تلوم جودي لبرمة الطفشيل — أبو شراعة

تَلومُ جودي لِبُرمَةِ الطَفشيلِ

وَاِستَهِلّي فَالصَبرُ غَيرُ جَميلُ

Talum, weep freely for the pot of tafshil,

And weep aloud, for patience is unbecoming.

فَجَعَتني بِها يَدٌ لَم تَدَع لِلذَرِّ

في صَحنِ قِدرِها مِن مَقيلِ

A hand bereaved me of it, leaving not even the tiny ants

A resting place in the hollow of its pot.

كانَ وَاللَهِ لَحمُها مِن فَصيلٍ

رائِعٍ يَرتَعي كَريمَ البُقولِ

Its meat, by God, came from a weaned camel-calf,

A splendid one that grazed on choice greens.

فَخَلَطنا بِلَحمِهِ عَدَسَ الشامِ

إِلى حِمِّصٍ لَنا مَبلولِ

So we mixed lentils from al-Sham with its meat,

Along with our soaked chickpeas.

فَأَتَتنا كَأَنَّها رَوضَةٌ بِالحَزنِ

تَدعو الجيرانَ لِلتَطفيلِ

Then it came to us like a meadow on rugged ground,

Calling the neighbors to freeload.

ثُمَّ أَكفَأتُ فَوقَها جَفنَةَ الحَيِّ

وَعَلَّقتُ صَحفَتي في زَبيلِ

Then I overturned the clan's large serving bowl over it,

And hung my bowl in a woven basket.

فَمَنى اللَهُ لي بِفَظٍّ غَليظٍ

ما أَراهُ يُقِرُّ بِالتَنزيلِ

Then God afflicted me with a rude, brutish fellow,

Who, I think, does not believe in the Revelation.

فَاِنتَحى دائِباً يُدَبِّلُ مِنها

قُلتُ إِنَّ الثَريدَ لِلتَدبيلِ

Then he set to work, tirelessly taking huge mouthfuls from it.

I said, 'Tharid is indeed meant for huge mouthfuls.'

فَتَغَنّى صَوتاً لِيوضِحَ عِندي

حَيِّ أُمَّ العَلاءِ قَبلَ الرَحيلِ

Then he sang a song to make it clear to me:

'Greet Umm al-Ala before departure.'