قَضَّيْتُ عُمْرِي لا مُسْتَدِينَا

وَلا مَليّاً بِأَنْ أَدِينَا

I spent my life neither indebted

Nor intent on becoming indebted

لَكِنَّ عِلْمِي بِبَنْكِ مِصْرٍ

وَنَفْعِهِ لَمْ يَزَلْ يَقِينَا

But my knowledge of the Bank of Egypt

And its benefit has always been a certainty

يَا مَنْ يَشيدُونَ صَرْحَ مَالٍ

صَرْحُ مَعَالٍ تُشَيِّدُونَا

O you who build the edifice of money

You are building the edifice of means

أَنْتُمْ لأَوْطَانِكُمْ مُحب

ونَ حُبَّ صِدْقٍ لا مُدَّعُونَا

You love your homelands with sincere love

Not pretended love

لَسْتُمْ تَقُولُونَ مَا تَخَالُونَ

هُ وَلَكِنْ تُحَقِّقُونَا

You do not say what you imagine

But you realize

طَلْعَتُ حَرْبٍ طَلَعْتَ حَرْباً

عَلَى أَعَادِي الحِمَى زَبُونَا

The dawn of war has dawned, a war

Against the enemies of sanctuary, our supporters

بِالنُّطْقِ عَذْباً وَالرَّاي عَضْباً

يَفْرِي مِنَ البَاطِلِ الوَتِينَا

With sweet rhetoric and fierce opinion

It casts out the flabby falsehood

وَفَضْلُ ذَاكَ الثَّبَاتِ يَأْبَى

عَلَى الصُّعُوبَاتِ أَنْ يَخُونَا

And the virtue of that steadfastness refuses

To betray the difficulties

وَذَلِكَ الأَخْذُ بالحِسَابِ الَّ

ذِي بِفِقْدَانِهِ مُنينا

And that accounting which

Without its loss we become weakened

فَكَانَ فِقْدَانُهُ عَلَيْنَا

فِي كُلِّ أَحْوَالِنَا غَبِينَا

So its loss to us

In all our conditions made us ignorant

أَغْرَى بِنَا الطَّامِعِينَ طُرّاً

وَأَشْمَتَ العَاذِلِينَ فِينَا

It made the ambitious gloat over us

And the criticizers rejoice in us

طَلْعَت يَا كَاتِباً أَدِيباً

وَيَا خَطِيباً نَدْباً مُبِينَا

You rose as a literary writer

And as an eloquent orator

وَيَا حَكِيماً فِي كُلِّ شَأْنٍ

يَليهِ مُسْتَبْصِراً رَزِينَا

And as a wise man in every matter

Who sees clearly and is steadfast

وَيَا هُمَاماً أَجَدَّ فِي الأُمَّ

ةِ الصِّنَاعَاتِ وَالفُنُونَا

And as an enthusiast who revived in the nation

The industrial and artistic professions

قَصَّرَ دُونَ المَقَامِ وَصْفِي

فَيا مَزَايَاهُ أَسْعِدِينَا

My description falls short

Of your qualities - so make me happy!

أَبْرِزْ بِكَ ابْناً لِمِصْرَ لَمَّا

جُدْتَ فَنَادَتْ أَيْنَ البَنُونَا

With you a son was brought out for Egypt when

You were found, and it called out, where are the sons?

أَيْنَ الأُبَاةُ المُجَرِّبُونَا

أَيْنَ الحُمَاةُ المُرَجَّيُونَا

Where are the determined ones who try us?

Where are the protectors we hope for?

أَيْنَ بُنَاةُ العُلا بُيُوتاً

تَهِي الرَّوَاسِي وَلا يَهِينَا

Where are the builders of glory, building

Homes that reach to the highest and do not humiliate us?

أَيْنَ المُعِيدُونَ مِنْ فَخارٍ

مَا قَدْ طَواهُ البِلى قُرُونا

Where are those who restore the ruins

That time has covered for centuries?

فَلْتَلْتَقِي مَأْثُرَاتُ قَوْمِي

يُصَدِّقُ الدَّفِينَا

So let the traces of my people come together

To confirm the lasting

ذَاكُمْ هُوَ النَّابِهُ العَظِيمُ الَّ

ذِي حَفَلْتُمْ تُكَرِّمُونَا

That is the great revival

That you have crowded to honor

وَيَا نَبِيلاً أَوْلاهُ نَصْراً

وَكَانَ خَيْراً لَهُ مُعِينَا

And O noble one whom victory has supported

And who has been the best helper for him

حُيِّيتَ مِنْ مَاجِدٍ تَسَامَتْ

بِهِ أُصُولٌ فِي المَاجِدِينَا

You were greeted from glories that have reached

The peak amongst all glories

أَبْدَيْتَ فِي كُلِّ مَا تَوَلَّيْ

تَ حِكْمَةً تُصْلِحُ الشُّؤونَا

For everything you have undertaken

You have shown wisdom that sets matters right

وَيَا كَرِيمَ الأُصُولِ فَرْعَ

المُؤْثَّلِينَ المُؤَصَّلِينَا

O noble scion of those made prosperous

And provided for

بِأَيِّ عِبْءٍ نَهَضْتَ حِينَ

اللِّدَاتُ فِي الخَوْضِ يَلْعَبُونَا

With what burden did you rise up when

The unruly plunged into the fray?

فَكُنْتَ قَوْلاً وَكُنْتَ فِعْلاً

خَيْرَ مِثَالٍ لِلْمُوسِرِينَا

So you were word and you were deed

The best example for the prosperous

لَوْ صَنَعُوا مَا صَنَعْتَ أَوْ بَعْضَ

هُ لَسُدْنَا المُسَوَّدِينَا

If they did what you have done, or some of it

We would have plugged the plundered gaps

وَيَا تُجَاراً بِمَا أَتَوْا مِنْ

رَوَائِعِ الفَضْلِ شَرَّفُونَا

And O merchants with what they brought

Of the wonders of virtue they have ennobled us

وَكَانَ مِنْهُمْ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ

مَا يَحْمَدُ المَجْدُ أَنْ يَكُونَا

And from them in every case came

What glory is praised to be

بِلادُكُمْ تَبْتَغِي سَرَاةً

يُغْنُونَهَا لا مُنْصِبِينَا

Your countries seek leaders

Not place-seekers, to make them prosperous

كَمْ أَنْجَحَ القَصْدُ مُنْتِجُوهَا

وَغَيْرُهُمْ أَخْلَفَ الظُّنُونَا

How often the aim succeeded when they pursued it

And when others did, hopes were unfulfilled

دُمْتُمْ عِمَادَ الحِمَى وَدَامَ الحِ

مَى بِكُمْ رَاقياً أَمينَا

Remain the pillar of sanctuary and may it always

Stand tall and secure through you

ذَلِكَ قَوْلِي أَعدْتُهُ اليَوْمَ

بَعْدَ عَشرٍ مِنَ السِّنِينَا

That is what I have prepared to say today

After ten years

عَشْرٌ تَقَضَّتْ وَبَنْكُ مِصْرٍ

يَنْمُو وَيَسَمُو ثَبْتاً مَكِينَا

Ten years have passed, and the Bank of Egypt

Grows and rises up firmly established

كَأَنَّهُ دَوْحَةٌ عَلَى الشَّرْقِ

كُلِّهِ فَرَّعَتْ غُصُونَا

As if it is an acacia tree in the whole East

That has spread its branches

لا يَأْتَلِيهَا دَرّاً وَبِرّاً

كَمَا تَبَرُّ الأُمُّ البَنِينَا

It does not cease supporting it with loving care

And duty, as a mother her children

وَكُلُّهَا مُزْهِرٌ فُنُوناً

وَكُلُّهَا مُثْمِرٌ فُنُونَا

It is all blossoming arts

And it is all bearing, fruits arts

فِي كُلِّ حَوْلٍ أَوْ بَعْضِ حَولٍ

أَجَدَّ نَصْراً بِكْراً مُبِينَا

In every year or part of a year

It always shows evident, new success

وَتَابَعَ الفَتْحَ بَعْدَ فَتْحٍ

وَرَدَّ كَيْدَ المُثَّبِّطِينَا

And it follows one victory after (another) victory

And it repels the schemes of those who deter

وَصَارَ عُنْوَانَ فَخْرِ مِصْرٍ

وَمَعْقِلَ العِزَّةِ الحَصِينَا

And it has come the title of pride of Egypt

And the stronghold of dear honor