لغرةfor the brow of الأفقthe horizon بياضٌa whiteness شدَخspread broadly
لغرة الأفق بياضٌ شدَخ
جسميmy body بهby it منfrom قبلbefore شهريmy month (as written) انسلخwas flayed
جسمي به من قبل شهري انسلخ
A white blaze spreads across the horizon's brow;
The horizon's coquettishness is a dazzling whiteness
my body was flayed by it before my month was out.
My body shed its skin months ago
ويلاهُalas for me! منbecause of ثلجٍsnow صميمٍsolid; intense إذاwhen
ويلاهُ من ثلجٍ صميمٍ إذا
تساكتfell silent الناسُthe people لديهbefore it صمخpounded the ears
تساكت الناسُ لديه صمخ
Alas for solid snow! When
Woe to the biting, stinging frost when
people fall silent before it, it pounds their ears.
People fall silent before it, stunned
قامتstood up بهbecause of it شعرةُa hair أجسامناour bodies
قامت به شعرةُ أجسامنا
بزرقةٍwith a bluish tint فالويلso woe! منهاfrom it خوخpeaches (sense unclear here)
بزرقةٍ فالويل منها خوخ
The hair on our bodies stood on end because of it,
The hair on our bodies stood on end
with a bluish tint—woe from it: 'peaches' [sense unclear].
With blueness - oh the woe of it - bent
كأنَّنيas though I محراكُa poker فرنٍan oven إذاًthen
كأنَّني محراكُ فرنٍ إذاً
قالواthey said عجينُthe dough of الثلجthe snow فيon الأرضِthe ground طخsplatted; struck
قالوا عجينُ الثلج في الأرضِ طخ
As though I were an oven poker, then,
As if I were a furnace poker
they said, 'The snow's dough has splatted on the ground!'
They said the frost dough in the ground - mashed
كمhow often يبصقspits الثلجthe snow علىupon لحيةٍa beard
كم يبصق الثلج على لحيةٍ
وكمand how often يقولsays الرعدthe thunder فيin; into الوجهthe face إخّugh!
وكم يقول الرعد في الوجه إخّ
How often snow spits upon a beard,
How much does the frost spit on a beard
and how often thunder says to one's face, 'Ugh!'
And how much does thunder say in the face - Hush!
كمhow often تعقدcongeal; curdle الآفاقُthe horizons عقدَthe curdling of اللّباcolostrum; first milk
كم تعقد الآفاقُ عقدَ اللّبا
منهbecause of it وكمand how often ينثرُit scatters نثرَthe scattering of اللبخthe lebbekh tree
منه وكم ينثرُ نثرَ اللبخ
How often the horizons curdle like first milk
How the horizons knot the knot of cowl
because of it, and how often it scatters as lebbekh does!
Of it and how it scatters the sprinkling of crumbs
كمhow many بشرa mortal بالثلجin the snow لماwhen غداbecame
كم بشر بالثلج لما غدا
كالحجرِlike the stone المطروحِcast aside قبلbefore المسخّtransformation
كالحجرِ المطروحِ قبل المسخّ
How many a mortal, when caught in snow, became
How much it foretold snow when it came
like a stone cast aside before transformation!
Like a discarded stone before petrification
كمhow many اثرa trace; an effect نيرانfires إذاwhen ماan emphatic particle رعىgrazed; fed
كم اثر نيران إذا ما رعى
بالثلجِon the snow يجريmakes flow ماءَهits water قبلbefore سخpouring
بالثلجِ يجري ماءَه قبل سخ
How many a trace of fires, when it feeds
How much the trace of fire when it grazes
on snow, makes its water flow before any pouring!
The snow, its water flowing before melting
وحاولَand tried البربخthe water pipe فيin الماءِthe water أنto
وحاولَ البربخ في الماءِ أن
يحكيimitate مجارِيthe channels of رشحهِits seepage فانْبرخand then gave way
يحكي مجارِي رشحهِ فانْبرخ
And the water pipe tried, in the water, to
The flea in the water tried
imitate the channels of its seepage, then gave way.
To tell the courses of its dripping - it burst
لاmay ... not كانَbe ذاكَthat البخspouting; spraying منهfrom it ولاand may ... not
لا كانَ ذاكَ البخ منه ولا
كرَّرrepeat فيin أيَّامهِits days قولthe saying of بخbravo!
كرَّر في أيَّامهِ قول بخ
May that spouting never come from it, nor
Neither was that dripping from it, nor
may it repeat 'Bravo!' in all its days!
Did it repeat in its days the word 'drip'
كمhow many ليلةٍa night بالثلجِwith snow شابتturned gray-haired وكمand how much
كم ليلةٍ بالثلجِ شابت وكم
مدادink جنحnight's wing; nightfall بضياهby its radiance انْتسخwas effaced
مداد جنح بضياه انْتسخ
How many a night went gray-haired with snow, and how much
How many nights whitened with snow and how much
ink of night's wing was effaced by its radiance!
Ink of its wings after being soaked
صكَّتbattered بهwith it الأجرامthe heavenly bodies منfrom فوقناabove us
صكَّت به الأجرام من فوقنا
ودارand went round بالآفاقِthrough the horizons منَّاfrom us فلخa crushing blow
ودار بالآفاقِ منَّا فلخ
The heavenly bodies battered us with it from above,
The celestial bodies above us clinked with it
and a crushing blow from us swept the horizons.
And around the horizons from us it slid
وجازand passed فيinto آذانناour ears واغلاًas an uninvited guest
وجاز في آذاننا واغلاً
كأنَّهُas though it يقلعُwrenches out منهاfrom them زنخrancid grime
كأنَّهُ يقلعُ منها زنخ
And it entered our ears as an uninvited guest,
And it passed violently in our ears
as though wrenching rancid grime out of them.
As if it were plucking twigs from them
ماnot ليI have ببابِat the gate of الثلجthe snow منany طاقةٍstrength; capacity
ما لي ببابِ الثلج من طاقةٍ
وخوفهand fear of it منfrom كبدِيmy liver قدalready; indeed رسخtook firm root
وخوفه من كبدِي قد رسخ
I have no strength at the gate of snow,
I have no power with the door of snow
and fear of it has taken root in my liver.
And its fear of my liver has taken root
فعوّذونيso protect me with charms دونهagainst it بالرّقىwith incantations
فعوّذوني دونه بالرّقى
أوor بخِّرونيfumigate me بالحصىwith pebbles والكلخand giant fennel
أو بخِّروني بالحصى والكلخ
So protect me against it with incantations,
So protect me from it with incantations
or fumigate me with pebbles and giant fennel.
Or cense me with pebbles and potash
متىwhen أرىshall I see منfrom مطرٍrain رحمةًmercy
متى أرى من مطرٍ رحمةً
تطردdrives away منfrom قاعدةٍa base; foundation ماwhatever انْفسخhas come apart
تطرد من قاعدةٍ ما انْفسخ
When shall I see mercy coming from rain,
When will I see rain's mercy
sweeping from a base whatever has come apart?
That dispels what disintegrated from the base
متىwhen أرىshall I see جيبthe collar-opening of الغوادِيthe morning rainclouds انْفرىsplit open
متى أرى جيب الغوادِي انْفرى
وروعand the terror of أفراخيmy chicks لديهِbefore it انْفرخwas dispelled
وروع أفراخي لديهِ انْفرخ
When shall I see the morning rainclouds' collar split open,
When will I see the pocket of clouds burst open
and my chicks' terror dispelled before it?
And the chicks take fright in it - hatched
اللائذينthose seeking refuge اليومَtoday منfrom حاتمٍHatim
اللائذين اليومَ من حاتمٍ
كأنهas though he شعوآءُa fierce onslaught فيهاin it فنخcrushing blows
كأنه شعوآءُ فيها فنخ
Those seeking refuge today from Hatim,
Those who take refuge today from Hatem
as though he were a fierce onslaught full of crushing blows,
As if he were ravenous among them - inhaled
تكوَّمواthey huddled in a heap فيin البيتِthe house; the verse منbecause of خوفهfear of him
تكوَّموا في البيتِ من خوفه
فالبيتso the house; so the verse أوor ناظمهُits versifier كومُa heap فخa snare
فالبيت أو ناظمهُ كومُ فخ
huddled in the house for fear of him;
They huddled in the house in fear of it
so the house—or its versifier—is a heap in a snare.
So the house or its arranger is a bird trap
عادواthey returned بنعمىwith the bounty of أحمدٍAhmad فاقْتضواand so sought
عادوا بنعمى أحمدٍ فاقْتضوا
منهاfrom it لدفعِto repel الثلجthe snow عاداتthe customary ways of رخّa roc
منها لدفعِ الثلج عادات رخّ
They returned with Ahmad's bounty, and sought
They returned with Ahmed's blessing, so they took
from it a roc's customary ways to repel the snow.
From it to repel the snow, easy customs
ذوpossessor of القلمِthe pen الرَّاقيlofty; rising حياًlife-giving rain أوor علاًeminence
ذو القلمِ الرَّاقي حياً أو علاً
فياthen oh! لهwhat a ... he is غصناًa bough دَناdrew near أوor شمخtowered
فيا له غصناً دَنا أو شمخ
Master of the lofty pen, in life-giving rain or eminence—
The one with the lofty pen, alive or sublime
oh, what a bough he is, whether bending near or towering!
Oh what a branch he lowered or towered!
وأنفقand he spent الخاءآتِthe khāʾ letters لكنهbut he
وأنفق الخاءآتِ لكنه
لعبدهِto his servant منfrom وفرِهاtheir abundance ماnot رضخgave a small share
لعبدهِ من وفرِها ما رضخ
And he spent the khāʾ letters, but
And he spent generously but for
gave his servant not a scrap of their abundance.
His servant did not yield from its abundance
فحيثso wherever منin; from مصرEgypt ينخىis called upon for aid الذيthe one who
فحيث من مصر ينخى الذي
عارضrivaled; matched منfrom شرقيهاits eastern quarter ثوبa robe of نخnakh cloth
عارض من شرقيها ثوب نخ
So wherever in Egypt the one is called upon
So where from Egypt will he who
who rivaled a nakh-cloth robe from its eastern quarter—
Opposed its east a dress of fringe, mew?
منfrom أينَwhere للقومِfor the people الأولىwho قوَّضواbroke camp
من أينَ للقومِ الأولى قوَّضوا
كذهنكَlike your mind المقتدحstriking sparks الممترخsupple (sense uncertain)
كذهنكَ المقتدح الممترخ
where can those people who broke camp find
Whence for the first people who undermined
a mind like yours, spark-striking and supple [epithet uncertain]?
Your boiling mind like a relaxed bow
هذاso it is; this وفيand among الأقوامِthe peoples ذُوone possessed of قوَّةٍstrength
هذا وفي الأقوامِ ذُو قوَّةٍ
وإنَّماbut only الشيخthe shaykh عديّAdi شيخa shaykh; elder
وإنَّما الشيخ عديّ شيخ
So it is; among the people is one endowed with strength,
This one has power over the people
but only Shaykh Adi is a true shaykh.
And yet the sheikh Adi is just a sheikh
Sol 6.1