سَلِask الحَلَبِيَّthe Aleppine عَنabout حَلَبٍAleppo
سَلِ الحَلَبِيَّ عَن حَلَبٍ
عَنabout تِركانِهِhis leaving حَلَباAleppo
عَن تِركانِهِ حَلَبا
Ask the Aleppine about Aleppo,
Ask the Halabi about Aleppo,
about his leaving Aleppo.
About its Turks, Aleppo,
أَرىI see التَطفيلَfreeloading كَلَّفَهُforced him
أَرى التَطفيلَ كَلَّفَهُ
نُزولَsettling الكَرخِal-Karkh مُغتَرِباas a stranger
نُزولَ الكَرخِ مُغتَرِبا
I see that freeloading forced him
I see Toqan burdened,
to settle in al-Karkh as a stranger.
With the descent of the Karak exiled,
أَلَستَare you not مُخَبِّريtelling me عَنabout حَزsound judgment (حزم begins)
أَلَستَ مُخَبِّري عَن حَز
مِsound judgment (حزم ends) رَأيِكَyour judgment أَيَّةًwhere ذَهَباhas it gone
مِ رَأيِكَ أَيَّةً ذَهَبا
Will you not tell me about the soundness
Are you not informing me of grief,
of your judgment—where has it gone?
In your opinion which went away,
نَسيتَyou forgot المَروَزِيَّal-Marwazi وَيَوand our day (ويومنا begins)
نَسيتَ المَروَزِيَّ وَيَو
مَناour day (يومنا ends) مَعَهُwith him الَّذيwhich اِقتُضِباwas cut short
مَنا مَعَهُ الَّذي اِقتُضِبا
You forgot al-Marwazi and our day
You forgot Marouzi and the day,
with him, which was cut short.
We spent with him which was plucked,
وَقَدand indeed ذَبَحَhe slaughtered الدَجاجَthe hens لَناfor us
وَقَد ذَبَحَ الدَجاجَ لَنا
فَأَمسىso became ديكُهُhis rooster عَزَباa bachelor
فَأَمسى ديكُهُ عَزَبا
He had slaughtered the hens for us,
When he slaughtered chickens for us,
so his rooster ended up a bachelor.
So his rooster became a widower,
هَلُمُّcome نُكافِهِlet us repay him عَمّاfor what اِبـhe sought (ابتغى begins)
هَلُمُّ نُكافِهِ عَمّا اِبـ
ـتَغىhe sought (ابتغى ends) فيناin us وَماand what اِحتَسَباhe hoped to earn
ـتَغى فينا وَما اِحتَسَبا
Come, let us repay him for what
Let's repay him for what he,
he sought in us and what he hoped for,
Aspired among us and what he gained,
بِشِعرِكَwith your poetry إِنَّهُindeed it ضَمَدٌa partial payment
بِشِعرِكَ إِنَّهُ ضَمَدٌ
مِنَof الحَقِّthe rightful due الَّذيthat وَجَباbecame obligatory
مِنَ الحَقِّ الَّذي وَجَبا
with your verse: it is a partial payment
With your poetry, it is a cure,
toward the rightful debt now due.
Of the truth which became obligatory,
أَلَمdid ... not? يوسِعكَhe provides you amply مِنwith غُرَفٍhelpings
أَلَم يوسِعكَ مِن غُرَفٍ
تَخالُyou imagine جِفانَهاtheir serving bowls جُوَباpits
تَخالُ جِفانَها جُوَبا
Did he not lavish helpings on you,
Did the rooms not give you space,
from bowls you thought were pits?
You imagine their walls as deserts,
وَقَدand indeed شَمَّرتَyou rolled up your sleeves عَنin جِدٍّearnestness
وَقَد شَمَّرتَ عَن جِدٍّ
كَأَنَّكَas though you مُشعَرٌclothed غَضَباin anger
كَأَنَّكَ مُشعَرٌ غَضَبا
And you rolled up your sleeves in earnest,
And you have pushed up your sleeves,
as though you were clothed in anger.
As if you are an angry poet,
إِذاwhenever أَمعَنتَyou went all out فيon لَونٍa dish
إِذا أَمعَنتَ في لَونٍ
رَأَيناwe saw النارَfire وَالحَطَباand firewood
رَأَينا النارَ وَالحَطَبا
Whenever you set upon a dish,
If you contemplate a color,
we saw fire and firewood.
We see the fire and the wood,
وَإِنand if لَجلَجتَyou spluttered عَنfrom غَصَصٍchoking fits
وَإِن لَجلَجتَ عَن غَصَصٍ
دَعَوناwe cried out الوَيلَwoe وَالحَرَباand ruin
دَعَونا الوَيلَ وَالحَرَبا
And if you spluttered from choking,
And if you complain of sorrows,
we cried out, “Woe! Ruin!”
We called the woe and the war,
وَخِفناand we feared أَنthat يَكونَwould be المَوdeath (الموت begins)
وَخِفنا أَن يَكونَ المَو
تُdeath (الموت ends) قَدalready فاجاكَhad surprised you أَوor كَرَباhad drawn near
تُ قَد فاجاكَ أَو كَرَبا
And we feared that death
And we feared that death,
had caught you unawares, or nearly had.
Had surprised you or anxiety,
وَشُربُكَand your drinking مِنof نَبيذِwine التَمـthe dates (التمر begins)
وَشُربُكَ مِن نَبيذِ التَمـ
ـرِdates (التمر ends) تَنقُلُyou snack on بَعدَهُafter it الرُطَباfresh ripe dates
ـرِ تَنقُلُ بَعدَهُ الرُطَبا
And your drinking of date wine,
And your drinking of the juice of dates,
then snacking on fresh dates afterward—
Takes you after it to the fresh,
مَحاسِنُfine qualities لَوif تُرىwere seen بِالشاin al-Sham (بالشام begins)
مَحاسِنُ لَو تُرى بِالشا
مِal-Sham (الشام ends) كَبَّرَwould proclaim God's greatness أَهلُهاits people عَجَباin wonder
مِ كَبَّرَ أَهلُها عَجَبا
fine qualities! Were they seen in al-Sham,
The beauties, if seen in Damascus,
its people would cry “God is great!” in wonder.
Its people magnified astonishment,
أَتَرقُدُdo you sleep? عَنheedless of ثَلاثَتِكَyour three الـwhich (التي begins)
أَتَرقُدُ عَن ثَلاثَتِكَ الـ
ـلَتيwhich (التي ends) أَهمَلتَهاyou neglected them لَعِباfor sport
ـلَتي أَهمَلتَها لَعِبا
Do you sleep, heedless of your three,
Do you slumber away from your three,
which you have neglected for sport,
Which you neglected playing,
وَفيهاand in them ماwhat تَرُدُّyou ward off بِهِwith it الـthe (الظماء begins)
وَفيها ما تَرُدُّ بِهِ الـ
ـظَماءَthirst (الظماء ends) وَتُذهِبُand you dispel السَغَباhunger
ـظَماءَ وَتُذهِبُ السَغَبا
though they contain what you can use to
In it what turns away the thirsty,
ward off thirst and banish hunger?
And takes away the yearning,
خَساراًwaste مِنكَon your part لاnot عَقلاًgood sense
خَساراً مِنكَ لا عَقلاً
أَتَيتَyou have brought بِهِwith it وَلاnor أَدَباgood manners
أَتَيتَ بِهِ وَلا أَدَبا
A waste on your part: no good sense
Loss from you, not intellect,
have you shown, nor good manners.
Did you bring, nor manners,
Sol 6.1