أَتَتcame جامِعٌJamiʿ يَومَon the day of العُروبَةِʿAruba (Friday) جامِعاًa congregational mosque
أَتَت جامِعٌ يَومَ العُروبَةِ جامِعاً
تَقُصُّrecounting عَلىto الشُهّادِthose present بِالمِصرِin the city أَمرَهاher affair
تَقُصُّ عَلى الشُهّادِ بِالمِصرِ أَمرَها
Jamiʿ came on Friday to a congregational mosque,
recounting her plight to those present in the city.
فَلَوfor if لَمnot يَقومواthey rose ناصِرينَas supporters لِصَوتِهاfor her voice
فَلَو لَم يَقوموا ناصِرينَ لِصَوتِها
لَخِلتُI would have thought سَماءَthe sky of اللَهِGod تُمطِرُrains جَمرَهاits embers
لَخِلتُ سَماءَ اللَهِ تُمطِرُ جَمرَها
Had they not risen in support of her voice,
I would have thought God's sky was raining its embers.
فَهَدّواso they demolished بِناءًa building كانَused to يَأويtake shelter in فِناءَهُits courtyard
فَهَدّوا بِناءً كانَ يَأوي فِناءَهُ
فَواجِرُunchaste women أَلقَتcast off لِلفَواحِشِfor lewd acts خُمرَهاtheir veils
فَواجِرُ أَلقَت لِلفَواحِشِ خُمرَها
So they demolished a building whose courtyard sheltered
unchaste women who had cast off their veils for lewd deeds.
وَزامِرَةٍand a woman piper لَيسَتwas not مِنَamong الرُبدِthe gray ostriches خَضَّبَتdyed
وَزامِرَةٍ لَيسَت مِنَ الرُبدِ خَضَّبَت
يَدَيهاher hands وَرِجلَيهاand her feet تُنَفِّقُmakes marketable زَمرَهاher piping
يَدَيها وَرِجلَيها تُنَفِّقُ زَمرَها
And a woman piper—not one of the gray ostriches—had dyed
her hands and feet to make her piping sell.
أَلِفناwe grew accustomed to بِلادَthe lands of الشامِal-Sham إِلَفَthe familiarity of وِلادَةٍbirth
أَلِفنا بِلادَ الشامِ إِلَفَ وِلادَةٍ
نُلاقيwe encounter بِهاthere سودَblack الخُطوبِcalamities وَحُمرَهاand their red ones
نُلاقي بِها سودَ الخُطوبِ وَحُمرَها
We know the lands of al-Sham with a native's familiarity,
meeting there calamities both black and red.
فَطَوراًso at times نُداريwe placate مِنfrom سُبَيعَةَSubayʿa لَيثَهاher lion (Laith)
فَطَوراً نُداري مِن سُبَيعَةَ لَيثَها
وَحيناًand at times نُصاديwe coax مِنfrom رَبيعَةَRabiʿa نِمرَهاher leopard (Nimr)
وَحيناً نُصادي مِن رَبيعَةَ نِمرَها
At times we placate Subayʿa's Laith, her lion,
and at times we coax Rabiʿa's Nimr, her leopard.
أَلَيسَhas not تَميمٌTamim غَيَّرَaltered الدَهرُTime سَعدَهاher Saʿd (good fortune)
أَلَيسَ تَميمٌ غَيَّرَ الدَهرُ سَعدَها
أَلَيسَhas not زَبيدٌZabid أَهلَكَdestroyed الدَهرُTime عَمرَهاher ʿAmr (life)
أَلَيسَ زَبيدٌ أَهلَكَ الدَهرُ عَمرَها
Has not Time altered Tamim's Saʿd, her good fortune?
Has not Time destroyed Zabid's ʿAmr, her life?
وَدِدتُI wished بِأَنّيthat I فيin عِمايَةَʿImaya فارِدٌalone
وَدِدتُ بِأَنّي في عِمايَةَ فارِدٌ
تُعاشِرُنيkeep me company الأَروىthe mountain goats فَأَكرَهُso I dislike قُمرَهاits pale wild asses
تُعاشِرُني الأَروى فَأَكرَهُ قُمرَها
I wish I were alone in ʿImaya,
with mountain goats keeping me company, so I would dislike its pale wild asses.
أَفِرُّI flee مِنَfrom الطَغوىtyranny إِلىto كُلِّevery قَفرَةٍwilderness
أَفِرُّ مِنَ الطَغوى إِلى كُلِّ قَفرَةٍ
أُؤانِسُI befriend طَغياهاits wild cattle وَآلَفُand grow accustomed to قُمرَهاits pale wild asses
أُؤانِسُ طَغياها وَآلَفُ قُمرَها
I flee tyranny into every wilderness,
befriending its wild cattle and growing accustomed to its pale wild asses.
فَإِنّيfor I أَرىsee الآفاقَthe horizons دانَتhave submitted لِظالِمٍto a tyrant
فَإِنّي أَرى الآفاقَ دانَت لِظالِمٍ
يَغُرُّdeceives بَغاياهاtheir harlots وَيَشرَبُand drinks خَمرَهاtheir wine
يَغُرُّ بَغاياها وَيَشرَبُ خَمرَها
For I see the horizons have submitted to a tyrant
who deceives their harlots and drinks their wine.
وَلَوand if كانَتِwere الدُنياthe world مِنَamong الإِنسِhumankind لَمnot تَكُنit would be
وَلَو كانَتِ الدُنيا مِنَ الإِنسِ لَم تَكُن
سِوىexcept مومِسٍa harlot أَفنَتsquandered بِماthrough what ساءَwas evil عُمرَهاher lifetime
سِوى مومِسٍ أَفنَت بِما ساءَ عُمرَها
And if the world were human, it would be nothing
but a harlot who had squandered her life in evil.
تَدينُshe submits لِمَجدودٍto a fortunate man وَإِنand even if باتَspends the night غَيرُهُanother besides him
تَدينُ لِمَجدودٍ وَإِن باتَ غَيرُهُ
يَهُزُّbrandishes لَهاfor her بيضَwhite swords الحُروبِwars وَسُمرَهاand their brown spears
يَهُزُّ لَها بيضَ الحُروبِ وَسُمرَها
She submits to a fortunate man, though another may spend the night
brandishing for her the white swords and brown spears of war.
وَماand not العَيشُlife إِلّاexcept لُجَّةٌa deep sea باطِلِيَّةٌfathomless
وَما العَيشُ إِلّا لُجَّةٌ باطِلِيَّةٌ
وَمَنand whoever بَلَغَreaches الخَمسينَfifty جاوَزَhas crossed غَمرَهاits depths
وَمَن بَلَغَ الخَمسينَ جاوَزَ غَمرَها
And life is nothing but a fathomless sea,
and whoever reaches fifty has crossed its depths.
وَماand never زالَتِceased الأَقدارُthe fates تَترُكُto leave ذاone possessed of النُهىreason
وَما زالَتِ الأَقدارُ تَترُكُ ذا النُهى
عَديماًdestitute وَتُعطيand give مُنيَةَthe desire of النَفسِthe soul غَمرَهاtheir fool
عَديماً وَتُعطي مُنيَةَ النَفسِ غَمرَها
And the fates have never ceased to leave the man of reason
destitute, while granting their fool his heart's desire.
إِذاwhen يَسَّرَeases اللَهُGod الخُطوبَcalamities فَكَمthen how many يَدٍa hand
إِذا يَسَّرَ اللَهُ الخُطوبَ فَكَم يَدٍ
وَإِنand even if قَصُرَتit is short تَجنيgathers مِنَfrom الصابِbitter spurge تَمرَهاits dates
وَإِن قَصُرَت تَجني مِنَ الصابِ تَمرَها
When God eases calamities, how many a hand,
though short, gathers its dates from bitter spurge!
وَلَولاand were it not for أُصولٌancestral roots فيin الجِيادِnoble steeds كَوامِنٌlying hidden
وَلَولا أُصولٌ في الجِيادِ كَوامِنٌ
لَماwould not آبَتِhave returned الفُرسانُthe horsemen تَحمَدُpraising ضَمرَهاtheir lean mounts
لَما آبَتِ الفُرسانُ تَحمَدُ ضَمرَها
And were it not for ancestral roots latent in noble steeds,
horsemen would not return praising their lean mounts.
Sol 6.1