتْكَ حَاضِرَةُ البِلادِ لَقَاءهَا

لأَجَلِّ ذِي حَقٍ عَلَى الأَوْطَانِ

Alexandria never lost its merit

With its firstness in the field

وَاسْتَقْبَلَ الثَّغْرُ الأَمِينُ نَزيلَهُ

بِبَشَاشَةِ المُتَهّلِّلِ الجَذْلانِ

It gathered before you its old and young

Like a family, intimate as brothers

مَا زَالَ لِلإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةِ فَضْلُهَا

بِبِدَارَهَا وَالسَّبْقِ فِي المَيْدَانِ

An elite—if the call of sacrifice summons them

Each devoted soul answers readily

جَمَعَتْ حِيَالَكَ شِيبَهَا وَشَبَابَهَا

كَالأَهْلِ مُؤْتَلِفِينَ وَالإِخْوَانِ

Marvel at their throng knit with glory

As beauty and splendor appeared together

مِنْ نُخْبَةٍ إِنْ يَدْعُهُمْ دَاعِي الفِدَى

لَبَّاهُ كُلُّ سَمَيْذَعٍ مُتَفَانِ

The uniquely splendid prince rose among them

A wonder whose like the two moons coveted

أَبْدِعْ بِحَشْدِهِمُ الَّذِي انْتَظَمَ العُلَى

فِي مَوْضِعٍ وَجَلا الحِلَى فِي آنِ

Omar whose perfect traits contend

In their majesty, beauty, and carrying of burdens

طَلَعَ الأَمِيرُ الفَرْدُ فِيهِ مَطْلَعاً

عَجَباً تَمَنَّى مِثْلَهُ القَمَرَانِ

The East knows his value and venerates him

Seeing him at the height of all Creation

عُمَرُ الَّذِي اخْتَلَفَتْ صِفَاتُ كَمَالِهِ

وَجَلالُهَا وَجَمَالُهَا وَحَمَالُهَا سَيَّانِ

So congratulations for being near him, Sincerity, and attain

As much pride and loftiness as you wish

الشَّرْقُ يَعْرِفُ قَدْرَهُ وَيَجِلُّهُ

وَيَرَاهُ مِنْ أَعْلَى الذُّرَى بِمَكَانِ

And receive from him a hand skilled in its choices

Rewarding kindness with kindness

فَاهْنَأْ بِقُرْبِكَ مِنْهُ يَا صِدْقِي وَنَلْ

مَا شِئْتَ فَخْرٍ وَرِفْعَةِ شَانِ

وَتَلَقَّ مِنْهُ يَداً تُجِيدُ خِيَارَهَا

وَتُكَافيءُ الإِحْسَانَ بِالإِحْسَانِ