لَكَ فِي ارْتِجَالِ جَلائِلِ الهِمَمِ
مَا عَزَّ لَوْ نَبْغِيهِ فِي الكَلِمِ
You possess in your extempore eloquence the genius
That would be unmatched were we to seek it in words,
حَتَّى كَأَنَّ نَجَازَ مَوْعِدِهَا
بَعْضُ العُهُودِ عَلَيْكَ وَالذِّمَمِ
As though the achievements of the finest poets
Were obligations binding you, and their repute.
وَلَقَدْ نَبَيْتَ مُبَرِّحاً بِكَ مِنْ
أَلَمٍ وَلا تَشْكُو مِنَ الأَلَمِ
You have excelled, cheering us, in patience
Uncomplaining, however sore the pain.
وَسِوَاكَ يَسْئِمُهُ الكِفَاحُ وَمَا
بِكَ فِي كِفَاحِ الدَّهْرِ مِنْ سَأَمِ
Others are wearied by struggle, but you
In struggling with fate show no fatigue.
للهِ مَا أَحْدَثْتَ مِنْ غُرَرٍ
طَابَ الحَدِيثُ بِهَا لِكُلِّ فَمِ
O Prince, your innovations are a font
Of witticisms on every tongue and lip.
أَضْحَتْ صَحَافَتُنَا تَتِيهُ عَلَى
أَخَوَاتِهَا فِي أَرْفَلِ الأُمَمِ
Our newspapers ramble in confusion
Among their sisters in the states of Islam.
أَيَّدَْتَهَا تَأْيِيدَ ذِي ثِقَةٍ
مِنْ نَفْسِهِ بِالحَق مُعْتَصِمِ
With confident spirit you have buttressed them
In truth, like one whose faith is never shaken.
كَمْ خَافَ صَولَتَهَا فَغَلَّلَهَا
بَاغٍ إِلَى أَنْ بَاءَ فِي نَدَمِ
How many have feared their impetuous onrush
And so confined them till they rued their act!
ذَاتُ الجَلالَةِ لَيْسَ ضَائِرَهَا
مَرُّ السَّحَابِ وَظِلُّ مُحْتَكِمِ
Majesty cannot be harmed by the passage
Of clouds or the shadow of one who takes cover.
تَارِيخُهَا فِي مَصْرَ مُذٌ نَشَأَتْ
تَارِيخُ جَهْدٍ غَيْرِ مُنْفَصَمِ
Its history in Egypt goes back an age,
The epic of unbroken, relentless zeal,
أَفْدِحْ بِمَا عَانَتْهُ صَابِرَةً
مِنْ مُرْهَقِ المَثْلاتِ وَالنِّقَمِ
Bearing with resignation the crushing weight
Of slights and outrages past all compute.
هِيَ نَوَّرَتْ أَذَّهَانَ أُمَّتِهَا
إِذْ كَانَتِ الأَذْهَانُ فِي ظُلَمِ
It gave light to the minds of its people
When minds were darkened all about.
هِيَ عَلَّمَتْهَا مَا الحَيَاةُ وَمَا
يُوحِيهِ مَجْدُ النيلِ وَالهَرَمِ
It taught them what is life, and what
The glory of the Nile and Pyramid inspires.
هِيَ بِاليَرَاعَةِ وَالصَّحِيفَةِ قَدْ
أَغْنَتْ غَنَاءَ السَّيْفِ وَالعَلَمِ
With civil order and official decree
It sang as loud as sword and standard sing.
فاليَوْمَ أَنْصَفَهَا وَأَيَّدَهَا
عَلَمٌ رَعَاهُ اللهُ مِنْ عَلمِ
Thus validated now, upheld today
By the rule of a rightly guided prince.
شَرَفاً عَلِيّ فَمَا فَتِئْتَ عَلَى
عَهْدِ الشَّجَاعَةِ فِيكَ والشَّمَمِ
O noble `Ali, still you stand upon
The oath of valor binding you, and pride.
لا تَطْرُقُ الإصْلاحَ عَنْ عَرَضٍ
بَلْ تَطْرُقُ الإصْلاحَ مِنْ أَمَمِ
You turn reform not from its course
But set it on the paths that straightly tend
أَعْدَدْتَ لِلدُّسْتُورِ عُدَّتَهُ
وَلَوَاحِظُ الأَحْقَادِ لَمْ تَنَمِ
To lofty goals. You do not pause
Or tire or swerve from purpose.
عَجْلاً إِلَى الغَايَاتِ تَطْلُبُهَا
بِمَضَاء لا وَانٍ وَلا بَرِمِ
A palace you erect to native pride,
Its cornerstone cemented with our blood.
صَرْحٌ لِعِزِّهِ مِصْرَ تَرْفَعُهُ
وَأَسَاسُهُ مَتَخَضِّلٌ بِدَمِ
No hunter can attain his prey in it,
Or find asylum in that hallowed court.
لَنْ يَبْلُغَ الصَّيَّادُ مَأْرَبَهُ
مِمَّنْ يَلُوذُ بِذَلِكَ الحَرَمِ
The State Council is a chamber that gained
Perfection, and its freshness from the Pyramid.
الدَّاخِلِيَّةُ دَوْحَةٌ هَرُمت
وَذَوَتْ نَضَارَتُهَا عَلَى الهَرَمِ
You have renewed it, and all blessing lies
In renovation of the ancient and decayed.
جَدَّدْتَهَا وَالخَيْرُ أَجمَعُ فِي
تَجْدِيدِ مَا أَعْيَا مِنَ القِدَمِ
Thus you have guaranteed its soundness, purged
Of all obstruction, and each lingering ill.
فَضَمِنْتَ صِحَّتَهَا مشَذَّبَةً
وَأَوَلْتَ مَا اسْتَعْصَى مِنَ السَّقَمِ
Make trusted men arbiters,
And extend ungrudgingly the judge's sway,
إِجْعَلْ ثِقَاتِكَ حَكَماً
وَابْسِطْ مَجَال البّتِّ لِلْحَكَمِ
For justice is a holy thing; to it
You have recourse through wisdom and renown.
قُدْسُ القَضَاءِ رَجَعْتَ فِيهِ إِلَى
ذِكْرِ العَلِيمِ وَخِبْرَةِ الفَهِمِ
You seek to guard it and uplift its state
To highest place among the paramount powers.
تَبْغِي صِيَانَتَهُ وَتَرْفَعُهُ
شَأْناً إِلَى العُلْيَا مِنَ القِمَمِ
Leave no soul that held authority
Still in need, make straight that which was bent.
لا تُبْقِ فِي نَفْسٍ بِهِ اضَّطَلَعَتْ
مِنْ حَاجَةٍ تَعْدُلْ وَتَسْتَقِمِ
For redress of wrong is meaningless
Unless assailing some usurping hand.
كَشْفُ المَظَالِمِ لا يُرَامُ إِذَا
مَا رُمْتَهُ مِنْ كَفِّ مُهْتَضَمِ
Those codes developed in each clan, at odds
With all the rest, not meshing with their aims...
تِلْكَ القَوَانِينُ الَّتِي اقتُرِفَتْ
فِي كُلِّ شَعْبٍ غَيْرِ مُلْتَئِمِ
You have desired the joining of their ranks
When peace is not a secret held close-pent
شِئْتَ الْتِئَامَ شِعَابِهَا وَلَمَا
تَبْغِيهِ سِرٌّ غَيْرُ مُكْتَتِمِ
But wisdom to explore the extent of their
Objectives through the most discerning thought.
بَلْ حُكْمُهُ أَنْ يُسْتَشَفَّ مَدَى
غَايَاتِهَا مِنْ أَبْلَغِ الحِكَمِ
Independence now is regulated
By the unity of law and government.
قَدْ تَمَّ الاستِقْلالُ مَدْرَجَةً
هِيَ وَحْدَةُ التَّشْرِيعِ وَالنُّظُمِ
Happy the state and prince whose pleasure
Is this pure sire, of high repute.
نِعَمْ المُولَّى وَالزَّمَانُ رِضاً
هَذَا الأَبِيُّ الطَّاهِرُ الشِّيَمِ
Refined, without austerity or fault,
Tolerant, above suspicion or blame,
لَبِقٌ بِلا مَذَقٍ وَلا مَلَقٍ
سَمِحٌ بِلا رِيَبٍ وَلا تُهَمِ
Should you consult him, his concern will be
Always for every cause that's just and right.
إِنْ تَنْنَدِبْهُ تَجِدْهُ مُنْتَدَباً
أَبَداً لِكُلِّ مَبَرَّةٍ عَمَمِ
Or should you seek his counsel, there you find
The winnowed grain, the wisdom harvested.
أَوْ تَدْعُهُ لِلرَّأْيِ تُلْفِ لَهُ
فِيهِ جَلاءُ الصَّارِمِ الخَذِمِ
My eloquence confesses its defeat
Though it aspires to praise such worth.
عَجِزَ البَيَانُ وَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ بِهِ
عَنْ أَنْ يُحِيطَ بِذَلِكَ العِظَمِ
Vainly might it essay to keep pace with
The sun, however hard its rider spur!
هيهات يبلغني المرام وما
انأى مناط الشمس إن يرم
