1. كَيْفَ اعْتِذَارُكَ وَالسَّفَارَةُ أَوْلَى

    لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ إِلاَّ رِضا وَقُبُولاَ

    How can you decline, when the ambassadorship is more fitting?

    You could do nothing but consent and accept.

  2. إِجْمَاعُ مِصْرَ دَعَا وَأَنْتَ ذخِيرَةٌ

    وَمُحَققٌ إِنْجَاحُكَ المَأْمُولاَ

    Egypt's unanimous voice called you, and you are a treasure,

    And your achieving what is hoped for is assured.

  3. أَوْ مَا تَعَوَّدْتَ البُلُوغَ إِلَى المُنَى

    فِيمَا اضْطَلَعْتَ بِهِ وَلَيْسَ قَلِيلاَ

    Or have you not grown used to reaching your aspirations

    In what you have undertaken—and it is no small thing?

  4. فِي كُلِّ مَا وُلِّيتَهُ أَوْ سُسْتَهُ

    لَمْ تَأْتِ إِلاَّ نَافِعاً وَجَلِيلاَ

    In all you were entrusted with or administered,

    You have brought only what is beneficial and noble.

  5. نَاهِيكَ بِالتَّمْثِيلِ تَرْعَى فَنْهُ

    فِي أُمَّةٍ حَمَدَتْ بِكَ التَّمْثِيلاَ

    Suffice it to cite representation, whose art you nurture,

    In a nation that, through you, praised representation.

  6. يَا مَنْ بِحَقٍّ آثَرَتْهُ وَلَمْ تَكُنْ

    مِصْرُ لِتُعْدَمَ فِي الرِّجَالِ فُحْولاَ

    O you whom she rightly chose—and never would

    Egypt be without eminent men.

  7. بِكَ آنَسَتْ عَقْلاً بِدَا رَجَحَانُهُ

    فَرَمَتْ بِهِ البَلَدَ الرَّجِيحَ عُقُولاَ

    In you she discerned a mind whose superiority was plain,

    So she sent it to the land distinguished for its minds.

  8. مَنْ كَانَ حُرّاً طَاهِراً أَعرَاقُهُ

    يَتَجَنَّبُ الخَيَلاَءَ وَالتْخيِيِلاَ

    One who is free and pure in lineage

    Avoids arrogance and pretence;

  9. مُتَعَدَّداً بِصِفَاتِهِ مُتَفَرِّداً

    بِحَصَاتِهِ مُتَفَرِّغاً مَشْغُولاً

    Many-sided in his qualities, yet unique

    In his judgment, at leisure yet busy;

  10. مُتَبَيِّناً بِالْحَقِّ كَيْفَ جَوَابُهُ

    إِنْ كَانَ يَوْمَ مُهِمِّةٍ مَسْؤُولاَ

    Discerning, in truth, what his answer should be,

    If he is questioned on a day of weighty duty;

  11. لاَ بِدْعَ أَنْ جَعَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ بِلاَدُهُ

    فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا المَنْصِبِ التَّعْوِيلاَ

    It is no wonder that his country placed upon him

    Its reliance in a position such as this,

  12. وَأَضَافَتِ الجُسْنَى إِلَى الحُسْنَى بِأَنْ

    أَهْدَتْ إِلَيْهِ وِشَاحَ إِسْمَعِيلاَ

    And added honor to honor by

    Bestowing on him the Sash of Ismail.

  13. عِلْمٌ جَمَعْتَ إِلَى الأُصُولِ فُرُوعَهُ

    وَالعِلُمُ مَا أَتْمَمْتَهْ تَفْضِيلاَ

    Knowledge whose branches you have joined to its roots,

    And knowledge is what you have perfected with distinction;

  14. وَبَرَاعَةٌ فِي حَلِّ مَا هُوَ مُعْضِلٌ

    حَيْثُ المُعَاضِلُ قَدْ أَبَيْنَ حُلُولاَ

    And mastery in solving what is intractable,

    Where difficult problems have resisted solutions;

  15. وَمَجَالُ رَأْيٍ فِي الغَوَامِضِ مُبْصِرٍ

    مَعْلُومُهُ يَتَصَيِّدُ المَجْهُولاَ

    And breadth of judgment that sees into obscurities,

    What it knows hunts down the unknown;

  16. وَكِيَاسَةٌ تُهْدِيكَ إِنْ عَزَّ الهُدَى

    وَتُرِيكَ وَجْهاً لِلصَّوَابِ جَمِيلا

    And sagacity that guides you when guidance is hard to find,

    And shows you a beautiful aspect of what is right.

  17. فَبِنَظْرَةٍ في الأمْرِ وَهْوَ مْعَقدٌ

    تجْلُوهُ لاَ لُبْسا وَلاَ تَأوِيلاَ

    So, with a glance at a matter, though it is tangled,

    You make it plain, with neither ambiguity nor interpretation.

  18. إِنّا اجْتَمَعْنَا فِي وِدَاعِكَ أُسْرَةً

    تَقْضِي حْقُوقَ عَمِيدَهَا تَبْجِيلاَ

    Indeed, we have gathered for your farewell as a family,

    That pays its head his due in reverence,

  19. وَتَبُثَّهُ شُكْرَ الرَّيَاضِ لِدِيمَةٍ

    هَطَّالَةٍ أَرْوَتْ لَهُنْ غَلِيلاَ

    And offers him the thanks gardens give to a steady rain,

    Pouring abundantly, which quenched their burning thirst.

  20. هِيَ أُسْرَةٌ مُتَعَهِّدْوهَا صَفْوَةٌ

    زَرَعُوا الجَمِيلَ وَيَحْصُدْونَ جَمِيلاَ

    It is a family whose caretakers are the finest;

    They sowed goodness and reap goodness.

  21. بَذَلُوا لَهَا مِنْ عِلْمِهِمْ وَنُبُوغِهِمْ

    وَجُهُودِهِمْ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مَبْذُولاَ

    They gave it, from their knowledge and their genius,

    And their efforts, what had never been bestowed.

  22. بِالأَمْسِ أَنْشَأَهَا نَجِيبٌ فَابْتَنَى

    فَخْراً تُسَجِّلُهُ لَهُ تَسْجِيلاَ

    Yesterday Najib founded it, and so built

    A glory it duly records to his credit.

  23. وَالْيَوْمَ يَكْفَلُهَا عَلِيٌّ نَاحِياً

    نَحْواً بِمُطَّرَدِ النَّجَاحِ كَفِيلاَ

    And today Ali cares for it, pursuing

    A course that guarantees sustained success.

  24. فَلِذَاكَ تَعْتَدُّ ازْدِيَادَ وَزِيرِهَا

    فَتْحاً تُرَجِّي الخَيْرَ مِنْهُ جَزِيلاَ

    So it counts its minister's advancement

    A triumph from which it hopes for abundant good.

  25. وَمِنَ السَّعَادَةِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُحَمَّدٌ

    فِي الْحِكْمِ مِعْوناً لَهُ وَوَكِيلاَ

    And it is fortunate that Muhammad should be

    In governance, his helper and deputy.

  26. نِعْمَ الوَكِيلُ وَمَا تُرَاهُ مُدْلِياً

    بِالرَّأْي إِلاَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَصِيلاَ

    An excellent deputy—and you never see him offering

    An opinion unless it is well founded.

  27. رَجُلٌ إِذَا مَا شَادَ شَادَ مُتَمِّماً

    وَإِذَا ادَّعَى دَعْوَى أَقَامَ دَلِيلاَ

    A man who, whenever he builds, builds to completion,

    And when he advances a claim, he establishes proof.

  28. أَسَفِيرُ مِصْرَ اذْهَبْ عَزِيزاً رَاشِداً

    وَبِجَانِبِ التَّامِيزِ زَكِّ النِّيلاَ

    O ambassador of Egypt, go honored and rightly guided,

    And beside the Thames, extol the Nile.

  29. إِنَّا لَمُرْتَقِبُونَ مِنْكَ مَآثِراً

    تَجْنِي البِلاَدُ ثِمَارَهُنَّ طَويلا

    We surely await from you noble achievements,

    Whose fruits the country will reap for a long time.