أقر قومك ما تنوي وتعتزمُ

أقر قومك ما تنوي وتعتزمُ

وأكبروا ما رأوا منه وما علموا

وأكبروا ما رأوا منه وما علموا

Your people approved what you intend and resolve,

Tell your people what you intend and plan

and esteemed what they saw of it and what they knew.

And exalt what they saw of it and what they knew

صحت بحصتك الأيام واكتملت

صحت بحصتك الأيام واكتملت

لك العزائم والأيام والهمم

لك العزائم والأيام والهمم

The days have favored your lot, and there have ripened

With your share the days became sound and complete

your resolves, your days, and your aspirations.

For you are the resolutions, the days, and the ambitions

خذ الطريق كما ترضى إلى أمد

خذ الطريق كما ترضى إلى أمد

عليه تغبط هذي الأمة الأمم

عليه تغبط هذي الأمة الأمم

Take the road as you please toward a goal

Take the path as you wish for a period

for which the nations envy this nation.

For which this nation congratulates the nations

يا ضيف أسوان يبغي جوَّها وله

يا ضيف أسوان يبغي جوَّها وله

وراء أسوان مرصاد ومعتصم

وراء أسوان مرصاد ومعتصم

O guest of Aswan, who seeks its climate and has

O guest of Aswan who desires its air but has

beyond Aswan a watchpost and a refuge,

Behind Aswan an ambush and a refuge

وأمة تتلقى من مصائرها

وأمة تتلقى من مصائرها

إليه ما شاءت النجوى وتغتنم

إليه ما شاءت النجوى وتغتنم

and a nation that receives from its destinies

And a nation that receives from its fates

all the private counsel it desires with him, and seizes the chance.

To it what the confidences desired and seizes

قسمت بين بني القطرين نيلَهما

قسمت بين بني القطرين نيلَهما

وإنه لضمان الشمل بينهم

وإنه لضمان الشمل بينهم

You divided their Nile between the people of the two lands,

It divided between the people of both valleys their Nile

and it is indeed the guarantee of their unity.

And it is the guarantee of unity between them

تجري عواطفهم مجرى موارده

تجري عواطفهم مجرى موارده

وإنها لعهود الدهر والذمم

وإنها لعهود الدهر والذمم

Their affections flow along the course of its waters,

Their emotions flow in the course of its runoff

and these are indeed time's covenants and solemn pledges.

And they are the covenants of time and promises

ما للغضاب على ما أنت صانعه

ما للغضاب على ما أنت صانعه

عادوا إليه عطاشاً بعد ما حرموا

عادوا إليه عطاشاً بعد ما حرموا

What ails those angry at what you are doing?

Why be angry at what you are doing

They returned to it thirsty after being deprived.

They returned to it thirsty after they were deprived

وما لهم خافتوا من بعد ما صخبوا

وما لهم خافتوا من بعد ما صخبوا

طالت عليهم عهود الدهر أم سئموا

طالت عليهم عهود الدهر أم سئموا

And why have they lowered their voices after their clamor?

And why did they fear after they clamored

Have the ages grown long upon them, or have they grown weary?

The long eras of time passed over them or they grew bored

كفى رضاً لك ما استرجعت قبلهم

كفى رضاً لك ما استرجعت قبلهم

من حق مصر وما استبقيت بعدهم

من حق مصر وما استبقيت بعدهم

Enough to content you is what you reclaimed before them

It is enough pleasure for you what you regained before them

of Egypt's rights, and what you preserved after them.

Of Egypt’s right and what you maintained after them

وما أبيت عليهم غير أنهمُ

وما أبيت عليهم غير أنهمُ

يأبون كل الذي يبنيه غيرُهم

يأبون كل الذي يبنيه غيرُهم

You held nothing against them, except that they

And what you refused them except that they

reject everything that others build.

Refuse all that is built by others

قضية الحجر كانت أم وسيلتهم

قضية الحجر كانت أم وسيلتهم

وللأمير أرادوا المال أم لهم

وللأمير أرادوا المال أم لهم

Was it a case of legal interdiction, or their means to an end?

The issue of the Stone was it their matter or their means

And did they want the money for the prince, or for themselves?

And for the Prince did they want money or was it for them

تناولوا الحكم يطرون القضاة به

تناولوا الحكم يطرون القضاة به

وهل تمنيت إلا ما به حكموا

وهل تمنيت إلا ما به حكموا

They took up the verdict, praising the judges for it;

They assumed power, confusing judges with it

and had you wished for anything but what they ruled?

Would you have wished except what they judged with

إن كان تبرئة أو كان مغفرة

إن كان تبرئة أو كان مغفرة

ما سرهم فكلا الأمرين محترم

ما سرهم فكلا الأمرين محترم

Whether it was acquittal or pardon

Be it acquittal or be it forgiveness

that pleased them, both outcomes deserve respect.

Both matters are respected

قالو براءتنا للأمتين معاً

قالو براءتنا للأمتين معاً

هبهم أساءوا أكل الأمتين هم

هبهم أساءوا أكل الأمتين هم

They said, "Our acquittal is for both nations together."

They said our innocence is for both nations together

Suppose they did wrong—are they the whole of both nations?

They did wrong, both nations wronged by them

ولا تبدل في أمر إن انتصروا

ولا تبدل في أمر إن انتصروا

ولا تحول في شأن إذا انهزموا

ولا تحول في شأن إذا انهزموا

And nothing changes in any matter if they triumph,

Do not change your order if they gain victory

nor is any affair altered if they are defeated.

Nor alter your affairs if they are defeated

توقعتْ نفسك العليا نجاتهم

توقعتْ نفسك العليا نجاتهم

وكذب العدل ما ظنوا وما زعموا

وكذب العدل ما ظنوا وما زعموا

Your noble soul foresaw their deliverance,

Your supreme self expected their salvation

and justice refuted what they thought and what they claimed.

And justice belied what they assumed and claimed

وكيف لا يسع القانون واقعة

وكيف لا يسع القانون واقعة

منهم ومما سننتَ العفو والكرم

منهم ومما سننتَ العفو والكرم

And how could the law fail to accommodate a case

And how can the law not encompass an incident

involving them, when pardon and generosity are among your established ways?

From them and from what you enacted of pardon and generosity

وقد يكون الشفيع المستعان لهم

وقد يكون الشفيع المستعان لهم

من ادعوا أنه الجبار ينتقم

من ادعوا أنه الجبار ينتقم

And their intercessor, whose help is sought, may well be

And may the intercessor they resort to for help

the very man they claimed was a tyrant taking vengeance.

Be who they claimed takes vengeance

لو عوقبوا لأذاعوا أنهم ذهبوا

لو عوقبوا لأذاعوا أنهم ذهبوا

ضحية وأشاعوا أنهم ظلموا

ضحية وأشاعوا أنهم ظلموا

Had they been punished, they would have proclaimed that they had fallen

If they were punished they would proclaim they went

as victims, and spread the word that they had been wronged,

As victims and spread that they were wronged

وأنها الحرب خاضوها لأمتهم

وأنها الحرب خاضوها لأمتهم

فدى وما شهدت حرباً عيونهم

فدى وما شهدت حرباً عيونهم

and that it was a war they had fought for their nation

And that it was the war they waged for their nation

in self-sacrifice—though their eyes had never witnessed war.

Redemption though their eyes never saw war

وإن تؤاخذهمُ يوماً بما فعلوا

وإن تؤاخذهمُ يوماً بما فعلوا

بغياً عليك فقد عظَّمت شأنهم

بغياً عليك فقد عظَّمت شأنهم

And if you ever hold them to account for what they did

And if you hold them one day to account for what they did

in aggression against you, you will have magnified their stature.

Aggression against you, then you have magnified their status

كانوا أحق بتكريم وتهنئة

كانوا أحق بتكريم وتهنئة

لو لم تعد شبهات هذه التهم

لو لم تعد شبهات هذه التهم

They would have been more deserving of honor and congratulations

They would have deserved congratulations and regards

had these accusations amounted to no more than suspicions.

If suspicions of these accusations did not recur

وهل تحدثهم بالعود أنفسهم

وهل تحدثهم بالعود أنفسهم

يوماً وما صدقوا منها بأن سلموا

يوماً وما صدقوا منها بأن سلموا

And do their own souls speak to them of trying again

And would they themselves speak of return one day

one day, when they could scarcely believe they had escaped it unharmed?

When they never believed in surrender from their time

وما تزال عليهم من زمانهم

وما تزال عليهم من زمانهم

قضية أنت فيها الخصم والحكم

قضية أنت فيها الخصم والحكم

And from their own age there still stands against them

And the case remains from their time one

a case in which you are both adversary and judge.

In which you are both opponent and judge