National Anthem Comparison
Egypt vs Libya
3
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
32
32 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Egypt and Libya, both Africa nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Egypt's "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady" was written in 1923, while Libya's "Libya, Libya, Libya" dates to 1955.
Both anthems share themes of freedom, god / faith and ancestors / heritage. Egypt additionally explores love of homeland and nature, while Libya also touches on battle / war and unity.
The emotional tones differ: Egypt's anthem is proud, while Libya's is defiant.
Egypt's anthem predates Libya's by 32 years, having been written in 1923 compared to 1955.
Egypt changed its national anthem in 1979, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Egypt
❤ Love of homeland 🕊 Freedom ✝ God / Faith 🌿 Nature 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage
Libya
🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War ✝ God / Faith 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🤝 Unity
Shared themes:
🕊 Freedom ✝ God / Faith 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage
Metadata
| Egypt | Libya | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1923 | 1955 |
| Adopted | 1979 | 2011 |
| Lyricist | Mohamed Younis al-Qadi (after Mustafa Kamil's 1907 speech) | Al Bashir al-Arebi |
| Composer | Sayed Darwish | Mohammed Abdel Wahab |
| Language | ar | ar |
| Region | North Africa | North Africa |
Lyrics Side by Side
Egypt
بلادي بلادي بلادي
Original
بلادي بلادي بلادي
لكِ حبي وفؤادي
بلادي بلادي بلادي
لكِ حبي وفؤادي
مصر يا أم البلاد
أنت غايتي والمراد
وعلى كل العباد
كم لنيلك من أيادي
بلادي بلادي بلادي
لكِ حبي وفؤادي
مصر أنتِ أغلى درة
فوق جبين الدهر غرة
يا بلادي عيشي حرة
واسلمي رغم الأعادي
بلادي بلادي بلادي
لكِ حبي وفؤادي
مصر يا أرض النعيم
سُدْتِ بالمجد القديم
مقصدي دفع الغريم
وعلى الله اعتمادي
بلادي بلادي بلادي
لكِ حبي وفؤادي
مصر أولادك كرام
أوفيا يرعوا الزمام
نحن حرب وسلام
وفداك يا بلادي
سوف تحظى بالمرام
باتحادهم واتحادي
بلادي بلادي بلادي
لكِ حبي وفؤادي
Translation
My homeland, my homeland, my homeland,
My love and my heart are yours.
My homeland, my homeland, my homeland,
My love and my heart are yours.
Egypt, O mother of all lands,
You are my aim and my desire,
And upon all mankind
How many are the bounties of your Nile!
My homeland, my homeland, my homeland,
My love and my heart are yours.
Egypt, you are the most precious pearl,
A shining blaze upon the brow of time.
O my homeland, live free,
And stay safe despite your foes.
My homeland, my homeland, my homeland,
My love and my heart are yours.
Egypt, O land of bliss,
You reigned supreme through ancient glory.
My aim is to repel the enemy,
And in God I place my trust.
My homeland, my homeland, my homeland,
My love and my heart are yours.
Egypt, your children are noble,
Loyal, they guard the reins.
We are war and peace,
And we give our lives for you, my homeland.
You shall attain your aim
Through their unity and mine.
My homeland, my homeland, my homeland,
My love and my heart are yours.
Libya
ليبيا ليبيا ليبيا
Original
كُورَال:
يَا بِلَادِي يَا بِلَادِي
بِجِهَادِي وَجِلَادِي
اِدْفَعِي كَيْد اَلْأَعَادِي وَالْعَوَادِي
وَاسْلَمِي اِسْلَمِي اِسْلَمِي
اِسْلَمِي طُولَ الْمَدَى
إِنَّنَا نَحْنُ الْفِدَاء
لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا
١
يَا بِلَادِي أَنْتِ مِيرَاثُ الْجُدُودْ
لَا رَعَى اللهُ يَدًا تَمْتَدُّ لَكْ
فَاسْلَمِي إِنَّا عَلَى الدَّهْرِ جُنُودْ
لَا نُبَالِي إِنْ سَلِمْتِ مَنْ هَلَكْ
وَخُذِي مِنَّا وَثِيقَاتِ الْعُهُودْ
إِنَّنَا يَا لِيبِيَا لَنْ نَخْذِلَكْ
لَنْ نَعُودْ لِلْقُيُودْ
قَدْ تَحَرَّرْنَا وَحَرَّرْنَا الْوَطَنْ
لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا
كُورَال
٢
جُرُّدَ الْأَجْدَادُ عَزْمًا مُرْهَفَا
يَوْمَ نَادَاهُمْ مُنَادٍ لِلْكِفَاحْ
ثُمَّ سَارُوا يَحْمِلُونَ الْمُصْحَفَا
بِالْيَدِ الْأُولَىٰ وَبِالْأُخْرَى السِّلَاحْ
فَإِذَا فِي الْكَوْنِ دِينٌ وَصَفَا
وَإِذَا الْعَالَمُ خَيْرٌ وَصَلَاحْ
فَالْخُلُودْ لِلْجُدُودْ
إِنَّهُمْ قَدْ شَرَّفُواْ هٰذَا الْوَطَنْ
لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا
كُورَال
٣
حَيِّ الْمُخْتَارْ أَمِيرَ اَلْفَاتِحِينْ
إِنَّهُ فِي لِيبِيَا رَمْزُ الْجِهَادْ
حَمَلَ الْرَّايَةَ فِينَا بِالْيَمِينْ
وَتَبَعْنَاهُ لِتَحْرِيرِ الْبِلَادْ
فَانْثَنَىٰ بِالْمَجْدِ وَالْفَتْحِ الْمُبِينْ
وَرَكَزْنَا فَوْقَ هَامَاتِ الْنِّجَادْ
رَايَةً حُرَّةً
ظَلَّلَتْ بِالْعَزِّ أَرْجَاءَ الْوَطَنْ
لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا
كُورَال
٤
يَا ابْنَ لِيبْيَا يَا ابْنَ آسَادَ الْشَّرَى
إِنَّنَا لِلْمَجْدِ وَالْمَجْدُ لَنَا
مُذْ سَرَوْنَا حَمِدَ الْقَوْمُ الْسُّرَى
بَارَكَ اللهُ لَنَا اِسْتِقْلَالَنَا
فَابْتَغُوا الْعَلْيَاءَ شَأْوًا فِي الْوَرَى
وَاسْتَعِدُّواْ لِلْوَغَى أَشْبَالَنَا
لِلْغِلَابْ يَا شَبَابْ
إِنَّمَا الدُّنْيَا كِفَاحٌ لِلْوَطَنْ
لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا
Translation
Chorus:
O my country, O my country,
Through my struggle and my fighting,
Repel the plots of enemies and the blows of fate,
And be safe, be safe, be safe,
Be safe for all time.
We will give our lives for you.
Libya, Libya, Libya!
1
O my country, you are the heritage of our forefathers;
May God not protect a hand stretched out against you.
Be safe, for we are soldiers for all time;
We care not who perishes, so long as you are safe.
Take from us binding pledges
That we, O Libya, shall never fail you.
We shall not return to chains:
We have freed ourselves and freed the homeland.
Libya, Libya, Libya!
Chorus
2
Our forefathers drew a keen-edged resolve
On the day a herald called them to the struggle.
Then they marched, bearing the Qur'an
In one hand, and in the other their arms.
And lo, there was faith and purity in the universe,
And lo, the world was goodness and righteousness.
Immortality to our forefathers!
They have brought honour to this homeland.
Libya, Libya, Libya!
Chorus
3
Hail al-Mukhtar, prince of the conquerors!
In Libya he is the symbol of the struggle.
He bore the banner among us in his right hand,
And we followed him to free the land.
He returned with glory and a manifest victory,
And on the summits of the highlands we planted
A free banner
That shaded every corner of the homeland with honour.
Libya, Libya, Libya!
Chorus
4
O son of Libya, O son of the lions of al-Shara,
We are made for glory, and glory is ours.
Since we set out by night, the people have praised the night march.
May God bless our independence for us.
So seek the heights as your goal among mankind,
And make ready for battle, O our lion cubs.
To the struggle for victory, O youth!
For life is nothing but a struggle for the homeland.
Libya, Libya, Libya!
Interesting facts
Egypt
- 1. The song predates its use as an anthem by more than half a century: Sayed Darwish set al-Qadi's words to music in 1923, and it circulated widely as a patriotic song before being raised to official status in 1979, in a new arrangement that Mohamed Abdel Wahab made at President Sadat's request.
- 2. The refrain comes from a famous 1907 speech by the nationalist leader Mustafa Kamil, which included the words: 'My country, my country, to you my love and my heart, to you my life and my being.'
- 3. It replaced 'Walla Zaman Ya Selahy' ('It's Been a Long Time, O My Weapon'), a song made famous by Umm Kulthum during the 1956 Suez war, whose melody had served as Egypt's anthem, without words, since 1960.
- 4. Under a presidential decree of December 1982, only the first verse is sung with the music at popular and national celebrations, while the anthem is played without words when foreign presidents and delegations are received.
Libya
- 1. Mohammed Abdel Wahab was known as 'the Composer of Generations' (Musiqar al-Ajyal). Some sources also credit him with the music of the anthems of Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, but both attributions are disputed.
- 2. 'Allahu Akbar', the anthem used under Gaddafi, began as a battle song of the Egyptian army during the 1956 Suez War. After Libya broke with Egypt over its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, the anthem was kept, but its Egyptian origin was no longer mentioned.
- 3. When the anthem was restored in 2011, the verse praising King Idris was dropped; a rewritten verse honours Omar al-Mukhtar, who led the resistance to Italian colonial rule, though it is not always sung.
Listen
Egypt
Libya
