سَقىmay water أَريِحاءَJericho الغَيثُthe rain وَهيَthough she is بَغيضَةٌhateful
سَقى أَريِحاءَ الغَيثُ وَهيَ بَغيضَةٌ
إِلَيَّto me وَلَكِنbut بيin me لِيُسقاهُto be watered with it هامُهاher skulls
إِلَيَّ وَلَكِن بي لِيُسقاهُ هامُها
May rain water Jericho, though she is hateful
Ariha was watered though she's hateful to me
to me; yet I long for her skulls to be watered with it:
But to quench the thirst of her wild beasts
مِنَfrom العَينِlasting rain مُنحَلُّunloosed العَزاليthe waterskin spouts تَسوقُهُdrives it
مِنَ العَينِ مُنحَلُّ العَزالي تَسوقُهُ
جَنوبٌa south wind بِأَنضادٍwith layered clouds يَسُحُّpours down رُكامُهاits piled clouds
جَنوبٌ بِأَنضادٍ يَسُحُّ رُكامُها
unceasing rain, its spouts unloosed, driven
Carried from a streaming eye by a lone camel man
by a south wind with tiered clouds whose piled masses pour.
By the south winds on high that sweep her sands away
إِذاwhenever أَقلَعَتceased عَنهاfrom her سَماءٌa raincloud مُلِحَّةٌpersistent
إِذا أَقلَعَت عَنها سَماءٌ مُلِحَّةٌ
تَبَعَّجَburst open مِنfrom أُخرىanother عَلَيكَover you غَمامُهاits clouds
تَبَعَّجَ مِن أُخرى عَلَيكَ غَمامُها
Whenever one persistent raincloud clears from her,
When from her the salty rain clouds pass
another sky's clouds burst open over you.
Onto another's domain shift her piled-up clouds
فَبِتُّso I spent the night بِدَيرَيat the two monasteries of أَريِحاءَJericho بِلَيلَةٍon a night
فَبِتُّ بِدَيرَي أَريِحاءَ بِلَيلَةٍ
خُدارِيَّةٍpitch-dark يَزدادُgrows طولاًin length تَمامُهاits full span
خُدارِيَّةٍ يَزدادُ طولاً تَمامُها
So at Jericho's two monasteries I spent a night,
I pass the night in Ariha's convent on an eve
pitch-dark, its full span growing ever longer.
So long drawn out through the dark hours
أُكابِدُI wrestle with فيهاin it نَفسُthe soul of أَقرَبِthe closest of مَنthose whose مَشىwalked
أُكابِدُ فيها نَفسُ أَقرَبِ مَن مَشى
أَبوهُhis father لِنَفسٍto a soul ماتَhas died عَنّيaway from me نِيامُهاits sleep
أَبوهُ لِنَفسٍ ماتَ عَنّي نِيامُها
I wrestle there with the soul of the one nearest—of all whose
Enduring myself – was closer than one who walked –
fathers walked—to my own soul, whose sleep has died away from me.
The father of a soul now dead to me in sleep
وَكانَand he was إِذاwhenever أَرضٌa land رَأَتهُsaw him تَزَيَّلَتmoved apart
وَكانَ إِذا أَرضٌ رَأَتهُ تَزَيَّلَت
لِرُؤيَتِهِat the sight of him صَحراؤُهاits desert plain وَإِكامُهاand its hills
لِرُؤيَتِهِ صَحراؤُها وَإِكامُها
And whenever a land beheld him, there parted
When a land saw him, it was refreshed
its deserts and hills at the sight of him.
By his sight, its deserts and its barrens
تَرىyou see مَزِقَtattered السِربالِthe tunic فَوقَupon سَمَيدَعٍa noble lord
تَرى مَزِقَ السِربالِ فَوقَ سَمَيدَعٍ
يَداهُhis two hands لِأَيتامِfor the orphans of الشِتاءِwinter طَعامُهاtheir food
يَداهُ لِأَيتامِ الشِتاءِ طَعامُها
You see a tattered tunic upon a noble lord,
You see the shreds of his garment atop acacia
whose hands are food for winter's orphans.
His hands the winter orphans’ food
عَلىupon مِثلِone like نَصلِthe blade of السَيفِthe sword مَزَّقَtore غِمدَهُits sheath
عَلى مِثلِ نَصلِ السَيفِ مَزَّقَ غِمدَهُ
مَضارِبُstriking edges مِنهُof it لاnot يُفَلَّis blunted حُسامُهاtheir keen blade
مَضارِبُ مِنهُ لا يُفَلَّ حُسامُها
Upon one like a sword blade, whose sheath was rent
Like the blade of a sword he ripped its sheath
by its striking edges, whose keen steel is never blunted.
His tents ready, their tent-pegs never pulled up
وَكانَتand was حَياةَlife for الهالِكينَthe perishing يَمينُهُhis right hand
وَكانَت حَياةَ الهالِكينَ يَمينُهُ
وَلِلنَيبِand for aged she-camels وَالأَبطالِand warriors فيهاin it سِمامُهاtheir deadly poison
وَلِلنَيبِ وَالأَبطالِ فيها سِمامُها
His right hand was life to those facing death,
In his hand was the life of the doomed
and held deadly poison for aged she-camels and warriors.
And for the prophet and heroes in it, their poison
وَكانَتand were يَداهُhis two hands المِرزَمَينِthe two Mirzam stars وَقِدرُهُand his cauldron
وَكانَت يَداهُ المِرزَمَينِ وَقِدرُهُ
طَويلاًfor a long time بِأَفناءِin the courtyards of البُيوتِthe houses صِيامُهاits standing in place
طَويلاً بِأَفناءِ البُيوتِ صِيامُها
His hands were the two Mirzam stars, and his cauldron
In his hands the podex and his kettle
stood long in the courtyards of the houses.
Through the homes’ corners long in fast
تَفَرَّقُparts عَنهاaway from it النارُthe fire وَالنابُand the aged she-camel تَرتَميis tossed about
تَفَرَّقُ عَنها النارُ وَالنابُ تَرتَمي
بِأَعصابُهاwith her sinews أَرجاؤُهاits sides وَاِهتِزامُهاand its rumbling boil
بِأَعصابُها أَرجاؤُها وَاِهتِزامُها
Fire parts around it; the aged she-camel is tossed,
Around it fire and brands spray out
her sinews flung about by its sides and rumbling boil.
Its poles and props shake and quiver
جِماعٌcapacious يُؤَدّيbrings اللَيلُthe night مِنfrom كُلِّevery جانِبٍside
جِماعٌ يُؤَدّي اللَيلُ مِن كُلِّ جانِبٍ
إِلَيهاto it إِذاwhen وارىconceals الجِبالَthe mountains ظَلامُهاtheir darkness
إِلَيها إِذا وارى الجِبالَ ظَلامُها
A capacious vessel: night brings from every side
A band the night leads in from every side
to it, when their darkness conceals the mountains,
When it shrouds the mountains in darkness
يَتامىorphans عَلىin آثارِthe tracks of سودٍwomen in black كَأَنَّهاas though they were
يَتامى عَلى آثارِ سودٍ كَأَنَّها
رِئالٌostrich chicks دَعاهاcalled them لِلمَبيتِto roost for the night نَعامُهاtheir ostriches
رِئالٌ دَعاها لِلمَبيتِ نَعامُها
orphans following women in black, as though they were
Bereaved over black ruins as though they
ostrich chicks called to roost by their parent birds.
Were wild cows called by him to spend the night
لِمَنfor whoever أَخطَأَتهُmissed him أَريِحاءُJericho لَقَدindeed رَمَتhas shot at
لِمَن أَخطَأَتهُ أَريِحاءُ لَقَد رَمَت
فَتىًa youth كانَwas حَلّالَone ever dwelling on الرَوابيthe heights سِهامُهاher arrows
فَتىً كانَ حَلّالَ الرَوابي سِهامُها
To anyone whom Jericho spared: her arrows have indeed struck
To whomever Ariha missed, she surely threw
a youth who was ever a dweller upon the heights.
A horseman who aimed her highland arrows
Sol 6.1