أَيْنَ أَقْطَابُ مِصْرَ وَالأَعْلامُ

أَيْقَظُوا مِصْرَ للحياة وَنَامُوا

Where are the leaders of Egypt, the notables?

They awakened Egypt to life, then slept.

عُوجِلُوا بِالحُتُوفِ فِيهَا فَبَانُوا

لاحِقاً بِالهُمَامِ مِنْهُمْ هُمَامِ

They were hasty in their shrouds therein, so they departed,

Seeking after the noble ones among them, the nobles.

لا تَكَادُ الأَعْلامُ بَعْدَ الخَطْ

بِ حَتَّى تُنَكَّسَ الأَعْلامُ

The notables had scarcely left

Before the notables were brought down.

طَعْنَةٌ إِثْرَ طَعْنَةٍ فِي حَشَاهَا

آهِ مِمَّا جَنَى عَلَيْهَا الحِمَامُ

Blow after blow into its bowels -

Oh! What the doves have reaped therein.

أكْرَمَ اللهُ مُصْطَفَاهُ وَمَا الدنْ

يَا مُقَامٌ لَوْ طَابَ فِيها المُقَامُ

May Allah honor His Chosen One; and what is the world

To one whose stay therein is wholesome?

فَازَ فِيهَا بِمَا تُرَجِّيهِ نَفْسٌ

مِنْ عُلُوٍّ فَلَمْ يَفْتْهُ سَنَامُ

He succeeded therein in what a soul desires

Of loftiness, so it did not escape him sleeplessness.

وَبَلا مِنْ ثِمَارِهَا كُلَّ مُرٍّ

ذَاقَهُ قَبْلَهُ الرِّجَالُ العِظَامُ

And he was afflicted with all bitterness

That the great men tasted before him.

فَتَوَلَّى عَنْهَا وَمَنْ أَرْضَعَتْهُ

ذَلِكَ الصَّابَ لَمْ يُضِرْهُ الفِطَامُ

So he turned away from it and from the one it nurtured,

For that weaned one, weaning did no harm.

طفِئَ الَيْومَ ذَلِكَ الكَوْكَبُ الهَا

دِي فَهَلْ دَالَ وَاسْتَتَبَّ الظَّلامُ

That guiding star was extinguished today,

So has it set, and the darkness intensified?

وَبِمَاذَا كَانَتْ تُعَالِجُ أَسْقَا

مٌ ثِقَالٌ تَمُدُّهَا أسْقَامُ

And with what were lofty goals treated

When burdens made them stooped and sick?

قَيَّضَ الحَظُّ مَاهِراً لِلمُدَاوَا

ةِ فَخَفَّ الأَذَى وَكَفَّ المَلامُ

Fate appointed him as one to heal

So harm was lessened, and blame ceased.

وَتَوَلَّى الإِصْلاَحَ مَا اسْطَاعَ أَنْ يُبْـ

ـرِمَ حَبْلَ الرَّجَاءِ وَهْوَ رِمَامُ

He undertook reform to the extent he could

Tie the rope of hope while it was fraying.

يَرْقُبُ الله فِي الضِّعَافِ وَلا يَثْ

نِيهِ خَوْفٌ وَلا يَعُوقُ صِدَامُ

He regards God in the weak, and no fear deters him

Nor obstacles impede him.

مُبصِراً مَوْضِعَ الصَّوابِ وَإِنْ عَشَّـ

ـى عَلَيْهِ الغُمُوضُ وَالإِبْهَامُ

Seeing clearly the place of right, though

Obscurity and ambiguities beset it.

مُمْضِياً مَا مَضَى بِهِ الشَّرْعُ والخَصْـ

ـمُ شِرَّةٌ وَفِيهِ عُرَامُ

Advancing what the Sacred Law and ordinance mandated,

Though a portion be suspect and herein defects.

فَأَصَابَ الجَزاءَ عَزْلاً وَلَكِنْ

رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ وَالإِسْلامُ

So he attained dismissal as reward, but

God was pleased with him, and Islam.

نَاظِرُ الوَقْفِ أَمْسِ أَصْبَحَ فِي تَا

لِيهِ وَالحَرْثُ شأْنُهُ وَالسَّوَامُ

Yesterday overseer of endowments, today

He awoke divested while tilling and plowing.

جَدَّ فِي المَوْقِفِ الجَدِيدِ فَلَمْ يَمْ

كُثْ عَلَى عَهْدِهِ الطِّرَازُ القُدَامُ

He was diligent in the new position, no longer

Did the fine qualities of old linger.

وَزَكَا الرَّيْعُ مَا زَكَا وَأَتَتْ مَا

لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي حِسَابِهَا الأرْقَامُ

And the harvest thrived as it thrived, and there came what

Had not been accounted in its calculations.

رَجُلٌ لَمْ يَهُمَّهُ الزَّرْعُ وَالضَّرْ

عُ وَلا البَيْعُ فِيهِما وَالسُّوَامُ

A man unconcerned with sowing, tilling,

Selling therein, and plowing.

هَمُّهُ نِعْمَةٌ يَعِيشُونَ فِيهَا

بِصَفَاءٍ وَيُؤْمَنُ الإجْرَامُ

His care that they live

In probity, and safety from crime.

فَإِذَا اسْتَمْتَعُوا بِهَا لَمْ يَخَلْهَا

كَمَلَتْ أَوْ تُثَقَّفُ الأَفْهَامُ

So if they enjoy it, it is not marred

Whether perfected or minds enlightened.

ضَحِكَ النُّوْرُ فِي القُرَى وَتَغَنَّى

بَعْدَ نَوْحٍ عَلَى الغُصُونِ الحَمَامُ

Laughter shone in the villages, and after

Sorrow, the doves sang from the branches.

وَجَرَى المَاءُ رَائِقاً وَأُضِيئَتْ

شُهُبٌ لِلظَّلامِ مِنْهَا انْهِزَامُ

The water ran pure, and meteors

Shone for the darkness, and it retreated.

وَإِلَى جَانِبِ المَصَانِعِ شِيدَتْ

لِلعُلُومِ الصرُوحُ وَالآطَامُ

And alongside the factories were erected

Edifices of learning, and high pillars.

ذَاكَ عَهْدٌ تَسَامَعَ القُطْرُ فِيهِ

قَوْلَ مَنْ قَالَ هَكَذَا الحُكَّامُ

That was an age in which the nation heard

The word of one who said: Thus, the rulers!

وَعَلا فِيهِ رَأْيُ مَنْ رَأْيُهُ الأعْـ

ـلَى وَإِلزَامُهُ هُوَ الإِلزَامُ

And the view of one whose view was highest prevailed,

And his decree was the decree enforced.

فَدَعَاهُ لِلاضْطِلاعِ بِأَمْرٍ

يَتَّقِيهِ المُمَرَّسُ المِقْدَامُ

So he called him to undertake a matter

That the seasoned, bold man fears.

كَانَ أَمْرُ الأَوْقَافِ نُكْراً وَبِالأوْ

قَافِ دَاءٌ مِنَ الجُمُودِ عُقَامُ

Administration of endowments was odious, and

In endowments from stagnation the illness was severe.

لا تَرَى العَيْنُ فِي جوَانِبِهَا إِلاَّ

ثُقُوباً كَأَنَّهُنَّ كِلامُ

The eye saw in its aspects only

Holes, as though they were words.

إِنْ جَرَى ذِكْرُهَا غَلاَ النَّاسُ فِي الذَّمِّ

وَمَا كُلِّ قَائِلٍ ذَمَّامُ

Whenever it was mentioned, people exceeded in blame,

Though not every speaker was blamable.

كَيْفَ لا تَكْثُرُ المَثَالِبُ وَالحَا

لَةُ فَوْضَى وَلِلحُقُوقِ اهْتِضَامُ

How could defects not be frequent

While the state was chaos, and rights trampled?

نَصَرَ العَامِلِينَ فِيهَا فَتىً دَلَّ

عَلَيْهِ النُّبُوغُ وَهْوَ غُلامُ

He championed the workers among them, a young man

Indicated by brilliance, while still a boy.

دَائِبٌ فِي ابْتِغَاءِ مَا يَبْتَغِيهِ

سَاهِرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالِّلذَاتُ نِيَامُ

Dedicated to pursuing what the wakeful

Seeks by night, while pleasures slumber.

يُدْرِكُ الشَّأْوَ بَعْدَ آخَرَ يَتْلُو

هُ وَفِي أَوَّلِ المَجَالِ الزِّحَامُ

Grasping significance after the last, with

Crowding ahead and jostling first.

كُلَّمَا شَطَّتِ المَنَاصِبُ أَدْنا

هَا وَقَدْ رَاضَ صَعْبَهَا الاِعْتِزَامُ

Whenever positions were expanded

He drew nearer, though assuming them was hard.

ذَلِكُمْ مُصْطَفَى تَنَفَّلَ فِيهَا

وَلَهُ اليُمْنُ حَيْثُ حَلَّ لِزَامُ

That was Mustafa who excelled in them

And good fortune was his wherever resolutions were binding.

أَوْطَأَتْهُ عَلْيَاءهَا فَعَنَتْ بِالطَّوْ

عِ لِلحَاكِمِ النَّزِيهِ الهَامُ

Its haughtiness brought him down, so it favored with obedience

The just, decisive ruler.