1. غالِ في قيمَةِ اِبنِ بُطرُسَ غالي

    عَلِمَ اللَهُ لَيسَ في الحَقِّ غالي

    Set high the worth of the son of Boutros Ghali;

    God knows: in truth, you do not overvalue him.

  2. نَحتَفي بِالأَديبِ وَالحَقُّ يَقضي

    وَجَلالُ الأَخلاقِ وَالأَعمالِ

    We honor the man of letters, as justice demands,

    and as the nobility of character and deeds demands.

  3. أَدَبُ الأَكثَرينَ قَولٌ وَهَذا

    أَدَبٌ في النُفوسِ وَالأَفعالِ

    Most people's refinement is talk; this

    is refinement in souls and deeds.

  4. يُظهِرُ المَدحُ رَونَقَ الرَجُلِ الما

    جِدِ كَالسَيفِ يَزدَهي بِالصِقالِ

    Praise reveals the luster of the noble man,

    as a sword gleams when polished.

  5. رُبَّ مَدحٍ أَذاعَ في الناسِ فَضلاً

    وَأَتاهُمُ بِقُدرَةٍ وَمِثالِ

    Many a eulogy has spread virtue among the people,

    and brought them strength and an example.

  6. وَثَناءٍ عَلى فَتى عَمَّ قَوماً

    قيمَةُ العِقدِ حُسنُ بَعضِ اللَآلي

    And many a tribute to a youth has embraced a whole people:

    a necklace's worth lies in the beauty of some of its pearls.

  7. إِنَّما يَقدُرُ الكِرامُ كَريمٌ

    وَيُقيمُ الرِجالُ وَزنَ الرِجالِ

    Only a noble person appreciates the noble,

    and men weigh the worth of men.

  8. وَإِذا عَظَّمَ البِلادَ بَنوها

    أَنَزَلتُهُم مَنازِلَ الإِجلالِ

    And when a country's sons exalt it,

    it places them in stations of honor.

  9. تَوَّجَت هامَهُم كَما تَوَّجوها

    بِكَريمٍ مِنَ الثَناءِ وَغالي

    It crowns their heads, as they have crowned it,

    with praise both noble and precious.

  10. إِنَّما واصِفٌ بِناءٌ مِنَ الأَخ

    لاقِ في دَولَةِ المَشارِقِ عالي

    Wasif is indeed an edifice of

    character, towering in the realm of the East;

  11. وَنَجيبٌ مُهَذَّبٌ مِن نَجيبٍ

    هَذَّبَتهُ تَجارِبُ الأَحوالِ

    and a noble, cultivated son of a noble man,

    whom the trials of circumstance refined.

  12. واهِبُ المالِ وَالشَبابِ لِما يَن

    فَعُ لا لِلهَوى وَلا لِلضَلالِ

    A giver of wealth and youth to what

    benefits, not to desire or error;

  13. وَمُذيقُ العُقولِ في الغَربِ مِمّا

    عَصَرَ العُربُ في السِنينَ الخَوالي

    and offering Western minds a taste of what

    the Arabs pressed in the years gone by,

  14. في كِتابٍ حَوى المَحاسِنَ في الشِع

    رِ وَأَوعى جَوائِزَ الأَمثالِ

    in a book that gathered the beauties of

    poetry, and stored the gems of proverbs:

  15. مِن صِفاتٍ كَأَنَّها العَينُ صِدقاً

    في أَداءِ الوُجوهِ وَالأَشكالِ

    descriptions as faithful as the eye

    in rendering faces and forms;

  16. وَنَسيبٌ تُحاذِرُ الغيدُ مِنهُ

    شَرَكَ الحُسنِ أَو شِباكَ الدَلالِ

    and love poetry in which graceful women fear

    beauty's snare or the nets of coquetry;

  17. وَنِظامٍ كَأَنَّهُ فَلَكُ اللَي

    لِ إِذا لاحَ وَهوَ بِالزُهرِ حالي

    and verse like the firmament of

    night, when it appears adorned with stars;

  18. وَبَيانٍ كَما تَجَلّىعَلى الرُس

    لِ تَجَلّى عَلى رُعاةِ الضالِ

    and eloquence that, as it shone upon the

    messengers, shone upon shepherds among wild lote trees.

  19. ما عِلمُنا لِغَيرِهِم مِن لِسانٍ

    زالَ أَهلوهُ وَهوَ في إِقبالِ

    We know of no other people's language

    whose speakers vanished while it still flourishes.

  20. بَلِيَت هاشِمٌ وَبادَت نِزارٌ

    وَاللِسانُ المُبينُ لَيسَ بِبالي

    Hashim has faded and Nizar has perished,

    yet the lucid tongue has not worn out.

  21. كُلَّما هَمَّ مَجدُهُ بِزَوالٍ

    قامَ فَحلُ فَحالَ دونَ الزَوالِ

    Whenever its glory threatened to fade,

    a master poet arose and barred its fading.

  22. يا بَني مِصرَ لَم أَقُل أُمَّةَ ال

    قِبطِ فَهَذا تَشَبُّثٌ بِمُحالِ

    O sons of Egypt—I did not say 'the nation of the

    Copts'; that is clinging to the impossible,

  23. وَاِحتِيالٌ عَلى خَيالٍ مِنَ المَج

    دِ وَدَعوى مِنَ العِراضِ الطِوالِ

    and contriving an illusion of

    glory, and one of those sweeping, far-reaching claims.

  24. إِنَّما نَحنُ مُسلِمينَ وَقِبطاً

    أُمَّةٌ وُحِّدَت عَلى الأَجيالِ

    We, Muslims and Copts, are indeed

    one nation, united through the generations.

  25. سَبَقَ النيلُ بِالأُبُوَّةِ فينا

    فَهوَ أَصلُ وَآدَمُ الجَدُّ تالي

    The Nile was first in fatherhood among us;

    it is the root; Adam, the grandfather, comes after.

  26. نَحنُ مِن طينِهِ الكَريمِ عَلى اللَ

    هِ وَمِن مائِهِ القَراحِ الزُلالِ

    We are of its clay, precious to

    God, and of its pure, sweet water.

  27. مَرَّ ما مَرَّ مِن قُرونٍ عَلَينا

    رُسَّفاً في القُيودِ وَالأَغلالِ

    Centuries upon centuries passed over us,

    as we shuffled in fetters and shackles.

  28. وَاِنقَضى الدَهرُ بَينَ زَغرَدَةِ العُر

    سِ وَحَثوِ التُرابِ وَالإِعوالِ

    And time passed between the ululation of

    weddings, the casting of earth, and lamentation.

  29. ما تَحَلّى بِكُم يَسوعُ وَلا كُن

    نا لِطَهَ وَدينِهِ بِجَمالِ

    Jesus was not adorned by you, nor were

    we an adornment to Taha and his faith.

  30. وَتُضاعُ البِلادُ بِالقَومِ عَنها

    وَتُضاعُ الأُمورُ بِالإِهمالِ

    And countries are lost when their people turn away,

    and affairs are lost through neglect.

  31. يا شَبابَ الدِيارِ مِصرُ إِلَيكُم

    وَلِواءُ العَرينِ لِلأَشبالِ

    O youth of the land, Egypt is in your hands;

    and the banner of the lion's den belongs to the cubs.

  32. كُلَّما رُوِّعَت بِشُبهَةِ بَأسٍ

    جَعَلَتكُم مَعاقِلَ الآمالِ

    Whenever a hint of peril frightens her,

    she makes you the strongholds of her hopes.

  33. هَيِّؤوها لِما يَليقُ بِمَنفٍ

    وَكَريمِ الآثارِ وَالأَطلالِ

    Prepare her for what befits Memphis

    and noble monuments and ruins.

  34. وَاِنهَضوا نَهضَةَ الشُعوبِ لِدُنيا

    وَحَياةٍ كَبيرَةِ الأَشغالِ

    And rise as nations rise, toward a world

    and a life of great endeavors.

  35. وَإِلى اللَهِ مَن مَشى بِصَليبٍ

    في يَدَيهِ وَمَن مَشى بِهِلالِ

    And to God goes whoever walks with a cross

    in his hands, and whoever walks with a crescent.