فَاحَ رَيْحَانُهَا وَلاحَ الخَزَامُ
وَجَلَتْ عَنْ حُلِيهَا الأَكْمَامُ
Its basil scent wafted, its flowers blossomed,
Its buds burst free of their sheaths.
كل وَرْدٍ فِي غَيرِ مِصْرَ لَهُ عَا
مٌ وَفِي مِصْرَ لَيْسَ لِلْوَرْدِ عَامُ
Each rose anywhere but Egypt withers in a year,
Yet in Egypt no rose ever fades.
مَا لأَعْقَابِهِ وَدَاعٌ وَلَكِ
نَّ بَوَاكِيرَهُ سَلامٌ سَلامُ
Though its aftermath is farewell, its early gifts
Are greetings of peace, greetings of peace!
بَلَدٌ مِنْ حَيَائِهِ دَعَةُ الْوَاد
دِي وَمِنْ كِبْرِيَائِهِ الأَهْرَامُ
A land whose glory is the stretch of its valleys
And whose pride is its pyramids.
فَاضَ بِالخَيْرِ نِيلُهُ فَسَقَاهُ
وَتَرَاءى لِلاِزْدِيَانِ الغَمَامُ
The Nile overflowed with good and watered it,
Clouds drawing over to flood stage.
رَقَّ فِيهِ الشِّتَاءُ حَتَّى لَيَبْدُو
فِي ثَنَايَاهُ لِلرَّبِيعِ ابْتِسَامُ
Winter softened there until through its folds
Spring's smile could be seen.
غَرَّدَتْ صَادِحَاتُهُ فَرِحَاتٍ
وتَنَاسَتْ نُواحَهُنَّ الْحَمَامُ
Its warbling songbirds rejoiced,
While its doves forgot their plaintive coos.
سَطَعَتْ شَمْسُهُ فَمَا يَتَغَشَّى
نُورَهَا الصَّافِي البَهِيجَ قَتَامُ
Its sun shone out so brightly that no gloom
Could dim its pure and radiant light.
حَبَّذَا مِصْرُ فِي الرِّبَاعِ رِبَاعاً
لا يُضَاهِي المُقَامَ فِيهَا مُقَامُ
Blessed is Egypt's broadly diverse land,
With no single spot to match another.
شَمِلَ السَّعْدُ أَهْلَهَا وَكَفَتْهُمْ
مَا كَفَتْ أَصْفِيَاءهَا الأَيَّامُ
Good fortune embraced its people and protected them
As the days have never protected its chosen ones.
مُلِيءَ الْخَافِقَانِ قَتْلاً وَثُكْلاً
وَحِمَاهَا عَلَى الصُّرُوفِ حَرَامُ
The two lands brimmed over with murder and bereavement
While sacrilege was forbidden by inviolable law.
لَمْ يَرُعْهَا هَزِيمُ رَعْدٍ وَلا إِيمَا
ضُ بَرْقٍ وَلَمْ يَضِرْهَا صِدَامُ
No rout of thunderbolts dismayed it, no lightning flash
Unnerved it, no collision damaged it.
تَغْنَمُ الْعَيْشَ فِي رَخَاءٍ وَأَمْنٍ
وَيَغُولُ الشُّعُوبَ مَوْتٌ زُؤَامُ
Life there is profit and security, while nations without protection
Are ravaged by terminal illness.
أَيُّهَا النَّاعِمُونَ إِنْ تَشْكُرُوا اللهَ
كَمَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ لَمْ تُضَامُوا
O you who live in ease, if you give thanks to God
As befits Him, you will come to no harm—
بَاشِرُوا الْخَيْرَ يُدْفَعِ الشَّرُّ عَنْكُمْ
إِنَّمَا الْخَيْرُ عِصْمَةُ وَسَلامُ
Do good works and evil will be driven from you,
For good is safety and peace.
كُلُّ ضَرْبٍ مِنَ الجَمِيلِ جَمِيلٌ
غَيْرَ أَنَّ الْعَزِيزَ فِيهِ التَّمَامُ
Every sort of kindness is kindness indeed
Except that perfection therein is sublime.
هَلْ سَوَاءٌ فِي الفَضْلِ مَا يَتَقَضَّى
مَعَهْ نَفْعُهُ وَمَا يُسْتَدَامُ
Is it equal in merit, what is fleeting
And what enduring in its benefit?
أَعَطَاءٌ بِهِ تُرَبَّى نُفُوسٌ
كَعَطَاءٍ بِهِ تُرَمُ عِظَامُ
Gifts that nurture souls Cannot be matched to those that shatter bones.
Dew falls in places suited to dew: when the land
لِلنَّدَى مَوْقِعُ النَّدَى فَإِذَا لَمْ
تَصْلُحِ الأَرْضُ فَالْجَنيَ لا يُرَامُ
Will not sustain it, fruit is not the aim.
Many a plain is littered with hailstones
رُبَّ سَهْلٍ تَقَشَّعَ الْعَارِضُ الْهَطَّا
لُ عَنْهُ كَمَا يَمُرُّ الْجَهَامُ
Blown off course like wayward arrows.
Many a dune is watered in the course of journeying
وَكَثِيبٍ سَقَاهُ مِنْ زَادٍ سَفْرٍ
رَشْحُ مَاءٍ فَبشَّ فِيهِ الثُّمَامُ
By a cloudburst that brings wildflowers to bloom.
The height of liberality is sharing amid the populace,
أَكْمَلُ الْجُودِ مَا بِهِ كَثُرَ الصَّفْ
وَةُ فِي أُمَّةٍ وَقَلَّ الطَّغَامُ
When few are oppressed and many content.
The seeker of knowledge brings greater luster
طَالِبُ العِلْمِ أَجْدَرُ النَّاشِ بِالحُسْ
نى إِذَا مَا ابْتَغَى الصَّلاحَ الأَنَامُ
If he works toward benefiting mankind.
Who helps him piecemeal will surely enable some day
مَنْ يُعَاوِنُهُ بِالْحُطَامِ يُحَقِّقْ
فِي غَدٍ قَدْرَ مَا أَفَادَ الْحُطَامُ
Whatever the patchwork has afforded.
And he who emulates him by granting largesse in his hour of need
مَنْ يُقَلِّدْهُ نِعْمَةً يَوْمَ عُسْرٍ
فَعَلَى قَوْمِهِ لَهُ الأَنْعَامُ
Will earn mankind's many blessings.
He who dispels the clouds around him will raise high
مَنْ يُبَدِّدْ عَنْهُ الغَيَاهِبَ يُطْلِعْ
كَوْكَباً تَهْتَدِي بِهِ الأَحْلامُ
A star to guide yearning dreams.
He who smooths his way will lay
مَنْ يُمَهِّدْ لَهُ السَّبِيلَ يُهَييءْ
عَثْرَةً وَاقِعاً بِهَا الظَّلامُ
A snare where darkness falls.
They thrive, thriving lads aspiring to thrive,
دَرَّ فِي المَجْدِ دَرُّ فِتْيَانِ مَجْدٍ
كُلُّهُمْ نَابِهُ الفؤَادِ عِصَامُ
Each a lion of mettle answering the call.
They may seem reticent in speech, eschewing
قَدْ يُمَارُونَ بِالكَلامِ إِبَاءً
وَبِهِمْ غَيْرُ مَا يُبِيْنُ الكَلامُ
What their words do not make plain.
Some of their state appears, some sensed only
فَمِنَ الْحَالِ مَا تَرَاهُ وَمِنْهَا
مَا تَحُسُّ الظُّنُونُ وَالأَفْهَامُ
By insight and intuition.
It is the noble way to glean from behind a veil
وَكُلُّ الكِرَامِ أَنْ يَسْتُشِفوا
مِنْ حِجَابٍ مَا لا يَبُث الكِرَامُ
What the noble do not broadcast.
A band of patrons backed them, yet orphans they remain,
لِلنَّبِيِّينَ مَعْشَرٌ كَفَلُوهَمْ
وَالنَّبِيُّونَ قُصَّرٌ أَيْتَامُ
Those prophets, a circle bereaved.
No guardian has knowledge, or those who seek it,
مَا عَلَى الْعِلْمِ لا وَلا طَالِبِيهِ
مِنْ نَصِيرٍ غَضَاضَةٌ أَوْ ذَامُ
To resent or to blame.
They are the darling of every clan, though their souls
هُمْ أَمَانِيُّ كُلِّ شَعْبٍ وَكِنْهُمْ
يُسْتَمَدُّ الْهُدَاةُ وَالأَعْلامُ
Are the cradle of the wise and brilliant.
Thus might and main of the powerful
هَكَذَا تَسْتَغِلُّ إِحْسَانَهَا الأَقْوَا
مُ فِيهِمْ فَتَسْعَدُ الأَقْوَامُ
Is turned to their advantage for thriving.
Never did any tribe rise on ignorance:
لَمْ تَقُمْ أُمَّةٌ بِسُوقَةِ جَهْلٍ
إٍنَّمَا الأُمَّة الرِّجَالُ العِظَامُ
Only the great men are the nation!
