لَمّاwhen رَأتنِىshe saw me أُمُّUmm (mother of) عَمرٍوʿAmr صَرَفَتturned away
لَمّا رَأتنِى أُمُّ عَمرٍو صَرَفَت
قَدalready بَلَغَتhad brought بِىwith me ذِروَةa peak فَألحَفَتthen pressed relentlessly
قَد بَلَغَت بِى ذِروَة فَألحَفَت
When Umm ʿAmr saw me, she turned away;
When Umm ʿAmr saw me, she turned away.
old age had borne me to its utmost peak and pressed hard,
I had been brought to the limit and pressed relentlessly;
وَابيَضَّand turned white مِنafter بَعدِfollowing السَّوادِblackness الشَّعَفَةthe crown's tuft
وَابيَضَّ مِن بَعدِ السَّوادِ الشَّعَفَة
وَهامَةand a head كَاَنَّهاas though it قَدalready نُتِفَتhad been plucked
وَهامَة كَاَنَّها قَد نُتِفَت
whitening the crown of my head after its blackness,
And the crown's tuft had turned white after blackness,
leaving my head as though its hair had been plucked;
And a head seemed to have been plucked bare.
وَانعاجَتِand bent الاَحناءُthe curved bones حَتَّىuntil احقَوقَفَتbecame hunched
وَانعاجَتِ الاَحناءُ حَتَّى احقَوقَفَت
وَقَحِلَتand grew dry جِلدَتُهُhis skin وَشَظِفَتand grew rough
وَقَحِلَت جِلدَتُهُ وَشَظِفَت
my frame bowed until it hunched into a curve,
And the body's curved bones had bent into a hunch,
and my skin was parched and made rough.
And his skin had dried and grown rough.
وَاَحدَثَتand developed لِيtoward me بِغضَةًaversion وَشَنِفَتand loathed
وَاَحدَثَت لِي بِغضَةً وَشَنِفَت
وَسُرُحand a swift she-camel دَوسَرَةa massive, sturdy one قَدalready شَرَفَتhad grown old
وَسُرُح دَوسَرَة قَد شَرَفَت
She fixed me with a hateful glare and showed aversion.
And she conceived an aversion to me and loathed me.
Then a massive, free-striding she-camel towered high;
And a swift, massive she-camel, already old—
كَلَّفتُهاI made her undertake الدُّلجَةَnight travel حَتَّىuntil اَسدَفَتentered darkness
كَلَّفتُها الدُّلجَةَ حَتَّى اَسدَفَت
حَتَّىuntil اِذاwhen ظَلماؤُهاits darkness تَكَشَّفَتcleared away
حَتَّى اِذا ظَلماؤُها تَكَشَّفَت
I charged her with night travel until the dark deepened,
I made her undertake the night march until she entered darkness,
until, when its blackness lifted
Until, when its darkness lifted
عَنِّىfrom me وَعَنand from صَيهَبَةٍa tawny she-camel قَدalready شَرَفَتhad grown old
عَنِّى وَعَن صَيهَبَةٍ قَد شَرَفَت
عادَتshe returned تُبارِىracing الاَزفَلَىthe whole troop وَاستَأنَفَتand resumed
عادَت تُبارِى الاَزفَلَى وَاستَأنَفَت
from me and from the lofty tawny she-camel,
From me and from an aged tawny she-camel,
she went back to racing the foremost and began anew
She again raced the whole troop and resumed
ذَاwith قَبَلٍa fresh beginning دَيدَنَهاher customary gait فَاَوجَفَتthen sped along
ذَا قَبَلٍ دَيدَنَها فَاَوجَفَت
تَنفِىcasts aside بِرِجلَيهاwith her two hind feet الحَصَىthe pebbles كَماjust as نَفَتcast aside
تَنفِى بِرِجلَيها الحَصَى كَما نَفَت
what had long been her habit, then sped on.
Her customary gait afresh, then sped along.
With her foot she swept the gravel aside, just as
She flings pebbles aside with her two hind feet, as did
اَيدِىhands الصَّارِيفِof the moneychangers وِراقاًsilver coins زُيِّفَتjudged counterfeit
اَيدِى الصَّارِيفِ وِراقاً زُيِّفَت
تَنجِلُهُkicks it out نَجلاًforcefully اِذاwhen تَقَيَّفَتmoved swiftly
تَنجِلُهُ نَجلاً اِذا تَقَيَّفَت
money-changers’ hands cast away silver coins judged false;
Moneychangers' hands with silver coins judged counterfeit.
she flung it far whenever she bounded onward.
She kicks it out forcefully whenever she moves swiftly.
ياO ابنَson of ابيAbu (father of) العاصِىal-ʿAsi اِلَيكَtoward you لَهَفَتyearned in distress
يا ابنَ ابي العاصِى اِلَيكَ لَهَفَت
تَشكُوshe complains اِلَيكَto you سَنَةًa famine year قَدalready جَلَفَتstripped away
تَشكُو اِلَيكَ سَنَةً قَد جَلَفَت
O son of Abū al-ʿĀṣ, toward you she hastened eagerly,
O son of Abu al-ʿAsi, she sought you in distress,
complaining to you of years that stripped away
Complaining to you of a famine year that stripped away
اَموالَناour wealth منfrom اَصلِهاits root وَجَرَّفَتand swept away
اَموالَنا من اَصلِها وَجَرَّفَت
تَرجُوshe hopes for اجتِبارَmending عَظمِهاher bone اِذwhen ازحَفَتshe became exhausted
تَرجُو اجتِبارَ عَظمِها اِذ ازحَفَت
our wealth from its roots and swept it off,
Our wealth from its very root and swept it away.
hoping her broken bone might be mended after she had gone lame.
She hopes her bone will be mended, now that she is spent.
فَامرَعَتso she found rich pasture لَمَّاwhen اِلَيكَtoward you اَهدَفَتshe approached
فَامرَعَت لَمَّا اِلَيكَ اَهدَفَت
اَغَرَّradiant مِثلَlike الشَّمسِthe sun اِذwhen تَشَوَّفَتpeered forth
اَغَرَّ مِثلَ الشَّمسِ اِذ تَشَوَّفَت
She found abundance when she aimed straight for you—
So she found rich pasture when she approached you,
a radiant man, like the sun when it comes into view,
Radiant like the sun when it peers forth,
مِنfrom عِترَةٍa lineage قَدalready كَثُرَتgrew numerous وَشَرُفَتand became noble
مِن عِترَةٍ قَد كَثُرَت وَشَرُفَت
تَنمِىtraces its descent اِلَىto جُرثُومَةٍan ancestral root قَدalready اَشرَفَتtowered
تَنمِى اِلَى جُرثُومَةٍ قَد اَشرَفَت
sprung from a lineage grown numerous and noble,
From a lineage grown numerous and noble,
ascending to an ancestral root that towered
Tracing its descent to a root that towers
عَلَىabove الجَراثِيمِthe ancestral roots الاُلَىthose which وَاِنeven though عَفَتfaded away
عَلَى الجَراثِيمِ الاُلَى وَاِن عَفَت
اَهلَpeople of خِلافاتٍcaliphates وَدينٍand faith قَدalready صَفَتbecame untroubled
اَهلَ خِلافاتٍ وَدينٍ قَد صَفَت
above the earliest roots, though their traces have faded:
Above those ancestral roots, even though they have faded.
a people of caliphates and of a faith made pure.
People of caliphates and faith, now untroubled;
لَهُمfor them رَسَتbecame firmly planted اَوتادُهاtheir stakes وَاستَحصَفَتand grew firm
لَهُم رَسَت اَوتادُها وَاستَحصَفَت
فَالمُلكُso kingship فِيهِمamong them خالِدeverlasting ماas long as هَتَفَتcooed
فَالمُلكُ فِيهِم خالِد ما هَتَفَت
For them its stakes were driven deep and firmly secured;
For them their stakes have settled and grown firm.
so sovereignty among them shall endure as long as
So kingship among them is everlasting, as long as coos
وَرقاءُa gray dove فِىin اَفنانِbranches غِيلٍa thicket اَوor هَفَتfluttered
وَرقاءُ فِى اَفنانِ غِيلٍ اَو هَفَت
مِثلُlike اللُّيُوثِthe lions الحُمسِthe fierce اِذwhen تَغَضَّفَتcrouched
مِثلُ اللُّيُوثِ الحُمسِ اِذ تَغَضَّفَت
a gray dove calls among a thicket’s branches, or beats its wings.
A gray dove in a thicket's boughs, or flutters.
They are like fierce lions when they snatch their prey.
Like fierce lions when they crouch,
وَمَمand one who (probable reading) لَهُhe has فِينَاamong us يَداًa favor قَدalready سَلَفَتwas bestowed earlier
وَمَم لَهُ فِينَا يَداً قَد سَلَفَت
وَكَفُّهُand his hand ماwhat اَتلَفَتهُdestroyed it اَخلَفَتreplaced
وَكَفُّهُ ما اَتلَفَتهُ اَخلَفَت
How many favors of his among us have gone before;
And one who has already done us a kindness;
his palm replaces whatever loss has destroyed.
And his hand restores what the year destroyed.
هِيَit الحَيَاlife-giving rain اِذاwhen السِّنُونَthe years of dearth اَجحَفَتlaid waste
هِيَ الحَيَا اِذا السِّنُونَ اَجحَفَت
وهَبَّتِand blew الرِّيحُthe wind بَليلاًcold and damp وَزَفَتand drove along
وهَبَّتِ الرِّيحُ بَليلاً وَزَفَت
It is life-giving rain when the years deal ruin,
It is life-giving rain when years of dearth lay waste,
when wind rises in the night and races on,
And the wind blows cold and damp, and drives
ثَلجاًsnow وَصُرّاداًand cold clouds لَهُfor it وعَصَفَتand blew fiercely
ثَلجاً وَصُرّاداً لَهُ وعَصَفَت
وَشَدَّبَتand lopped عِضاهَهاits thorn trees وَجَفَّفَتand dried out
وَشَدَّبَت عِضاهَها وَجَفَّفَت
driving snow and bitter cold, and lashes the land,
Snow and its cold clouds, and rages,
pruning its thorn trees and stripping them bare.
And lops the land's thorn trees and dries them out.
Sol 6.1