عَجَباًwhat a wonder! لِأَحدَبَat a hunchback فيin دَمَشقَDamascus وَكتبهand his books
عَجَباً لِأَحدَبَ في دَمَشقَ وَكتبه
هُنَّthey الكَتائِبُthe battalions عثنَthey wreaked havoc فيin الحَدباءِal-Hadba (the Hunchbacked)
هُنَّ الكَتائِبُ عثنَ في الحَدباءِ
What a wonder: a hunchback in Damascus and his books!
They are battalions that have wreaked havoc in al-Hadba.
وَكَأَنَّهُand as though he were الزَوراءُal-Zawra (the Crooked) وَالأَقلامُand the pens أَسstart of ‘his arrows’
وَكَأَنَّهُ الزَوراءُ وَالأَقلامُ أَس
همهcompletion of ‘his arrows’ بِهاwith them يفريhe rends كُلىkidneys الزَوراءِal-Zawra (the Crooked)
همه بِها يفري كُلى الزَوراءِ
And he is like al-Zawra; the pens are arrows
of his, with which he rends al-Zawra’s kidneys.
آراؤُهُhis views شُهبُgrey ones البزاةِthe falcons فَسَلso ask بِهاabout them
آراؤُهُ شُهبُ البزاةِ فَسَل بِها
حَلَباًAleppo إِذاwhen اِنقَضَّتthey swoop down عَلىupon الشَهباءِal-Shahba (the Grey)
حَلَباً إِذا اِنقَضَّت عَلى الشَهباءِ
His views are grey falcons; so ask about them
of Aleppo, when they swoop down upon al-Shahba.
فيin نِقسِهِhis ink المسوَدُّthe blackened أَذهبbrought to an end طرسهhis page الthe (continued next line)
في نِقسِهِ المسوَدُّ أَذهب طرسه ال
مبيَضwhitened دَولَةdominion آمِدAmid السَوداءِthe Black
مبيَض دَولَة آمِد السَوداءِ
With his blackened ink, his whitened page has ended
the dominion of Amid the Black.
Sol 6.1