أتذكرُ إِذ لنا في مصرَ ذكرٌ

أتذكرُ إِذ لنا في مصرَ ذكرٌ

وأيامٌ على التاريخِ غرُّ

وأيامٌ على التاريخِ غرُّ

Do you remember when we had renown in Egypt,

I remember when in Egypt we were of repute

and days that shone in history;

And days in history that were momentous

وإِذ روضُ الصبا غضٌّ أَنيقٌ

وإِذ روضُ الصبا غضٌّ أَنيقٌ

وأَوقاتُ الصفا صرعى تمرُّ

وأَوقاتُ الصفا صرعى تمرُّ

and when the garden of youth was tender and fair,

When the meadows of youth were graceful and neat

and hours of bliss fell as they passed;

And times of clarity that flowed smooth

وإِذ نجري جيادَ اللهو فيها

وإِذ نجري جيادَ اللهو فيها

لها كر بساحتها وفرُّ

لها كر بساحتها وفرُّ

and when we raced the steeds of revelry there—

When we raced the steeds of amusement therein

theirs were charge and retreat in its arena;

With plenty in its fields and abundance

وإِذا نرضي الشبابَ ولا نبالي

وإِذا نرضي الشبابَ ولا نبالي

عواقبَه أتحلو أم تمرُّ

عواقبَه أتحلو أم تمرُّ

and when we indulged youth, heedless

And when we indulged our youth and cared not

of its consequences—whether sweet or bitter;

Whether its consequences be sweet or bitter

وإذ تقعُ الخطوبُ فنتقيها

وإذ تقعُ الخطوبُ فنتقيها

وكل سلاحِنا أدبٌ وفقرُ

وكل سلاحِنا أدبٌ وفقرُ

and when calamities struck and we fended them off,

When tribulations would befall, we'd avoid them

while all our arms were literature and poverty?

With nothing but manners and poverty as our weapons

إِذا حملت عليَّ أجابَ شعرٌ

إِذا حملت عليَّ أجابَ شعرٌ

وان نزلت إليك أجاب نثرُ

وان نزلت إليك أجاب نثرُ

When they charged against me, verse answered;

When assailed, my poetry would respond

and if they descended on you, prose answered.

And if I descended on you, prose would retort

زمانٌ قد صحِبناهُ تولى

زمانٌ قد صحِبناهُ تولى

على أَعقابِهِ وأَقامَ ذكرُ

على أَعقابِهِ وأَقامَ ذكرُ

An age we once kept company with turned away,

An era that accompanied us has relapsed

back on its heels, while remembrance remained.

On its heels, leaving behind remembrance

وما ذكرُ الشبابِ يرد شيئاً

وما ذكرُ الشبابِ يرد شيئاً

ولكن فيه تعزيةٌ وصبرُ

ولكن فيه تعزيةٌ وصبرُ

And remembering youth brings nothing back,

The memory of youth rights no wrongs

but in it are consolation and patience.

But in it there is solace and patience

سلامُ اللَهِ يا مصرَ وحيَّا

سلامُ اللَهِ يا مصرَ وحيَّا

ربوعَك صيِّب الأَنواء غمرُ

ربوعَك صيِّب الأَنواء غمرُ

God's peace be upon you, O Egypt; and may

Greetings O Egypt from God and hi

a copious, storm-borne downpour greet your lands.

To your meadows, may the winds pour rain

أَقمنا فيكِ سبعاً بعد عشر

أَقمنا فيكِ سبعاً بعد عشر

مضت وكأَنَّها في الحسنِ شهرُ

مضت وكأَنَّها في الحسنِ شهرُ

We dwelt in you seven years beyond ten;

We stayed in you seventeen years

they passed as though, in their loveliness, they were a month.

That sped by as if they were but a month in beauty