رَاعَنَا خَطْبُهُمْ وَكَانَ جَسِيماً

مَسْبَحَ الحُوتِ هَلْ شَبِعْتَ رَمِيمَا

Their plight troubled us, it was grave

The whale's rosary, are you sated, despicable?

كُلْ صُدُوراً وَانْهَشْ كُلىً وَتَفَكَّهْ

بِعُيُونٍ وَاشْرَبْ نُهىً وَحُلُومَا

Devour every chest and gnaw away bones

With eyes and drink killing and flesh

وَامْتَصِصْ نَهْدَ كُلِّ رَوْدٍ حَصَانٍ

وَدَعِ الجَائِعَ الرَّضِيعَ فَطِيمَا

And suckle the teat of every vigorous mare

And leave the hungry infant ravenous

مِئَتَيْ هَالِكٍ أَصَبْتَ رِجَالاً

وَنِسَاءً أَصَبْتَ غُنْماً عَظِيمَا

You have slain two hundred men

And women, you have taken immense spoils

أَيُّهَا النِّيلُ مَا جَنَيْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ

بَلْ جَنَى جَهْلُهُمْ وَلَسْتَ مُلِيمَا

O Nile, you did not wrong them

Rather, their ignorance wronged them and you were not unjust

طَالَمَا مَارَسُوكَ سَهْلاً عَلَيْهِمْ

مِنْ حَنَانٍ وَدَاعَبُوكَ حَلِيمَا

Long have they known you as gentle to them

With tenderness, and they caressed you calmly

قَدَرٌ سَاقَهُمْ فَلَمْ يُغْنِ مِمَّا

حَتَمَ الْجَهْلُ أَنْ تَكُونَ كَرِيمَا

Fate led them, and nothing could protect them

From the tyranny of ignorance that you should be generous

بَاعَهُمْ تَاجِرٌ عَلَيْكَ بِمَالٍ

بَزَّهُ مِنْهُمُ فَلَسْتَ غَرِيمَا

A merchant sold them to you for money

He exaggerated about them, so you were not deceitful

وَلَئِنْ يَجْهَلُوا فَيَشْقَوْا فَيَفُنوْا

هَكَذَا الشَّعْبُ حَيْثُ عَاشَ يَتِيمَا

And if they remain ignorant and wretched and vanish

Thus are the people wherever they live orphaned

لَوْ رَعَتْهُمْ حُكُومَةٌ لَوَقَاهُمْ

عِلْمُهُمْ ذَلِكَ المُصَابَ الأَلِيمَا

Had a government guided them, knowledge

Would have saved them from that painful affliction