ياO روضةًmeadow صاغfashioned لهاfor it
يا روضةً صاغ لها
حُلِيَّهاits jewels الأشراطُthe rain-stars
حُلِيَّها الأشراطُ
O meadow, for which were fashioned
O garden crafted for it
its jewels by the rain-stars!
Its ornaments the first rains
خيطتْwere sewn عليهاupon it حُللٌrobes
خيطتْ عليها حُللٌ
ماnot خاطهاsewed them خيَّاطa tailor
ما خاطها خيَّاط
Robes were sewn upon it
Woven onto it are robes
that no tailor sewed.
Not sewn by a tailor
فبعضُهاso some of them مَطارفٌbordered cloaks
فبعضُها مَطارفٌ
وبَعْصُهاand some of them أَنماطpatterned rugs
وبَعْصُها أَنماط
So some were bordered cloaks,
Some are head covers
and some were patterned rugs.
Others are patterns
كأنماas though غُدرانُهاits pools
كأنما غُدرانُها
منfrom حولهاaround it رِياطlinen sheets
من حولها رِياط
As though its pools
As if its pearls
all around it were linen sheets.
Are winds around it
الوحشُthe wild beasts فيin أرجائهاits reaches
الوحشُ في أرجائها
قبائلٌtribes أَخلاطmixed groups
قبائلٌ أَخلاط
The wild beasts in its reaches
The wilderness in its corners
were tribes of mingled kinds.
Tribes of mixed folk
وافتthey came كماjust as وافتcame غداmorning (first part)
وافت كما وافت غدا
ةَending of 'morning' عيدهاtheir feast الأنباطthe Nabataeans
ةَ عيدها الأنباط
They came, as came on the morning
They came to it as they did tomorrow
of their feast the Nabataeans,
To its Eid, the Anbat
أوor كرجالِlike the men of فارسٍPersia
أو كرجالِ فارسٍ
ضمَّهمُgathered them ساباطSābāṭ
ضمَّهمُ ساباط
or like the men of Persia,
Or like Persian men
whom Sābāṭ gathered together:
Brought together by Sabaṭ
قَناطرٌarches منof سَبَجٍjet
قَناطرٌ من سَبَجٍ
أَحكمهperfected it الخرَّاطthe turner
أَحكمه الخرَّاط
arches of jet,
Aqueducts of tin
perfected by the turner,
Made firm by the potter
ومتَّقٍand one shielding itself بمئبَرٍwith a needle
ومتَّقٍ بمئبَرٍ
كأنَّهas though it خيَّاطa tailor
كأنَّه خيَّاط
and one shielding itself with a needle,
And a pulpit of teak
as though it were a tailor.
As if made by a tailor
غادَيتُهاI visited it early ولمand not يُقِمraised
غادَيتُها ولم يُقِم
أَعلامَهُits banners الغَطاطdim dawn
أَعلامَهُ الغَطاط
I visited it early, before
I left it and no banners remained
dim dawn had raised its banners,
Erected by al-Ghaṭṭāṭ
بأكلبٍwith hounds لوif لمnot تَطِرthey flew
بأكلبٍ لو لم تَطِر
أَطارَهاmade them fly النَّشَاطeagerness
أَطارَها النَّشَاط
with hounds that, were they not flying,
With dogs, if they did not hunt
eagerness would make them fly.
Hunting would activate them
فيin ساعةٍan hour لأدمُعfor the tears of الthe
في ساعةٍ لأدمُع ال
حُزنsorrow بهاin it انحِطاطُa falling
حُزن بها انحِطاطُ
At an hour when the tears of
In an hour I do not weep
sorrow were falling there,
Sadness diminished in it
تُمَدُّare drawn across طوراًat times سُجفَهاits curtains
تُمَدُّ طوراً سُجفَها
وتارةًand sometimes تُماطare drawn aside
وتارةً تُماط
its curtains were sometimes drawn across,
It extends barren at times
and sometimes drawn aside.
At others it is folded
فجئنَthen they came والطلُّand the dew علىupon
فجئنَ والطلُّ على
آذانهاtheir ears أَقراطearrings
آذانها أَقراط
Then they came, with dew upon
We came while the shadow was
their ears as earrings.
On its ears like earrings
قدalready نَحِفتhad grown thin أوساطُهاtheir waists
قد نَحِفت أوساطُها
فماso not لهاfor them أوساطwaists
فما لها أوساط
Their waists had grown thin,
Its middles had slimed
so they had no waists at all.
It has no middles
تضحكthey grin عنrevealing مثلthe likes of المُدىthe knives
تضحك عن مثل المُدى
فضحكهاso their grinning اختلاطfrenzy
فضحكها اختلاط
They grinned, baring the likes of knives;
It laughs at the likes of extent
their grinning was frenzy.
Its laughter mixed up
حتىuntil إذاwhen انشقَّsplit open لهاfor them
حتى إذا انشقَّ لها
منfrom فجرهاtheir dawn سراطa path
من فجرها سراط
Until, when there opened for them
Until the dawn ripped for it
from their dawn a path,
A piece of its veil
وكادتand almost الشمسُthe sun بأطat the edges (first part)
وكادت الشمسُ بأط
رافِending of 'edges' الدُّجىthe darkness تُناطis suspended
رافِ الدُّجى تُناط
and the sun was almost, at the edges
And the sun with the edges
of darkness, suspended,
Of darkness clothed
انبسطتthey stretched out كالشهبlike meteors لاnot
انبسطت كالشهب لا
يُعجِزهاexhausts them انبساطstretching out
يُعجِزها انبساط
they stretched out like meteors; no
It spread like a meteor
stretching could exhaust them.
Unhindered in its extent
كأنماas though الأكفُّthe paws فيin
كأنما الأكفُّ في
رؤوسهاtheir heads أمشاطcombs
رؤوسها أمشاط
As though the paws upon
As if palms were in
their heads were combs,
Its tops like combs
كأنماas though تَقتتلare battling الthe
كأنما تَقتتل ال
أرجلُlegs والآباطand the armpits
أرجلُ والآباط
as though battling were the
As if feet and marshlands
legs and the armpits.
Were fighting each other
فطفقتْthen they set about والوحشُand the wild beasts فيin
فطفقتْ والوحشُ في
مجالهاtheir arena بساطa carpet
مجالها بساط
Then they set to work, with the wild beasts in
So it began, and the wildlife in
their arena spread like a carpet.
Its expanse a carpet
هذاthis one لذاfor that one عقالٌa fetter
هذا لذا عقالٌ
وذاand that one لذاfor that one رباطa tether
وذا لذا رباط
This one was a fetter for that one,
This for that a tether
and that one a tether for that one.
That for that a knot
نِيطَتْwas fastened بهاto them داهيةٌa calamity
نِيطَتْ بها داهيةٌ
مَسكنهاits dwelling النِّياطthe heartstring
مَسكنها النِّياط
A calamity was fastened to them,
Tied to it, a black snake
its dwelling the heartstring.
Whose home is bundles
صرْعىslain تُشَقُّare torn قُمْصُهاtheir shirts
صرْعى تُشَقُّ قُمْصُها
عَنْهاoff them ولاand not تُخاطare sewn
عَنْها ولا تُخاط
Slain, their shirts were torn
A lifeless body whose shirt
off them, and not sewn up.
Is ripped from it, unsewn
Sol 6.1