بِمِثلِكُما تَعلو الدِيارُ وَتَسعَدُ

بِمِثلِكُما تَعلو الدِيارُ وَتَسعَدُ

وَتَدنو لَها الآمالُ مِن حَيثُ تَبعُدُ

وَتَدنو لَها الآمالُ مِن حَيثُ تَبعُدُ

Through the likes of you two, the lands rise and prosper,

With the likes of you two, homes are exalted and prosper

And hopes draw near to them from where they lie far away.

And hopes draw near to them from wherever they are distant

أَبى لَكُما رَعيُ الذِمامِ سِوى الَّذي

أَبى لَكُما رَعيُ الذِمامِ سِوى الَّذي

يُذاعُ فَيُطرى أَو يُشاعُ فَيُحمَدُ

يُذاعُ فَيُطرى أَو يُشاعُ فَيُحمَدُ

Your fidelity to your pledges permits you two only what

You two refused to herd slander except that

Is proclaimed and extolled, or spread abroad and praised.

Which is broadcast and excused or circulated and praised

لِيوميكُما في الحَربِ وَالسلمِ مَشهَدٌ

لِيوميكُما في الحَربِ وَالسلمِ مَشهَدٌ

يَقِرُّ بِعَينَي مَن تَطَلَّعَ يَشهَدُ

يَقِرُّ بِعَينَي مَن تَطَلَّعَ يَشهَدُ

Your two days, in war and peace, offer a spectacle

For your two days in war and peace there is a scene

That gladdens the eyes of whoever looks up to witness it.

That delights the eye of whoever looks and witnesses

لَئِن أَوحَشَ الأَعداءَ سَيفٌ مُجَرَّدٌ

لَئِن أَوحَشَ الأَعداءَ سَيفٌ مُجَرَّدٌ

لَقَد آنَسَ الأَوطانَ رَأيٌ مُجَرَّدُ

لَقَد آنَسَ الأَوطانَ رَأيٌ مُجَرَّدُ

If an unsheathed sword has terrified the enemies,

If a bare sword has frightened the enemies

An impartial judgment has surely reassured the homelands.

A sound opinion has brought comfort to homelands

فَبورِكتُما إِذ تَنفُضانِ يَدَيكُما

فَبورِكتُما إِذ تَنفُضانِ يَدَيكُما

مِنَ الأَمرِ لا تَعلو بِأَمرٍ وَأَكمَدُ

مِنَ الأَمرِ لا تَعلو بِأَمرٍ وَأَكمَدُ

So blessed be you two, as you shake your hands free

So blessings upon you two when you shake off

Of the affair—you rise through no undertaking, and I grieve.

A matter - you do not rise in any matter arrogantly

أَراهُم عَلى وَخزِ القَريضِ وَوَكزِهِ

أَراهُم عَلى وَخزِ القَريضِ وَوَكزِهِ

وَما فيهِمُ إِلّا ذَليلٌ مُعَبَّدُ

وَما فيهِمُ إِلّا ذَليلٌ مُعَبَّدُ

I see them under poetry's pricks and blows,

I see them under the sting and jab of poetry

And not one of them is anything but abject and enslaved.

And among them there is none but a subservient weakling

يُساقونَ سَوقَ الحُمرِ لِلسَوطِ ما وَنى

يُساقونَ سَوقَ الحُمرِ لِلسَوطِ ما وَنى

لَدى السَيرِ مِنها فَهيَ في السَهلِ تَجهُدُ

لَدى السَيرِ مِنها فَهيَ في السَهلِ تَجهُدُ

They are driven like donkeys; the lash is for whichever falters

They are driven like donkeys under the whip whenever

Among them on the road, so it strains even on level ground.

On the journey they grow weary and struggle on the plain

إِلى قاتِمِ الأَعماقِ ما فيهِ مُشرِقٌ

إِلى قاتِمِ الأَعماقِ ما فيهِ مُشرِقٌ

يُضيءُ وَلا مِنهُ إِلى عَلوَ مَصعَدُ

يُضيءُ وَلا مِنهُ إِلى عَلوَ مَصعَدُ

Toward a dark abyss, with nothing radiant within

To the darkness of the depths - in it there is no bright one

To shine, and no upward path from it to the heights.

To give light or from it one ascending to the heights

كَأَنّي بِهِم قَد شارَفوهُ فَأَيقَنوا

كَأَنّي بِهِم قَد شارَفوهُ فَأَيقَنوا

بِمَوتٍ عَلى أَسرابِهِم يَتَوَرَّدُ

بِمَوتٍ عَلى أَسرابِهِم يَتَوَرَّدُ

I seem to see them already at its brink, now certain

It is as if I see them, having reached it, certain

Of death descending upon their flocks.

Of death upon their bedouins creeping up

أَسيتُ لِأَوطانٍ أَباحوا ذِمارَها

أَسيتُ لِأَوطانٍ أَباحوا ذِمارَها

فَأَيدي العِدى فيها تَعيثُ وَتُفسِدُ

فَأَيدي العِدى فيها تَعيثُ وَتُفسِدُ

I grieved for homelands whose honor they exposed to violation;

I grieve for homelands whose precincts they permitted

So the enemies' hands run riot there and spread ruin.

So the hands of enemies in them go about corrupting and ruining

تَبَدَّدَ بَينَ الجُبنِ وَالحِرصِ رَأيُهُم

تَبَدَّدَ بَينَ الجُبنِ وَالحِرصِ رَأيُهُم

وَأَضيعُ رَأيَيكَ الَّذي يَتَرَدَّدُ

وَأَضيعُ رَأيَيكَ الَّذي يَتَرَدَّدُ

Their judgment dissolved between cowardice and greed;

Their opinion was scattered between cowardice and greed

And the more futile of your two judgments is the one that wavers.

And I lost your sound opinion that was wavering

سَأَبكي عَلى مِصرٍ وَسالِفِ مَجدِها

سَأَبكي عَلى مِصرٍ وَسالِفِ مَجدِها

وَإِن لَم يَكُن لي مِن بَني مِصرَ مُسعِدُ

وَإِن لَم يَكُن لي مِن بَني مِصرَ مُسعِدُ

I shall weep for Egypt and her bygone glory,

I will cry over Egypt and the glory of its past

Even if none of Egypt's sons joins me in mourning.

Even if I have no one from Egypt's people to bring me joy

أَرى اليَومَ مِثلَ الأَمسِ أَو هُوَ أَنكَدُ

أَرى اليَومَ مِثلَ الأَمسِ أَو هُوَ أَنكَدُ

فَيا لَيتَ شِعري ما يَجيءُ بِهِ الغَدُ

فَيا لَيتَ شِعري ما يَجيءُ بِهِ الغَدُ

I see that today is like yesterday—or it is bleaker still;

I see today like yesterday or even gloomier

And oh, would that I knew what tomorrow will bring!

Oh how I wish I knew what tomorrow will bring