لَعَمريby my life لَقَدindeed سَلَّمتُI offered a greeting لَوif only أَنَّthat جِثوَةًa mound
لَعَمري لَقَد سَلَّمتُ لَو أَنَّ جِثوَةً
عَلىupon جَدَثٍa grave رَدَّreturned السَلامَthe greeting كَلامُهاits speech
عَلى جَدَثٍ رَدَّ السَلامَ كَلامُها
By my life, I offered a greeting—if only a mound
By my life! If a corpse
upon a grave could return the greeting with its speech.
In its grave returned a greeting, I would have accepted it as speech.
فَهَوَّنَso eased وَجديmy grief أَنَّthat كُلَّevery أَبيfather of اِمرِئٍa man
فَهَوَّنَ وَجدي أَنَّ كُلَّ أَبي اِمرِئٍ
سَيُثكَلُwill be bereaved أَوor يَلقاهُmeets him مِنهاfrom it لِزامُهاits inescapable fate
سَيُثكَلُ أَو يَلقاهُ مِنها لِزامُها
So my grief was eased by knowing that every man's father
So it consoled my sorrow that every part
will be bereaved, or met by death's inescapable claim.
Of my father will either decay or be bound by it.
وَقَدand indeed خانَbetrayed ماwhat بَينيbetween me وَبَينَand between مُحَمَّدٍMuhammad
وَقَد خانَ ما بَيني وَبَينَ مُحَمَّدٍ
لَيالٍnights وَأَيّامٌand days تَناءىgrew distant اِلتِئامُهاtheir reunion
لَيالٍ وَأَيّامٌ تَناءى اِلتِئامُها
And the bond between me and Muhammad has been betrayed
The nights and days between me and Muhammad
by nights and days whose reunion has grown distant,
Have failed in their connection and gathering.
كَماjust as خانَbetrayed دَلوَthe bucket of القَومِthe people إِذwhen يُستَقىwater is drawn بِهاwith it
كَما خانَ دَلوَ القَومِ إِذ يُستَقى بِها
مِنَfrom الماءِthe water مِنfrom مَتنِthe body of الرِشاءِthe well-rope اِنجِذامُهاits breaking off
مِنَ الماءِ مِن مَتنِ الرِشاءِ اِنجِذامُها
as the people's bucket is betrayed, when used to draw
As the people's bucket failed while being drawn
water, by its severing from the body of the well-rope.
From the water, splintering from the rope's strain.
وَقَدand indeed تَرَكَleft الأَيّامُthe days ليfor me بَعدَafter صاحِبيmy companion
وَقَد تَرَكَ الأَيّامُ لي بَعدَ صاحِبي
إِذاwhen أَظلَمَتdarkness falls عَيناًan eye طَويلاًlong سِجامُهاits tear-flow
إِذا أَظلَمَت عَيناً طَويلاً سِجامُها
And after my companion's passing, the days have left me
The days after my companion left me
an eye whose tears stream long when darkness falls.
Seem to jab my eyes whenever they darken.
كَأَنَّas though دَلوحاًa rain-laden cloud تُرتَقىis borne upward فيin صُعودِهاits ascent
كَأَنَّ دَلوحاً تُرتَقى في صُعودِها
يُصيبُstrikes مَسيلَيthe two tear-channels of مُقلَتَيَّmy two eyes سِلامُهاits hailstones
يُصيبُ مَسيلَي مُقلَتَيَّ سِلامُها
As though a rain-laden cloud, borne upward in its ascent,
As if a bucket pulled up in its climbing
were striking the tear-channels of my eyes with its hailstones;
Hits and wounds the veins of my tear ducts.
عَلىupon حُرِّthe smooth surface of خَدّيmy cheek مِنfrom يَدَيthe two hands of ثَقَفِيَّةٍa Thaqafi woman
عَلى حُرِّ خَدّي مِن يَدَي ثَقَفِيَّةٍ
تَناثَرَscattered مِنfrom إِنسانِthe pupil of عَينيmy eye نِظامُهاher strung beads
تَناثَرَ مِن إِنسانِ عَيني نِظامُها
upon my smooth cheek, from a Thaqafi woman's hands,
On my hot cheek the hand of a Thaqif woman threw
her strung beads have scattered from the pupil of my eye.
The organization of my eye's vision into disarray.
لَعَمريby my life لَقَدindeed عَوَّرتُI filled in فَوقَover مُحَمَّدٍMuhammad
لَعَمري لَقَد عَوَّرتُ فَوقَ مُحَمَّدٍ
قَليباًa well بِهِwith him عَنّاaway from us طَويلاًlong مَقامُهاits stay
قَليباً بِهِ عَنّا طَويلاً مَقامُها
By my life, I have filled in over Muhammad
By my life! For Muhammad I distorted
a well that will long remain with him, far from us,
My heart, keeping it from him for so long.
شَآمِيَّةًof al-Sham غَبراءَdust-gray لاno غولَdoom غَيرُهاother than it
شَآمِيَّةً غَبراءَ لا غولَ غَيرُها
إِلَيهاto it مِنَfrom الدُنياthis world الغَرورِdeceitful اِنصِرامُهاits ending
إِلَيها مِنَ الدُنيا الغَرورِ اِنصِرامُها
a dust-gray pit in al-Sham—no other doom but it;
A Syrian woman, dusty, no other ghoul but her,
to it leads the ending of this beguiling world.
Drawing herself away from the world’s vanities.
فَلِلَّهِso to God belongs ماwhat اِستَودَعتُمُyou entrusted قَعرَthe bottom of هُوَّةٍa deep pit
فَلِلَّهِ ما اِستَودَعتُمُ قَعرَ هُوَّةٍ
وَمِنand on دونِهِthis side of him أَرجاؤُهاits sides وَهِيامُهاand its loose sand
وَمِن دونِهِ أَرجاؤُها وَهِيامُها
So to God belongs what you entrusted to the bottom of a deep pit,
By God, how I entrusted the bottom of a valley,
with its sides and loose sand between us and him,
And below it, its depths and precipices!
بِغورِيَّةِin the lowlands of الشَأمِal-Sham الَّتيwhich قَدindeed تَحُلُّهاinhabit it
بِغورِيَّةِ الشَأمِ الَّتي قَد تَحُلُّها
تَنوخُTanukh وَلَخمٌand Lakhm أَهلُهاits people وَجُذامُهاand its Judham
تَنوخُ وَلَخمٌ أَهلُها وَجُذامُها
in the lowlands of al-Sham, where there dwell
In Ghouriya of Damascus, which Tanihk
Tanukh and Lakhm, its people, and Judham.
And Lakhm inhabit, its people stricken with leprosy.
وَقَدand indeed حَلَّsettled in داراًa dwelling عَنaway from بَنيهِhis sons مُحَمَّدٌMuhammad
وَقَد حَلَّ داراً عَن بَنيهِ مُحَمَّدٌ
بَطيئاًslow لِمَنfor whoever يَرجوhopes for اللِقاءَreunion لِمامُهاa visit to it
بَطيئاً لِمَن يَرجو اللِقاءَ لِمامُها
And Muhammad has settled in a dwelling apart from his sons,
Muhammad has moved away from his sons
a visit to which is long delayed for one who hopes for reunion.
Slow for one who hopes for reunion’s conclusion.
وَماand not مِنany فِراقٍparting غَيرَexcept حَيثُwhere رِكابُناour riding camels
وَما مِن فِراقٍ غَيرَ حَيثُ رِكابُنا
عَلىat القَبرِthe grave مَحبوسٌheld back عَلَيناfor us قِيامُهاtheir standing
عَلى القَبرِ مَحبوسٌ عَلَينا قِيامُها
And there is no parting except where our riding camels
No separation but where our mounts
are kept standing for us beside the grave,
Are stabled at his tomb, rising over us.
تُناديهِcalls to him تَرجوhopes أَنthat يُجيبَhe answers وَقَدand already أَتىhas come
تُناديهِ تَرجو أَن يُجيبَ وَقَد أَتى
مِنَfrom الأَرضِthe earth أَنضادٌpiled layers عَلَيهِupon him سِلامُهاits stones
مِنَ الأَرضِ أَنضادٌ عَلَيهِ سِلامُها
calling to him, hoping he will answer, though already
It calls to him, hoping he will answer, and yet
the earth's stones lie over him in layers.
There has come from the earth a barrier to its greeting.
وَقَدand indeed كانَthere were مِمّاamong what فيin خَليلَيmy dear friend مُحَمَّدٍMuhammad
وَقَد كانَ مِمّا في خَليلَي مُحَمَّدٍ
شَمائِلُtraits لاnot يُخشىis feared عَلىfor الجارِthe neighbor ذامُهاtheir faults
شَمائِلُ لا يُخشى عَلى الجارِ ذامُها
And among what my dear friend Muhammad possessed
Among what was in my friend Muhammad
were traits whose faults no neighbor need fear.
Were traits from which no neighbor had to fear harm.
Sol 6.1