يَومٌ بِحُلوَانَ نَقضِيهِ عَلى ظَمإٍ

يَومٌ بِحُلوَانَ نَقضِيهِ عَلى ظَمإٍ

يَا لَيتَ أيَّامنَا كُلا بِحُلوَانا

يَا لَيتَ أيَّامنَا كُلا بِحُلوَانا

A day in Helwan we spend in thirst;

A day we spend quenching thirst,

O, would that all our days were in Helwan!

Oh, if only all our days were so sweet!

فَارَقتُ أهلِي وأوطاني وَكُنتُ بهَا

فَارَقتُ أهلِي وأوطاني وَكُنتُ بهَا

فَلَم أُفارِق بِهَا أهلاً وَأوطَانا

فَلَم أُفارِق بِهَا أهلاً وَأوطَانا

I left my family and my homelands, and was there;

I left my family and home, and there

yet there I parted from neither family nor homelands.

I did not part from a family or homeland.

إن قال عَنهَا غَرِيبٌ إذ يَحُلُّ بهَا

إن قال عَنهَا غَرِيبٌ إذ يَحُلُّ بهَا

لَيسَت بِمَوطِنِ مِصرُ فَقَد مانا

لَيسَت بِمَوطِنِ مِصرُ فَقَد مانا

If a stranger says of it, when he settles there,

If a stranger says, as he comes to stay,

'Egypt is no homeland,' then he has lied.

“Egypt is no true home,” he is wrong.

خُلقٌ كما هشَّ وجهُ الروضِ باكَرَهُ

خُلقٌ كما هشَّ وجهُ الروضِ باكَرَهُ

صَوبَ الغمامِ وكان الروضُ ظمآنا

صَوبَ الغمامِ وكان الروضُ ظمآنا

A disposition like the garden's smiling face, greeted at dawn

A nature soft as the cheek of the meadow in early dawn

by the clouds' downpour, while the garden was thirsty.

Inclining to the clouds, while the meadow is thirsty.

ومِن رِجالِ بَيانٍ في الكَلامِ إذَا

ومِن رِجالِ بَيانٍ في الكَلامِ إذَا

تَكَلَّمُوا أبكَموا قُسًّا وسَحبانا

تَكَلَّمُوا أبكَموا قُسًّا وسَحبانا

And among men eloquent in speech, who, when

And of eloquent men in speech, when

they speak, strike Quss and Sahban dumb.

They talked, they enchanted the stubborn and unyielding.

وَمِن شَمَائلَ رَقَّت كَالنَّسِيمِ وَقَد

وَمِن شَمَائلَ رَقَّت كَالنَّسِيمِ وَقَد

هَبَّت قَرِيضاً مِنَ الصَّاوِيِّ شَعلانا

هَبَّت قَرِيضاً مِنَ الصَّاوِيِّ شَعلانا

And from manners gentle as the breeze, which had

And of gentle traits that blew like the breeze and

wafted forth as verse from al-Sawi Sha'lan.

Stirred branches from the barren valley.

شِعرٌ أتَاني فَاَنشَاني وأنعَشَنِي

شِعرٌ أتَاني فَاَنشَاني وأنعَشَنِي

أكانَ رَاحاً إذَن أَم كَانَ رَيحَانا

أكانَ رَاحاً إذَن أَم كَانَ رَيحَانا

A poem came to me, intoxicated me, and revived me;

Poetry came to me, comforting me and enlivening me—

was it wine, then, or was it basil?

Was it a breeze, or was it sweet basil?

أسقَيتَنا مِن رَحيقِ القَولِ صَافِيةً

أسقَيتَنا مِن رَحيقِ القَولِ صَافِيةً

حَلالُهَا عَن حَرَامِ الرَّاحِ أغنَانا

حَلالُهَا عَن حَرَامِ الرَّاحِ أغنَانا

You gave us a pure draught of the nectar of speech;

You gave us to drink from the pure nectar of words—

its lawful draught spared us forbidden wine.

Its lawfulness from the unlawful wind made us joyous.

بَل قَد شَدَوتَ به شُحرُورَ رَابِيَةٍ

بَل قَد شَدَوتَ به شُحرُورَ رَابِيَةٍ

كُنَّا لَدى شَدِوِهِ نَهتَزُّ أغصَانا

كُنَّا لَدى شَدِوِهِ نَهتَزُّ أغصَانا

Nay, you sang it like a blackbird on a hill;

Nay! You sang it to the songbirds of the grove

at his song, we swayed like branches.

Whose branches we swayed as we listened to your singing.

عندَ ابنِ عُثمَانَ ذي الخُلُقِ الكَرِيمِ نُهىً

عندَ ابنِ عُثمَانَ ذي الخُلُقِ الكَرِيمِ نُهىً

ومِن قَدِيمٍ كِرَامٌ آلُ عُثمَانا

ومِن قَدِيمٍ كِرَامٌ آلُ عُثمَانا

Ibn Uthman, of noble character, has wisdom;

With Ibn Uthman, the noble virtue, we found salvation

and the family of Uthman has long been noble.

And from old, the Uthman house was generous.