1. كبّرتُ للروح الأمين

    يهدي سناه الحائرين

    I hailed the Faithful Spirit with 'God is greatest';

    his radiance guides the bewildered.

  2. ويكاد رجع ندائه

    يحيى رفات الغابرين

    And the echo of his call almost

    revives the remains of those long gone,

  3. ليروا مصارع مجدهم

    وضياعه في العالمين

    that they may see the downfall of their glory

    and its loss among all peoples.

  4. والذنب ذنب الوارثين

    وليس ذنب الغاصبين

    And the blame lies with the heirs,

    and not with the usurpers.

  5. ولقد سألت الروح ما

    حال الكرام الوالدين

    And I asked the spirit, 'What

    is the state of the noble forefathers?'

  6. فإذاه حال الثائرين

    وليس حال الشاكرين

    And lo, their mood was one of revolt,

    and not one of gratitude.

  7. ودوا لو اقتحموا الزما

    ن فأصبحوا في الكائنين

    They wished they could burst through time

    and find themselves among the living,

  8. وتقدموا يبنون ما

    هدمته أيدي العابثين

    and step forward to build what

    the hands of the reckless had demolished.

  9. هم في التراب جوانح

    تهفو وألسنةٌ تبين

    In the dust, they are hearts

    that yearn, and tongues that speak plainly.

  10. عاشوا لمصر ومجدِها

    وسلاحُهم نور اليقين

    They lived for Egypt and her glory,

    and their weapon was the light of certainty.

  11. ومضوا فكان جزاؤهم

    أن أصبحوا في الخالدين

    And they passed on, and their reward was

    to be among the immortals.

  12. وأرى بينهم أعظُماً

    بليت وأرواحاً فنين

    And among them I see bones

    that have crumbled, and souls that have perished.

  13. شغلتهم الدنيا عن ال

    أخرى بما جمع اليمين

    Worldly life distracted them from the

    Hereafter, with what the right hand amassed,

  14. حتى غدَوا حرباً علي

    نا لا على المستعمرين

    until they were at war with

    us, not with the colonizers.

  15. والشعب يرقب والحوا

    دث كالحجارة لا تلين

    And the people watch, while events

    are like stones, unyielding.

  16. والحاكمون بأمرهم

    يا ذلّهم في الحاكمين

    And those who rule by their own command—

    how abject they are among rulers!

  17. شابَت نواصيهم وما

    سئموا حياة اللاعبين

    Their forelocks have turned gray, yet they have not

    tired of a life of games.

  18. يتفاوضون على الجلا

    ءِ ووحدَة الوادي الأمين

    They negotiate over withdrawal

    and the unity of the secure valley.

  19. فاعجب لمقتولٍ يُفا

    وِضُ في المصير القاتلين

    So marvel at a murdered man negotiating

    his fate with his murderers.

  20. فيماطلون ويخدَعو

    نَ ويكذبون ويمكُرون

    So they stall and deceive,

    and lie and scheme,

  21. حتى تلاشى صوت مص

    رَ وكان لحن الثائرين

    till Egypt's voice has faded away—

    and it had been the song of those in revolt—

  22. ما بين أحزابِ اليسار وبي

    ن أحزاب اليمين

    between the parties of the Left and

    the parties of the Right.

  23. يا قوم إن الحقّ تص

    رخ روحه بالنائمين

    O my people, surely truth's spirit

    cries out to the sleepers.

  24. سودانُ مصر وتينها

    لا كان مَن يفرى الوتين

    Egypt's Sudan is her vital artery;

    may whoever severs that artery cease to be.

  25. وأرى الجلاءَ قضيّة

    طالت على مرّ السنين

    And I see withdrawal as an issue

    that has dragged on through the passing years.

  26. فاحيوا كراماً أو فوَلّوا

    وجهَكُم شطرَ المنون

    So live with honor, or else turn

    your faces toward death.

  27. فالموت في ساح العلا

    خير من العيش الغبين

    For death on the field of glory

    is better than a life of humiliation.