منwho مبلغٌa messenger يَحيىYahya وَدونَand barring لِقائِهِmeeting him
من مبلغٌ يَحيى وَدونَ لِقائِهِ
زبراتُgrowls كُلِّevery خَنابِسfierce lion همهامِmighty
زبراتُ كُلِّ خَنابِس همهامِ
Who will carry word to Yahya, when meeting him is barred
I am a messenger who revives the memory of his meeting
Who will convey to Yahya, when barring the way to him lie
By the growls of every fierce, mighty lion?
The claws of every ambitious vulture provoke him
The massive shoulders of every roaring, formidable lion?
ياO راعيَshepherd السُلطانsovereign power غَيرَnot مفرّطnegligent
يا راعيَ السُلطان غَيرَ مفرّط
فيin لينtenderness مختبطleaf-fodder وَطيبand sweetness شمامscent
في لين مختبط وَطيب شمام
O shepherd of sovereign power, never remiss
O shepherd of the Sultan, never neglectful
O shepherd of the Sultan, never negligent
In tender forage and sweet scent.
In gentle, interwoven, and fragrant pasture
In gentleness to the petitioner, and fragrant in character,
تَعذىgrow wholesome مسارحهits pastures وَيَصفىand becomes clear شربهits drinking water
تَعذى مسارحه وَيَصفى شربه
وَيَبيتُand it spends the night بالرَبواتon the uplands وَالأَعلامand the heights
وَيَبيتُ بالرَبوات وَالأَعلام
Its pastures grow wholesome, and its drinking water runs clear,
His dwellings prosper and his drink is filtered
His pastures are made wholesome, his waters run clear,
And it spends the night on uplands and heights,
He spends the night in the highlands and flags
And he spends the night vigilant upon the highlands and peaks,
حَتّىuntil تَنخنَخit knelt ضارِباًpressing down بِجرانهwith its neck’s underside
حَتّى تَنخنَخ ضارِباً بِجرانه
وَرستand settled مَراسيهِits anchors بدارin an abode سَلامof peace
وَرست مَراسيهِ بدار سَلام
Until it knelt, pressing its neck to the ground,
Until you coo, striking with your anklets
Until he settled firmly, striking the earth with his weight,
And its anchors held fast in an abode of peace.
And his pole rests in the abode of peace
And his anchors held fast in the Abode of Peace.
فيat كُلِّevery ثغرfrontier حارِسٌa guard منfrom قبلهits side
في كُلِّ ثغر حارِسٌ من قبله
وَشُعاعand a beam طرفof a gaze لاnot يفتّرslackens سامlofty
وَشُعاع طرف لا يفتّر سام
At every frontier, a guard acting on its behalf,
In every valley a guard appointed by him
At every frontier stands a sentinel of his command,
And the beam of a lofty gaze that never slackens.
And a beam of light that does not fade aiming
With a piercing beam of vision that never slackens nor tires.
يَومَthe day خلجتَyou wrenched away عَلىby الخَليجthe canal نُفوسَهُمtheir souls
يَومَ خلجتَ عَلى الخَليج نُفوسَهُم
غضباًin anger وَأَنتَwhile you بمثلهاof their like مستهامenamored
غضباً وَأَنتَ بمثلها مستهام
The day you wrenched their souls away by the canal,
The day you roiled their souls on the gulf
On the day you wrenched away their souls at the Canal,
In anger, though you were enamored of their like.
Angry while they were similarly inclined
In wrath, though you are passionately driven by such deeds,
كانواthey were بَنيsons امّa mother ففرّقso scattered شملَهمtheir unity
كانوا بَني امّ ففرّق شملَهم
عدمُlack العُقولof reason وَخفّةand lightness الأَحلامِof judgment
عدمُ العُقول وَخفّة الأَحلامِ
They were sons of one mother, but their unity was shattered
They were sons of a mother, but lack of reason
They were children of one mother, yet their unity was shattered
By lack of reason and lightness of judgment.
And frivolity of dreams divided them
By the absence of reason and the frivolity of their wits.
Sol 6.1