أَرمىa surer archer وَجَدِّكَby your fortune مِنthan راميthe archer of بَنيthe sons of ثُعَلٍThuʿal
أَرمى وَجَدِّكَ مِن رامي بَني ثُعَلٍ
حَتفٌdeath لَدَيهِbefore it إِزاءُthe inlet of الحَوضِthe watering trough وَالعُقُرُand the rear
حَتفٌ لَدَيهِ إِزاءُ الحَوضِ وَالعُقُرُ
A surer archer, by your fortune, than the archer of Banū Thuʿal
The skills of your archers, O tribe of Tha'labah,
is death; the trough’s inlet and rear both lie before it.
Are shields against which the water troughs and ewes huddle.
يَغشاهُمُovertakes them الكُرهُhardship فيin الدُنياthis world فَآدِبُهُمso their feast-giver
يَغشاهُمُ الكُرهُ في الدُنيا فَآدِبُهُم
مِنهُof it كَآدِبِlike the feast-giver of قَيسٍQays لَيسَdoes not يَنتَقِرُinvite selectively
مِنهُ كَآدِبِ قَيسٍ لَيسَ يَنتَقِرُ
Hardship assails them in this world; the one who invites them
They attack the enemies with loathing in this life, so they discipline them,
to its feast is like Qays’s host: he invites without distinction.
Disciplining them as Qays disciplined those who would not make amends.
إِنif عُوِّضواthey are recompensed بِذُنوبٍfor sins أُسلِفَتcommitted beforehand سَقَراًSaqar (Hell)
إِن عُوِّضوا بِذُنوبٍ أُسلِفَت سَقَراً
فَلَمthen did not تَرُمهُمseek them out عَلىdespite عِلّاتِهاits afflictions سَقَرُSaqar (Hell)
فَلَم تَرُمهُم عَلى عِلّاتِها سَقَرُ
If they are repaid with Saqar for sins committed before,
If they are requited for sins which earned them Hellfire,
then Saqar, for all its afflictions, has not sought them out.
Hellfire does not pity them for their sins.
أَغناهُمُmade them wealthy اللَهُGod مِنwith مالٍwealth وَأَفقَرَهُمand made them poor
أَغناهُمُ اللَهُ مِن مالٍ وَأَفقَرَهُم
مِنَin الرَشادِright guidance فَماso not اِستَغنَواthey became rich بَلrather اِفتَقَرواthey became poor
مِنَ الرَشادِ فَما اِستَغنَوا بَل اِفتَقَروا
God enriched them with wealth and impoverished them
God enriched them with wealth but impoverished them
in right guidance; so they grew not rich, but poor.
Of guidance, so they did not become independent, but rather grew dependent.
وَيَحقِرونَand they despise أَخاa man afflicted with الإِعدامِdestitution بَينَهُمُamong them
وَيَحقِرونَ أَخا الإِعدامِ بَينَهُمُ
وَإِنَّand indeed أَفضَلَbetter مِنهُمthan them لِلَّذيsurely the one whom اِحتَقَرواthey despised
وَإِنَّ أَفضَلَ مِنهُم لِلَّذي اِحتَقَروا
And they despise the destitute man among them,
They look down on the brother of death among them,
yet the one they despised is surely better than they.
Yet the one they look down upon is better than them.
كَأَنَّماas though العَمرُlife سِلكٌa thread مَدَّهُstretched it قَدَرٌfate
كَأَنَّما العَمرُ سِلكٌ مَدَّهُ قَدَرٌ
فيهِon it الفَواقِرُcalamities لاno دُرٌّpearls وَلاand no فِقَرُornamental beads
فيهِ الفَواقِرُ لا دُرٌّ وَلا فِقَرُ
As though life were a thread stretched out by fate,
It is as if lifetime is a path which Fate has extended,
strung with calamities, neither pearls nor beads.
In which there are neither pearls nor poverty.
وَلاجَتِand flared up النارُthe fire كَالشَقراءِlike a chestnut mare يَحبِسُهاholds her back
وَلاجَتِ النارُ كَالشَقراءِ يَحبِسُها
عَنfrom مُهرِهاher foal القَيدُthe tether وَهناًlate at night فَهيَso she لاdoes not تَقِرُsettle
عَن مُهرِها القَيدُ وَهناً فَهيَ لا تَقِرُ
And the fire flared like a chestnut mare, held back
The fire burned fiercely like an unmarried woman
from her foal by a tether late at night, so she cannot settle.
Whom the fetters prevent from her bridewealth, and so she is not still.
بَدَتit appeared بِلَيلٍat night كَعَينِlike the eye of الديكِthe cock عَنfrom شَحطٍa distance
بَدَت بِلَيلٍ كَعَينِ الديكِ عَن شَحطٍ
أَوor عُرفِهَits comb بِمَحَلٍّat a place دَونَهُbefore it أُقَرُhollows
أَو عُرفِهَ بِمَحَلٍّ دَونَهُ أُقَرُ
It appeared at night, from afar, like a cock’s eye,
It appeared at night like the eye of a cock above the rubbish heap,
or its comb, at a spot beyond hollows.
Or like its crest in a place below which is a sheep pen.
يُعاقِرُdrinks avidly الراحَwine شَربٌa company of drinkers حَولَهاaround it سُهُدٌwakeful
يُعاقِرُ الراحَ شَربٌ حَولَها سُهُدٌ
تَرويdrench التُرابَthe dust نَجيعاًwith blood سُوقُthe shanks of ماwhat عَقَرواthey slaughtered
تَروي التُرابَ نَجيعاً سُوقُ ما عَقَروا
A wakeful company of drinkers quaffs wine around it;
The wind makes the departing camels quake around it,
the shanks of the beasts they slaughtered drench the dust with blood.
Shedding tears copiously where they had camped.
Sol 6.1