فزعت من اختلاف القوم حيناً

فزعت من اختلاف القوم حيناً

أناديهم فلا أجد الجوابا

أناديهم فلا أجد الجوابا

For a time I was alarmed by the people's discord,

I was alarmed by the discord among the people for a while

calling to them, yet finding no reply.

I called out to them but found no response

وكم ساويت بنيهمُ بنصحي

وكم ساويت بنيهمُ بنصحي

فلا الراضين هزّ ولا الغضابا

فلا الراضين هزّ ولا الغضابا

How often I treated their sons alike in my counsel,

How often did I make them equal with my advice

yet it stirred neither the contented nor the angry.

Yet neither the content nor the angry were swayed

وما من شيعة لاقيت عتبي

وما من شيعة لاقيت عتبي

ولكني صدقتهم العتابا

ولكني صدقتهم العتابا

From no faction did I find satisfaction,

And I met no fault from a group

yet I was sincere in my reproach of them.

Except that I sincerely reproached them

وموتي دونهم في الحرب خير

وموتي دونهم في الحرب خير

لمصر ولي من الموت اكتئابا

لمصر ولي من الموت اكتئابا

My dying in their defense in war is better

And my death in battle for them is better

for Egypt and for me than dying of despondency.

For Egypt, than living in melancholy

وقد جمعتهمُ بعد افتراق

وقد جمعتهمُ بعد افتراق

محبة مصر فاقتبلوا صِحابا

محبة مصر فاقتبلوا صِحابا

After division, they were brought together

And I gathered them after separation

by love of Egypt—so they met as friends—

With the love of Egypt they embraced companions

وضم المجلسين لكل نجوى

وضم المجلسين لكل نجوى

شيوخ الشعب صفاً والشبابا

شيوخ الشعب صفاً والشبابا

and by the two chambers' gathering, for every consultation,

And the joining of the two councils for every whisper

of the people's elders and youth into one rank.

The elders of the nation in rows and the youth

وأصبح عون من ولاه منهم

وأصبح عون من ولاه منهم

مقاليد الحكومة من أنابا

مقاليد الحكومة من أنابا

And the man he appointed from among them gained a helper:

And the one I appointed from them to rule

the one who had delegated to him the reins of government.

Became the holder of the reins of government by my designation

وجاءوا بالكتاب سفير عهدٍ

وجاءوا بالكتاب سفير عهدٍ

وصفُّوا بينهم ذاك الحسابا

وصفُّوا بينهم ذاك الحسابا

They brought the document, an envoy of a covenant,

And they came with a letter, an ambassador of a covenant

and settled that account among themselves.

And they enumerated between them that account

وكان صنيعهم عندي قضاء

وكان صنيعهم عندي قضاء

لحق الملك أن عرفوا الصوابا

لحق الملك أن عرفوا الصوابا

Their deed, to my mind, was the discharge

And their action with me was to fulfill

of their duty to the king: they had recognized what was right.

The right of the kingdom, recognizing what is right

وإن وجب الثواب غداً لمثلي

وإن وجب الثواب غداً لمثلي

فحسبي جمع شملهمُ ثوابا

فحسبي جمع شملهمُ ثوابا

And if tomorrow reward is due to one like me,

And if reward is due tomorrow for the likes of me

their reunion is reward enough for me.

My reward was reuniting them

يردون العوادي عن حماهم

يردون العوادي عن حماهم

وقد نزلت بغيرهمُ عذابا

وقد نزلت بغيرهمُ عذابا

They ward off calamities from their homeland,

They repel the aggressors from their protector

though these have descended on others as torment.

While torment has descended upon others

وقد سبق القيامة في مداها

وقد سبق القيامة في مداها

عتاة الحرب هولاً واضطرابا

عتاة الحرب هولاً واضطرابا

The Day of Resurrection, in all its vastness, has been surpassed

And doomsday has already begun in its course

by war's tyrants in terror and turmoil.

The terror and turmoil of the tyrants of war

فلا غير الدمار نرى سيولاً

فلا غير الدمار نرى سيولاً

ولا غير السعير نرى سحابا

ولا غير السعير نرى سحابا

So we see no torrents but destruction,

So we see nothing but destruction in its flooding

and no clouds but blazing fire.

And nothing but inferno in its clouds

ولا أدري أللرزق استبدّوا

ولا أدري أللرزق استبدّوا

غلاباً أم ليمتلكوا الرقابا

غلاباً أم ليمتلكوا الرقابا

I do not know: was it for sustenance they tyrannized,

And I do not know if they have monopolized

by force, or to take possession of men's necks?

Sustenance out of tyranny, or to possess the slaves

ولا أدري لمن في الأرض منهم

ولا أدري لمن في الأرض منهم

مرافقها إذا عادت خرابا

مرافقها إذا عادت خرابا

Nor do I know which of them on earth will possess

And I do not know for whom among them

its resources once it has become a wasteland.

Are its pathways, if it returns to ruin

وقد يأتي على الإنسان حينٌ

وقد يأتي على الإنسان حينٌ

فلا يجد الطعام أو الشرابا

فلا يجد الطعام أو الشرابا

And a time may come upon humankind

And there may come a time upon man

when neither food nor drink can be found.

When he finds neither food nor drink