فَإِنّيfor I am كَماas قالَتshe said نَوارُNawar إِنِif اِجتَلَتshe was unveiled
فَإِنّي كَما قالَت نَوارُ إِنِ اِجتَلَت
عَلىbefore رَجُلٍa man ماnot سَدَّfilled كَفَّيthe two palms of خَليلُهاher husband
عَلى رَجُلٍ ما سَدَّ كَفَّي خَليلُها
For I am as Nawar said, should she be unveiled
As Nawar said, if she inclines
before a man who could not fill her husband's two palms.
Toward a man whose friend shuts not his palms from her
وَإِنand if لَمnot تَكُنthere is ليfor me فيin الَّذيwhat قُلتُI said مِرَّةٌfirmness
وَإِن لَم تَكُن لي في الَّذي قُلتُ مِرَّةٌ
فَدُلّيتُthen may I be lowered فيinto غَبراءَa dusty grave يَنهالُcrumbles down جولُهاits sides
فَدُلّيتُ في غَبراءَ يَنهالُ جولُها
And if there is no firmness in what I have said,
And if I spoke not truth that one time
then may I be lowered into a dusty grave whose sides crumble.
Then I was led into a dusty road where its mirages flow
فَماfor not أَناI بِالنائيfar removed فَتُنفىso that it is denied قَرابَتيmy kinship
فَما أَنا بِالنائي فَتُنفى قَرابَتي
وَلاnor باطِلٌvoid حَقّيmy right الَّذيwhich لاnot أُقيلُهاI release her
وَلا باطِلٌ حَقّي الَّذي لا أُقيلُها
For I am not so far removed that my kinship can be denied,
So I’m no outcast to deny my kinship
nor is my right void—the right from which I will not release her.
Nor void my right which I don’t forgo
وَلَكِنَّنيbut I am المَولىthe kinsman الَّذيwho لَيسَthere is no دونَهُnearer than him
وَلَكِنَّني المَولى الَّذي لَيسَ دونَهُ
وَلِيٌّa guardian وَمَولىand a kinsman عُقدَةٌa knot مَنwho يُجيلُهاcan loosen it
وَلِيٌّ وَمَولى عُقدَةٌ مَن يُجيلُها
But I am the kinsman, with no nearer
Rather I’m the Master with none above Him
guardian or kinsman—a knot: who can loosen it?
Protector and Master, a knot none can untie
فَدونَكَهاso deal with her ياO اِبنَson of الزُبَيرِal-Zubayr فَإِنَّهاfor she is
فَدونَكَها يا اِبنَ الزُبَيرِ فَإِنَّها
مُوَلَّعَةٌa compulsive liar يوهيweakens الحِجارَةَthe stones قيلُهاher speech
مُوَلَّعَةٌ يوهي الحِجارَةَ قيلُها
So deal with her, O Ibn al-Zubayr, for she is
So leave her be, O son of Zubayr
a compulsive liar whose speech weakens stones.
For she is infatuated, hurling stones aimlessly
إِذاwhen قَعَدَتshe sits عِندَbefore الإِمامِthe imam كَأَنَّماas though
إِذا قَعَدَت عِندَ الإِمامِ كَأَنَّما
تَرىshe sees رِفقَةًa band of travelers مِنwithin ساعَةٍa moment تَستَحيلُهاshe wins it over
تَرى رِفقَةً مِن ساعَةٍ تَستَحيلُها
When she sits before the imam, it is as though
When she sits by the Imam it's as though
she sees a band of travelers she can win over in a moment.
She sees a group in an hour transformed
وَماand no خاصَمَwrangled with الأَقوامَthe people مِنany ذيpossessor of خُصومَةٍa dispute
وَما خاصَمَ الأَقوامَ مِن ذي خُصومَةٍ
كَوَرهاءَlike a foolish woman مَشنوءٌhated إِلَيهاto her حَليلُهاher husband
كَوَرهاءَ مَشنوءٌ إِلَيها حَليلُها
And no disputant has ever wrangled with people
None disputed people with grievance
like a foolish woman whose husband is hateful to her.
Like a love-sick camel yearning towards her
فَإِنَّfor indeed أَباAbu (father of) بَكرٍBakr إِمامَكِyour imam عالِمٌknowledgeable
فَإِنَّ أَبا بَكرٍ إِمامَكِ عالِمٌ
بِتَأويلِin the interpretation of ماwhat وَصّىenjoined upon العِبادَthe servants رَسولُهاher Messenger
بِتَأويلِ ما وَصّى العِبادَ رَسولُها
For Abu Bakr, your imam, knows
Indeed, your Imam Abu Bakr is a scholar
the interpretation of what her Messenger enjoined upon the servants.
In interpreting what the Messenger enjoined on His servants
وَظَلماءَand a dark night مِنon جَرّاaccount of نَوارٍNawar سَرَيتُهاI traversed it by night
وَظَلماءَ مِن جَرّا نَوارٍ سَرَيتُها
وَهاجِرَةٍand a scorching noontide دَوِّيَّةٍof the wilderness ماnot أُقيلُهاI rest through it
وَهاجِرَةٍ دَوِّيَّةٍ ما أُقيلُها
And many a dark night I traversed on Nawar's account,
And I sheltered her darkness from Anwar's radiance
and a scorching noontide in the wilderness, through which I took no rest.
And Hajira's, never did I let it go
جَعَلناwe placed عَلَيهاover her دونَهاagainst it مِنfrom ثِيابِناour garments
جَعَلنا عَلَيها دونَها مِن ثِيابِنا
تَظاليلَawnings حَتّىuntil زالَpassed away عَنهاfrom her أَصيلُهاits late afternoon
تَظاليلَ حَتّى زالَ عَنها أَصيلُها
We spread over her, against that heat, some of our garments
Making our garments into shades over her
as awnings, until its late-afternoon sun had left her.
Until her roots were rid of their origins
تَرىyou see مِنbecause of تَلَظّيهاits blazing heat الظِباءَthe gazelles كَأَنَّهاas though they were
تَرى مِن تَلَظّيها الظِباءَ كَأَنَّها
مُوَقَّفَةٌheld motionless تَغشىcover القُرونَthe mountain peaks وُعولُهاits ibex
مُوَقَّفَةٌ تَغشى القُرونَ وُعولُها
From its blazing heat, you see the gazelles as though
You see her darkness so intense as if
held motionless, while its ibex crowd the horn-like peaks.
She is halted, covering generations and their howls
نَصَبتُI set لَهاtoward it وَجهيmy face وَحَرفاًand a hardy she-camel كَأَنَّهاas though she were
نَصَبتُ لَها وَجهي وَحَرفاً كَأَنَّها
أَتانُa she-ass of فَلاةٍa wilderness خَفَّgrew light عَنهاfrom her ثَميلُهاher belly's contents
أَتانُ فَلاةٍ خَفَّ عَنها ثَميلُها
I set my face and a hardy she-camel against it, as though she were
I set my face toward her, words that seem
a she-ass of the wilderness, her belly's burden grown light.
As if she is a camel of the desert whose guide disappeared from her
إِذاwhen عَسَفَتstray أَنفاسُهاher breaths فيin تَنوفَةٍa trackless waste
إِذا عَسَفَت أَنفاسُها في تَنوفَةٍ
تَقَطَّعَbreaks off دونَshort of المُحصَناتِthe mated she-asses سَحيلُهاher braying
تَقَطَّعَ دونَ المُحصَناتِ سَحيلُها
When her breaths stray across a trackless waste,
When her breaths grow disorderly in her craze
her braying breaks off before reaching the mated she-asses.
Her forelocks fall short of the chaste women’s trails
تُرىthey appear مِثلَlike أَنضاءِbare blades of السُيوفِthe swords مِنَfrom السُرىnight travel
تُرى مِثلَ أَنضاءِ السُيوفِ مِنَ السُرى
جَراشِعَةَbroad الأَجوازِthe midsections يَنجوspeeds on رَعيلُهاtheir leading file
جَراشِعَةَ الأَجوازِ يَنجو رَعيلُها
They look like bare sword-blades, worn thin by night travel,
You see her as the blades of swords from scabbards
broad through the middle; their leading file races on.
Removing veils, her progeny barely survives
Sol 6.1