أَيهَا الفُرْسَانُ رُوَّادَ السَّمَاءْ

إِنَّنا قَوْم إلى المَجْدِ ظِمَاءْ

O knights, pioneers of the sky,

We are a people thirsty for glory,

خَبِّرُونَا وَانْقَعُوا غُلَّتَنَا

كَيْفَ جَوُّ السَّائِدِينَ العُظَمَاءْ

Tell us and quench our thirst,

How is it with the mighty victors,

كَيْفَ جُوُّ الفَتْحِ فِيمَا سَخَّرَتْ

مِنْ قُرَى الدُّنْيَا عُقُولُ العُلَمَاءْ

How is the atmosphere of conquest when

The minds of scholars have subjugated the cities of the world,

كَيْفَ جَوُّ العَبْقَرِيَّاتِ وَقَدْ

شَالَتِ الأَطْوَادُ فِيهِ كَالْهَبَاءْ

How is the atmosphere of genius when

Pillars sway in it like motes of dust,

خَفَقَتْ أَلْوِيَةُ الغَرْبِ وَلَمْ

يَكُ بِالأَمْسِ لَنَا فِيهِ لِوَاءْ

The banners of the West have fluttered but

Until yesterday we had no banner among them,

فَلَنَا اليَوْمَ بِهِ أَجْنِحَةٌ

وَلَنَا أَبْطَالُنَا وَالشُّهدَاءْ

So today we have wings among them

And we have our heroes and our martyrs,

هَبَطَ النَّسرُ بِفَرْخَيْهِ وَمَا

كَانَ صَيَّادُهُمَا غَيْرَ القَضَاءْ

The eagle descended with its fledglings and

None but fate was their hunter,

أَيَّ سَطْرٍ فِي المَعَالِي كَتَبَا

بِالزَّكِيِّ الحُرِّ مِنْ تِلكَ الدِّمَاءْ

What line in the heights did they inscribe

With that pure blood of the virtuous,

قُتِلاَ فِي حُب مِصْرٍ وَلَهَا

كُلُّنَا بِالمَالِ وَالرُّوحِ فِدَاءْ

They were killed in love of Egypt and

We are all ransom for it with wealth and soul,

نَحْنُ فِي دَارِ الأَسَى نَبْكِيهِمَا

وَهُمَا فِي الخَالِدِينَ السُّعَدَاءْ

We in the abode of sorrow mourn them

While they are among the eternal happy ones,

شَرَفٌ لَوْ بَذَلَ المَرْءُ بِهِ

عُمْرَهُ لَمْ يَكْنِ العُمْرُ كِفَاءْ

It is an honor that if one sacrificed

His life for it, life would not equal it,

بيْنَ مَنْ يَرْثِي وَمَنْ يُرْثَى لهُ

أَكْثَرُ الأَحْيَاءِ أَوْلَى بِالرِّثَاءْ

Between one who eulogizes and one eulogized

Most of the living are more deserving of elegy,

أيُّها السِّرْبُ المُوَافِي وَبِهِ

عَن فَقِيدَيْهِ العَزِيزَيْنِ عَزَاءْ

O accompanying formation, may it bring

Solace for its two dear departed,

هَاتِ نَسِّمنَا نَسِيماً طَاهِراً

لَمْ يُكّدَّرْ بِقَذىً مِنْهُ الصَّفاءْ

Give us a waft of pure breeze

Unblemished by any speck to mar its clarity,

خَالصِاً مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّم الَّذِي

يُفْسِدُ الذُّلُّ بِهِ طَلْقَ الْهَوَاءْ

Pure from the taint of poison which

Corrupts the open air with disgrace,

مَا شَعُورُ المَرْءِ فِي تِلْكَ العُلَى

حِينَ يَرْقَى وَلَهُ مُلْكُ الفَضَاءْ

What are a person’s feelings at that summit

When he ascends and holds sway over space,

أَيَرَىَ فِي الشَّامِخَ المُنْدَاحِ مِنْ

دُونِهِ كَيْفَ مَآلُ الكِبْرِيَاءْ

Does he see in the towering, spreading

Beneath him the fate of arrogance,

أَيَرَى وَالبَحْرُ مَرْدُودٌ إِلى

مُلْتَقَى حَدَّيْهِ مَا حَدُّ البَقَاءْ

Does he see the sea thrust back to the

Juncture of its two edges—what is the limit of permanence,

أَيَرَى الضِّدَّيْنِ مِنْ خَفْضٍ وَمِنْ

رِفْعَةٍ صَارَا إِلى شَيْءٍ سَوَاءْ

Does he see opposites of lowness and

Loftiness made equal in the end,

جَوْلَةٌ لِلْمَرْءِ إِنْ يَسْمُ بِهَا

فَبِهَا كُلُّ الرِّضَى قَبْلَ الفَنَاءْ

A flight for a person, if he takes it,

Therein is all contentment before oblivion,

نَزَلَ الأُسْطُولُ فِي أَعْيُنِنا

مَنزِلَ القُوَّةِ مِنْهَا وَالضِّياءْ

The fleet descended before our eyes

In the position of power and radiance from it,

وَتَلَقَّتهُ الحَنَايَا هَابِطاً

مَهْبِطَ اليَقْظَةِ مِنْهَا وَالرَّجَاءْ

And the songs of praise received it descending,

The place of awakening and hope from it,

فَرِحَ الأَحْيَاءُ فِي مِصْرَ بِهِ

فَرَحاً لَمْ يَنْتَقِصْ مِنْهُ مِرِاءْ

The living rejoiced in Egypt for it

An unalloyed joy admitting no doubt,

وَاسْتَقَرَّتْ مِنْ مُنىً مَقْلِقَةٍ

لَمَثَاوِيَهَا بَقَايَا القُدَماءْ

And there settled, leaving behind disquiet,

In their haunts the relics of the ancients,

شَرَفاً يَا سِرْبُ لاَ يَكْرُثْكَ فِي

عَزَّةِ الفَوْزِ نَكِيرُ السُّفهَاءْ

What an honor, O formation, let not

The disavowal of fools trouble your pride of victory,

هَلْ تَنَالُ الصَّائِلَ الجَائِلَ فِي

فَلَكِ النَّسرِ سِهَامٌ مِنْ هَوَاءْ

Can the erratic arrows reaching

The eagle’s orbit be anything but air,

قُسِمَ العَيْشُ وَأَدْنَى قِسْمَةٍ

فِيهِ لِلمُسْتَسْلِمِينَ الضُّعَفَاءْ

Life is apportioned, and the lowest

Share of it is for the submissive weaklings,

منْذ أَزْمَعْتَ مَآباً وَعَدَتْ

دُونَهُ الأَخْطَارُ فِي تِلْكَ الجِوَاءْ

Since you ventured a course and beyond it

Dangers lurked in that atmosphere,

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ وَجَمَتْ مِنْ خَشْيَةٍ

وَأَحَسَّت مَا تُعَانِي مِنْ بَلاَءْ

Every soul trembled in awe

And felt what torment it was undergoing,

إِنِّما البُعْدُ عَنِ القَلْبِ نَوىً

لَيْسَ مِنْ يَنْأَى عَنِ العَيْنِ بِنَاءْ

Distance from the heart only intends

A construct, not one who withdraws from the eye,

مَنْ تَرَاهُ يَصِفُ الوَجْدَ الَّذِي

وَجَدُوهُ إِنْ دَنَا يَوْمُ اللِّقَاءْ

Let one describe the passion they felt

When the day of meeting drew near,

أَلْقَوُا السَّمعَ إِلى الغَيْبِ وَقَدْ

حَبَسُوا الأًنْفَاسَ حَتَّى قِيلَ جَاءْ

They inclined their hearing to the unseen, and

Held their breaths until the word came,

فَتَمَثَّلتَ لَهُمْ فِي صُورَةٍ

مَا رَأَتْ أَرْوَعَ مِنْهَا عَيْنُ رَاءْ

And there materialized for them in an image

No eye of a beholder saw one more splendid,

مِصْرُ فِي الوَجْهَيْنِ شَطْراً مُهْجَةٍ

خَفَقَتْ لِلْعَائِدِينَ البُسَلاَءْ

Egypt in the two faces, a grieving aspect,

Fluttered for the returning heroes,

وَتَمَلَّتْ غِبْطَةً ضَاعَفَهَا

بَاعِثُ العُجْبِ وَدَاعِي الخُيَلاَءْ

And she admired exceedingly, redoubled

By the motive of wonder and pride’s claim,