إِنّي سَكَتُّ وَما عَدِمتُ المَنطِقا

لَولا أَخوكَ سَبَقتُ فيكَ الأَسبَقا

I am silent, yet eloquence has not abandoned me,

I kept silent, though I was never devoid of speech,

Had it not been for your brother preceding me, I would have outdone him.

Were it not for your brother, I would have outstripped the foremost in answering you,

وَهَزَزتُ أَوتارَ القُلوبِ بِصامِتٍ

يَشتاقُ كُلُّ مُهَذَّبٍ أَن يَنطُقا

And I would have strummed the chords of hearts with a silent longing,

And I would have stirred the heartstrings with a silent verse,

Every refined soul yearns to speak out.

Which every refined soul yearns to utter.

فَبَعَثتُ في أَفواهِهِم مِثلَ الطَلى

وَنَفَثتُ في أَسماعِهِم شِبهَ الرُقى

So I sent into their mouths something like saliva,

I would have placed upon their tongues words like fine wine,

And breathed into their ears a kind of incantation,

And breathed into their ears the likeness of enchantments,

وَأَلَنتُ قاسي الشِعرَ حَتّى يُبتَغى

وَشَدَدتُ مِنهُ اللينَ حَتّى يُتَّقى

And I softened the harsh poetry until it could be desired,

I have softened the harshness of verse until it is sought after,

And strengthened the softness until it could be feared.

And I have toughened its softness until it commands awe,

وَجَلَوتُ لِلأَبصارِ كُلَّ خَريدَةٍ

عَصماءَ تَحسِدُها النُجومُ تَأَلُّقا

I polished for the sights every scintillating

And I unveiled to the eyes every unique, virgin gem,

Dazzling star envied by stars in their brilliance.

Flawless, envied by the stars for its brilliance,

تَبدو فَتَترُكُ كُلَّ قَلبٍ شَيّقٍ

خَلواً وَتَترُكُ كُلَّ خالٍ شَيِّقا

They appear and leave every fascinated heart

It appears, leaving every yearning heart free of care,

Empty, and leave every enchanted mind empty.

While making the carefree heart yearn.

وَلي أَخوكَ فَما أَمضَنِيَ النَوى

وَلَقَد قَدِمتَ فَما هَشَشتُ إِلى اللُقا

And I have for your brother, yet determination did not drive me,

I have your brother, so the distance did not torment me,

And though you arrived, I did not hasten towards the encounter.

Yet you arrived, and I found no joy in our meeting,

قَبَلتَ وَالدُنيا إِلَيَّ بَغيضَةٌ

هَلّا سَبَقتَ إِلَيَّ أَسبابَ الشَقا

You arrived while the world was hateful to me,

You drew near while the world was hateful in my eyes,

If only troubles had preceded you to me.

Why did you not arrive before the causes of my misery?

حَنَقتَ بِلا سَبَبٍ عَلَيَّ وَإِنَّهُ

سَبَبٌ جَديرٌ عِندَهُ أَن أَحنَقا

You resented me without cause, and yet

You bore anger against me without cause, though truly,

It is a cause worthy for me to resent.

There was reason enough for me to be the one angered.

عَلَقَت أَخي كَفُّ المَنونِ وَكِدتُ أَن

أَسعى عَلى آثارِهِ لَولا التُقى

Death grasped the hand of my brother, and I almost

The hand of Fate snatched my brother, and I all but,

Ran in its tracks, had it not been for God-consciousness.

Followed in his footsteps, were it not for piety.

ما أَشفَقَت نَفسي عَلَيَّ وَإِنَّما

أَشفَقتُ أَن أَبكي الصَديقَ المُشفِقا

My soul did not fear for me, rather

My soul did not fear for itself; rather,

I feared that I would cry for the concerned friend.

I feared I would have to mourn a compassionate friend.

وَدَّعتُهُ كَالبَدرِ عِندَ تَمامِهِ

وَالبَدرُ لَيسَ بِئامِنٍ أَن يُمحَقا

I bid him farewell like the full moon,

I bade him farewell as he was like the full moon in its perfection,

And the full moon is not safe from being eclipsed.

And even the full moon is not safe from waning.

وَلَقَد رَجَوتُ لَهُ البَقاءَ وَإِنَّما

يَدنو الحَمامُ لِمَن يُحِبُّ لَهُ البَقا

And I hoped for his permanence, but

I had hoped for his survival, yet truly,

Death draws near the one it loves to remain.

Death draws nearest to the one we wish would stay.

أَصبَحتُ مِثلَ النَسرِ قُصَّ جَناحُهُ

فَهَوى وَلَو سَلِمَ الجَناحُ لَحَلَّقا

I became like an eagle whose wing is cut off,

I have become like an eagle whose wing is clipped,

So it plummeted. Had the wing been unharmed, it would have soared.

He fell; had the wing been whole, he would have soared.

نائي الرَجاءِ فَلا أَسيرٌ موثَقٌ

أَرجو الفَكاكَ وَلَستُ حُرّاً مُطلَقا

Despairing of hope, so neither chained captive

With hope far-flung: neither a bound captive,

Do I hope for freedom, nor am I fully released.

Hoping for release, nor a free man at liberty.

وَلَقَد لَبِستُ مِنَ السَوادِ شَعائِراً

حَتّى خَضِبتُ مِنَ الحِدادِ المَفرِقا

And I wore the trappings of blackness

I have donned the black robes of mourning rites,

Until I was dyed from head to toe in pervasive mourning.

Until the parting of my hair was dyed by grief.

وَزَجَرتُ عَيني أَن تُسَرَّ بِمَنظَرٍ

وَمَنَعتُ قَلبي بَعدَهُ أَن يَخفِقا

And I scolded my eye from delighting in sights,

I forbade my eye from finding joy in any sight,

And I prevented my heart after him from throbbing.

And forbade my heart, after him, to flutter with delight.

لا أَظلُمُ الأَيّامَ فيما قَد جَنَت

لا تَأمَنِ الأَيّامَ أَن تَتَفَرَّقا

I do not wrong the days for what they have reaped,

I do not blame the days for the crimes they have committed,

Do not feel secure that days will remain gathered.

For one is never safe from the days tearing things apart.

كُن كَيفَ شِئتَ فَلَستُ أَسكُنُ لِلمُنى

بَعدَ الحَبيبِ وَلَستُ أَحذُرُ موبِقا

Be however you wish, for I will not settle in bliss

Be as you wish, for I no longer find rest in empty hopes,

After the beloved, nor fear a terrible end.

After the beloved is gone, nor do I fear any peril.

عامٌ نَسيتُ سُعودَهُ بِنُحوسِهِ

قَد يَحجِبُ اللَيلُ الهِلالَ المُشرِقا

A year whose prosperity I forgot in its misfortune,

A year whose joys I have forgotten amidst its misfortunes;

The night may veil the radiant crescent.

Just as the dark night may veil the shining crescent.

لَم أَنسَ طاغِيَةَ المُلوكِ وَقَد هَوى

عَن عَرشِهِ وَأَسيرُهُ لَمّا اِرتَقى

I have not forgotten the tyrant of kings, and how he fell

I have not forgotten the tyrant among kings when he fell,

From his throne, and his captive did not climb.

From his throne, while his prisoner ascended.

وَالشاهُ مُنخَلِعُ الحَشاشَةِ واجِفٌ

أَرَأَيتَ خاهاً قَطُّ أَصبَحَ بَيدَقا

The king stripped of kingship frightened and desolate,

The Shah stood with spirit torn, trembling in fear,

Have you ever seen a barefoot king?

Have you ever seen a King reduced to a mere pawn?

ما زالَ يَحتَقِرُ الظُبى حَتّى غَدا

لا تُذكَرُ الأَسيافُ حَتّى يُصعَقا

He did not cease to scorn prey until he became

He continued to despise the blades until the day came,

One whose swords are not mentioned until they are unsheathed.

When the mere mention of swords would strike him down.

بِتنا إِذا التُركِيُّ ضَجَّ مُهَلِّلاً

عَبَثَ الهَوى بِالفارِسِيِّ فَصَفَّقا

We have seen that when the Turk clamored boastfully,

We watched: when the Turk cried out in jubilation,

Passion confused the Persian who was awestruck.

Passion swayed the Persian, and he clapped his hands.

ذِكرى تُحَرِّكُ كُلَّ قَلبٍ ساكِنٍ

حَتّى لِيَعشُقَ بَعدَها أَن يَعشِقا

A memory stirs every still heart

A memory that stirs every still heart,

Until it comes to love after it to love.

Moving it to love the very act of loving.

فيمَ عَلى النيلِ النُحوسُ وَلَم يَكُن

دونَ الخَليجِ وَلا الفُراتِ تَدَفُّقا

Why does the Nile have misfortune and it did not have

Why do misfortunes plague the Nile, when it has never been,

The flow of the Gulf or the Euphrates before?

Lesser in flow than the Gulf or the Euphrates?

إِن لَم أَذُد عَن أَرضِ مِصرَ موفَقاً

أَودى بِئامالي الزَمانُ موفَقا

If I do not defend the land of Egypt successfully,

If I have not successfully defended the land of Egypt,

The vicissitudes of time will finish me successfully.

Then Time has successfully destroyed my hopes.

ما بالَها تَشكو زَوالَ بَهائِها

وَهيَ الَّتي كانَت تَزينُ المَشرِقا

What is wrong with it that it complains of its beauty fading,

Why does she complain that her splendor has faded,

When it used to adorn the East?

She, who was once the jewel adorning the East?

قَد أَخلَقَت كَفُّ السِياسَةِ عَهدَها

إِنَّ السِياسَةَ لا تُراعي مَوثِقا

The hand of politics betrayed its covenant,

The hand of politics has worn her covenant threadbare;

For politics does not uphold a pact.

For politics respects no pact nor bond.

كَذَبوا عَلى مِصرَ وَصُدِّقَ قَولُهُم

وَالشَرُّ إِن يَجِدِ الكَذوبَ مُصَدِّقا

They lied about Egypt and their words were believed,

They lied about Egypt, and their lies were believed,

Evil finds lies it can validate.

And evil thrives when a liar finds a willing ear.

وَأَبوا عَلَينا أَنَّنا لا نَنتَهي

مِن مَأزَقٍ حَتّى نُصادِفَ مَأزِقا

And they insisted we do not emerge

They decreed against us that we should never cease,

From one quandary until we encounter another.

Moving from one predicament only to face another.

سَلَكوا بِنا في كُلِّ وادٍ ضَيِّقٍ

حَتّى قَنِطنا أَن يُصيبوا ضَيِّقا

They took us into every narrow valley,

They drove us through every narrow valley,

Until we despaired that they would find a narrower one.

Until we lost hope they would ever run out of straits.

مَنَعوا الصَحافَةَ أَن تَبُثَّ شَكاتَنا

مَنَعوا الكَواكِبَ أَن تَبينَ وَتَشرُقا

They prevented the press from airing our grievances,

They forbade the press from publishing our grievances,

They prevented the stars from clarifying and rising.

Just as they forbade the stars to shine and rise.

لَو أَنصَفوا رَفَعوا القُيودَ فَإِنَّما

يَشكو الأَسيرُ الأَسرَ إِمّا أَرهَقا

Had they been fair, they would have removed the shackles, for

Had they been just, they would have lifted the chains,

The captive complains of captivity when it weighs heavy.

For the captive cries out against captivity when crushed.

وَسَعَوا إِلى سَلبِ القَناةِ فَأَخفَقوا

سَعياً وَشاءَ اللَهُ أَن تُخفَقا

And they sought to steal the Canal but failed

They strove to seize the Canal, but they failed,

In their endeavor, and God willed it would fail.

In their endeavor, for God willed that it should fail.

عَرَضَ الحِسابَ المُسَتشارُ وَلَم يَكُن

لَولا السِياسَةِ حاسِباً وَمُدَقِّقا

The Counsel presented the account but he would not have been

The Advisor presented the accounts, though he was never,

An accountant or examiner without politics.

Save for politics, a reckoner or auditor.

أَيَكونُ غاصِبَنا وَيَزعُمُ أَنَّهُ

أَمسى عَلَينا مُحسِناً مُتَصَدِّقا

Can our usurper be the one claiming

Can he be our usurper, while claiming that he,

He has become our benefactor and almsgiver?

Has become our benefactor and almsgiver?

أَبَني الكِنانَةِ لَستُمُ أَبنائَها

حَتّى تَقَوا مِصرَ البَلاءَ المُطبِقا

Oh children of Egypt, you are not her sons

O Sons of Kinana! You are not her true sons,

Until you stand up to the engulfing affliction for Egypt.

Until you shield Egypt from the overwhelming calamity.

إِن تَحفَظوها تَحفَظوا في نَسلِكُم

ذِكراً يُخَلِّدُ في اللَيالي رَونَقا

If you protect her, you will preserve in your lineage

If you preserve her, you preserve for your descendants,

A remembrance that immortalizes glory in nights.

A legacy that immortalizes splendor through the nights.