رَفَعتُI raised لَهُمfor them صَوتَthe voice المُناديthe herald فَأَبصَرواso they went to Basra
رَفَعتُ لَهُم صَوتَ المُنادي فَأَبصَروا
عَلىupon خَدِباتٍstout she-camels فيin كَواهِلِهِمtheir withers جُزلِsaddle-galled
عَلى خَدِباتٍ في كَواهِلِهِم جُزلِ
I raised the herald's voice for them, and they made for Basra
I raised my voice to call them, and they saw
on stout she-camels, galled at their withers.
Upon their shoulders pieces of worn out garments.
وَلَولاand were it not for حَياءٌshame زِدتَyou would have added رَأسَكَyour head هَزمَةًa hollow wound
وَلَولا حَياءٌ زِدتَ رَأسَكَ هَزمَةً
إِذاwhen سُبِرَتit is probed ظَلَّتkept جَوانِبُهاits sides تَغليseething
إِذا سُبِرَت ظَلَّت جَوانِبُها تَغلي
But for shame, you would have added a gaping wound to your head;
Had it not been for modesty, I would have shaken my head in defeat
when probed, its sides keep seething.
When she bared her teeth, their edges boiled over.
بَعيدَةُfar-reaching أَطرافِextremities الصُدوعِthe fissures كَأَنَّهاas though it were
بَعيدَةُ أَطرافِ الصُدوعِ كَأَنَّها
رَكِيَّةُthe well of لُقمانَLuqman الشَبيهَةُresembling بِالذَحلِa blood-feud
رَكِيَّةُ لُقمانَ الشَبيهَةُ بِالذَحلِ
Its fissures reach far, as though it were
Her distant tooth cracks looked like
Luqman's well, resembling a blood-feud.
The morsels of Luqman resembling a lizard.
إِذاwhen نَظَرَlooked الآسونَthe healers فيهاinto it تَقَلَّبَتrolled
إِذا نَظَرَ الآسونَ فيها تَقَلَّبَت
حَماليقُهُمthe whites of their eyes مِنfrom هَولِdread of أَنيابِهاits fangs الثُعلِoverlapping
حَماليقُهُم مِن هَولِ أَنيابِها الثُعلِ
When the healers peer into it, there roll
When the night prowlers looked into them, they tossed and turned;
the whites of their eyes, in dread of its overlapping fangs.
Their anklets rattled in horror of her sharp canines.
إِذاwhen ماemphatic particle رَأَتهاsees it الشَمسُthe sun ظَلَّremains طَبيبُهاits physician
إِذا ما رَأَتها الشَمسُ ظَلَّ طَبيبُها
كَمَنlike someone who ماتَdied حَتّىuntil اللَيلِnight مُختَلَسَrobbed of العَقلِreason
كَمَن ماتَ حَتّى اللَيلِ مُختَلَسَ العَقلِ
Whenever the sun beholds it, its physician remains
When the sun saw them, the gleam of her teeth
like one dead until night, robbed of reason.
Was like one who died before nightfall, robbed of his senses.
يَوَدَّwish لَكَfor you الأَدنَونَthe nearest kin لَوif مُتَّyou had died قَبلَهاbefore it
يَوَدَّ لَكَ الأَدنَونَ لَو مُتَّ قَبلَها
يَرَونَthey see بِهاin it شَرّاًsomething worse عَلَيكَfor you مِنَthan القَتلِbeing killed
يَرَونَ بِها شَرّاً عَلَيكَ مِنَ القَتلِ
Your nearest kin wish you had died before it;
The foes wished you were dead before her;
they see in it something worse for you than being killed.
They see in her great harm upon you, worse than murder.
تَرىyou see فيin نَواحيهاits edges الفِراخَthe fledglings كَأَنَّماas though
تَرى في نَواحيها الفِراخَ كَأَنَّما
جَثَمنَthey crouched حَواليaround أُمِّa mother of أَربَعَةٍfour طُحلِdusky
جَثَمنَ حَوالي أُمِّ أَربَعَةٍ طُحلِ
You see fledglings along its edges, as though
You see around her chicks as though they
they crouched around a mother of four dusky young:
Crouched around a mother of four, newly hatched.
شَرَنبَثَةٌhulking شَمطاءُgray-haired مَنwhoever يَرَsees ماwhat بِهاis within it
شَرَنبَثَةٌ شَمطاءُ مَن يَرَ ما بِها
تُشِبهُit turns him gray وَلَوeven if بَينَbetween الخُماسِيُّa five-span-tall boy وَالطِفلِand the infant
تُشِبهُ وَلَو بَينَ الخُماسِيُّ وَالطِفلِ
a hulking, gray-haired woman—whoever sees what lies within it,
She is a thin, gray buzzard; whoever sees what's in her
it turns him gray, even a child between infancy and five spans tall.
Resembles, though he be fifty, a child.
إِذاwhen ماemphatic particle سَقوهاthey dose it السَمنَclarified butter أَقبَلَcomes forth وَجهُهاits face
إِذا ما سَقوها السَمنَ أَقبَلَ وَجهُها
بِعَينَيwith the two eyes of عَجوزٍan old woman مِنfrom عُرَينَةَʿUraynah أَوor عُكلِʿUkl
بِعَينَي عَجوزٍ مِن عُرَينَةَ أَو عُكلِ
When they dose it with clarified butter, its face comes forth
When they fed her fat, her face came
with the two eyes of an old woman from ʿUraynah or ʿUkl,
With the eyes of an old woman from Uraina or Ukal.
جُنادِفَةٍshort and thickset سَجراءَbloodshot-eyed تَأخُذُtakes عَينُهاher eye
جُنادِفَةٍ سَجراءَ تَأخُذُ عَينُها
إِذاwhen اِكتَحَلَتshe applies kohl نِصفَhalf القَفيزِa qafiz measure مِنَof الكُحلِkohl
إِذا اِكتَحَلَت نِصفَ القَفيزِ مِنَ الكُحلِ
a squat, bloodshot-eyed woman whose eye takes,
A scowling, saffron-dyed she-camel, her eye takes
when she lines it, half a qafiz-measure of kohl.
Half a saucer of kohl when she uses makeup.
وَإِنّيand indeed I لَمِنcertainly of قَومٍa people يَكونُis غَسولُهُمtheir washing-water
وَإِنّي لَمِن قَومٍ يَكونُ غَسولُهُم
قِرىthe contents فَأرَةِthe musk-pod of الدارِيِّthe perfumer تُضرَبُis stirred فيinto الغَسلِthe wash
قِرى فَأرَةِ الدارِيِّ تُضرَبُ في الغَسلِ
And I am indeed of a people whose washing-water is
I am of a people whose ablutions require
the contents of a perfumer's musk-pod, stirred into the wash.
The broth of a house rat - they wash with that!
فَماso not وَجَدَfound الشافونَthe healers مِثلَthe like of دِمائِناour blood
فَما وَجَدَ الشافونَ مِثلَ دِمائِنا
شِفاءًas a cure وَلاnor الساقونَthose giving draughts مِنfrom عَسَلِthe honey of النَحلِbees
شِفاءً وَلا الساقونَ مِن عَسَلِ النَحلِ
So healers have found nothing to match our blood
Soap has not found our blood
as a cure, nor have potion-givers in the honey of bees.
As curative as honey from bee hives.
Sol 6.1