أَلاAh حَيِّياgreet, you two داراًa dwelling لِأُمِّof the mother of هِشامِHisham
أَلا حَيِّيا داراً لِأُمِّ هِشامِ
وَكَيفَand how تُنادىis hailed دِمنَةٌa ruined campsite بِسَلامِwith peace
وَكَيفَ تُنادى دِمنَةٌ بِسَلامِ
Ah, you two, greet a dwelling of Umm Hisham.
Oh, hail to a house for the mother of Hisham,
And how can a ruined campsite be hailed with peace?
How can a land be called safe with peace?
أَجازِيَةٌcan it repay? بِالوَصلِwith reunion إِذwhen حيلَa barrier was set دونَهُin its way
أَجازِيَةٌ بِالوَصلِ إِذ حيلَ دونَهُ
وَماand not الذِكرُremembrance بَعدَafter اليَأسِdespair غَيرُother than سَقامِsickness
وَما الذِكرُ بَعدَ اليَأسِ غَيرُ سَقامِ
Can it repay with reunion, when the way to it is barred?
Rewarding with union when it was prevented,
And remembrance after despair is nothing but sickness.
What is mention after despair but sickness?
مَحاeffaced عَرَصاتِthe open courts of الدارِthe dwelling بَعدَكَafter you مُلبِسٌan enveloping raincloud
مَحا عَرَصاتِ الدارِ بَعدَكَ مُلبِسٌ
أَهاضيبَtorrential showers رَجّافِthundering العَشِيِّat dusk رُكامِa piled-up cloud-mass
أَهاضيبَ رَجّافِ العَشِيِّ رُكامِ
An enveloping raincloud effaced the dwelling's courts after you,
It erased the courtyards of the house after you,
with torrents from a piled-up mass, thundering at dusk;
Torrents of evening rain accumulating.
وَكُلُّand every سِماكِيٍّraincloud of Simak كَأَنَّas though نَشاصَهُits lofty cloud-mass
وَكُلُّ سِماكِيٍّ كَأَنَّ نَشاصَهُ
إِذاwhen راحَit passed أُصلاًat dusk جافِلاتُfleeing نَعامِostriches
إِذا راحَ أُصلاً جافِلاتُ نَعامِ
and every cloud of Simak, whose lofty mass seemed,
And every bird of prey as if its hunting
as it passed at dusk, like fleeing ostriches.
When the ostriches departed were hooves of ostriches.
تَعَرَّضُshe comes into view بِالمِصرِin the city العِراقِيِّIraqi بَعدَماafter
تَعَرَّضُ بِالمِصرِ العِراقِيِّ بَعدَما
تَقَطَّعَتِwere severed الأَهواءُaffections دونَshort of عِصامِIsam
تَقَطَّعَتِ الأَهواءُ دونَ عِصامِ
She comes into view in the Iraqi city, after
It faces Iraq after desires were cut off,
the ties of love have been severed from Isam.
The aspirations below determination severed.
إِذاwhen ضَحِكَتshe laughed لَمdid not تَنتَهِتgasp وَتَبَسَّمَتand she smiled
إِذا ضَحِكَت لَم تَنتَهِت وَتَبَسَّمَت
بِأَبيَضَwith white teeth لَمdid not تَكدِمgnaw مُتونَthe surfaces of عِظامِbones
بِأَبيَضَ لَم تَكدِم مُتونَ عِظامِ
When she laughs, she does not gasp, but smiles,
When she laughs she does not stop, and when she smiles
with white teeth that have never gnawed the surfaces of bones.
With bright teeth, not blunting the essence of bones.
عَشِيَّةَon the evening رُحناwe set out وَالعُيونُand the eyes كَأَنَّهاas though they were
عَشِيَّةَ رُحنا وَالعُيونُ كَأَنَّها
جَداوِلُstreams سَيلٍfloodwater بِتنَthey spent the night غَيرَnot نِيامِasleep
جَداوِلُ سَيلٍ بِتنَ غَيرَ نِيامِ
That evening we set out, with eyes like
One evening we left while the eyes were as if
streams of floodwater, remaining sleepless all night,
Streams of torrential rain not sleeping.
إِلىto المَلِكِthe king النَفّاحِthe bountiful giver أَهليmy family فِداؤُهُhis ransom
إِلى المَلِكِ النَفّاحِ أَهلي فِداؤُهُ
وَكوريand my saddle وَأَعلاقيand my precious possessions العُلىthe finest وَسَواميand my grazing herds
وَكوري وَأَعلاقي العُلى وَسَوامي
to the bountiful king—may my family be his ransom,
To the loud-voiced king, my family his ransom,
and my saddle, my finest valuables, and my grazing herds.
And my hip bones and high collar bones.
فَلاso do not تُخلِفَنَّever disappoint الظَنَّthe expectation إِنَّكَindeed you وَالنَدىand generosity
فَلا تُخلِفَنَّ الظَنَّ إِنَّكَ وَالنَدى
حَليفاtwo allies صَفاءٍpure friendship فيin مَحَلِّan abode مُقامِresidence
حَليفا صَفاءٍ في مَحَلِّ مُقامِ
So never disappoint my expectations: you and generosity
So do not fail to meet expectation, you and dew
are two allies in pure friendship, sharing one abode.
Are allies of serenity in the place of abode.
نَماكَbred you هِشامٌHisham لِلفِعالِfor noble deeds وَنَوفَلٌand Nawfal
نَماكَ هِشامٌ لِلفِعالِ وَنَوفَلٌ
وَآلُand the house of أَبيthe father of العاصيal-Asi لِخَيرِfor the best of أَنامِmankind
وَآلُ أَبي العاصي لِخَيرِ أَنامِ
Hisham and Nawfal bred you for noble deeds,
Hisham slept for the doer, and Nawfal
and the house of Abu al-Asi, to be the best of mankind.
And the family of Abul 'As for the best of people.
فَأَنتَso you المُرَجّىthe one hoped for مِنamong أُمَيَّةَUmayya كُلِّهاall of it
فَأَنتَ المُرَجّى مِن أُمَيَّةَ كُلِّها
وَتُرفَدُand you are granted حَمداًpraise مِنfor نَدىًgenerosity وَتَمامِand perfection
وَتُرفَدُ حَمداً مِن نَدىً وَتَمامِ
So, of all Umayya, you are the one in whom hopes rest,
So you are hoped for from all of Umayyah,
and praise is bestowed on you for generosity and perfection.
And praised from dew and perfection.
وَإِنّيand indeed I وَإِنand though فَضَّلتُI favored تَغلِبَTaghlib بِالقِرىfor hospitality
وَإِنّي وَإِن فَضَّلتُ تَغلِبَ بِالقِرى
إِذاwhen أَصبَحَتit became غَبراءَdust-gray ذاتَfull of قَتامِdust haze
إِذا أَصبَحَت غَبراءَ ذاتَ قَتامِ
And I, though I have favored Taghlib for hospitality,
And though I preferred Taghlib among towns
when the year turned dust-gray, thick with dust,
When it was dusty, of deep darkness.
وَراعَand hurried إِلىtoward النيرانِthe fires كُلُّevery مُعَصَّبٍa hunger-bound man
وَراعَ إِلى النيرانِ كُلُّ مُعَصَّبٍ
لَمُثنٍsurely one who praises عَلىof بَكرٍBakr بِشَرِّfor the worst أَثامِsin
لَمُثنٍ عَلى بَكرٍ بِشَرِّ أَثامِ
and every hunger-bound man hurried toward the fires,
And every headstrong man inclined to the fires
do indeed 'praise' Bakr for the vilest sin.
Insulting a Bakr for the worst of sins.
إِذاwhen عَلِمَhe learns البَكرِيُّthe man of Bakr أَنَّكَthat you نازِلٌa lodging guest
إِذا عَلِمَ البَكرِيُّ أَنَّكَ نازِلٌ
قَراكَhe hosts you سِباباًinsults دونَinstead of كُلِّany طَعامِfood
قَراكَ سِباباً دونَ كُلِّ طَعامِ
When a man of Bakr learns that you are stopping as a guest,
When the Bakrite knew you had descended,
he serves you insults instead of any food.
He faced you with insults instead of any food.
لَعَمرُكَby your life ماnot قُفّالُreturning travelers بَكرِBakr بنِson of وائِلٍWa'il
لَعَمرُكَ ما قُفّالُ بَكرِ بنِ وائِلٍ
بِراجِعَةٍreturning at all أَعراضُهُمtheir reputations بِسَلامِunharmed
بِراجِعَةٍ أَعراضُهُم بِسَلامِ
By your life, the homeward travelers of Bakr ibn Wa'il will not
By your life, the locks of Bakr ibn Wa'il
bring their reputations back unscathed.
Are not with a returning people, their honor safe.
Sol 6.1