تُمسيreach evening الرِياحُthe winds بِهاin it وَقَدand already لَغِبَتhave grown weary
تُمسي الرِياحُ بِها وَقَد لَغِبَت
أَوor كُلِّevery صادِقَةٍa steadfast one عَلىdespite الفَترِslackening
أَو كُلِّ صادِقَةٍ عَلى الفَترِ
The winds reach evening there, already weary,
The winds make it rustle, now that it is uninhabited,
or every steadfast one, even when flagging.
Or like every truthful woman during a time of separation.
كُنّاwe used to نُناديcall upon اللَهَGod نَسأَلَهُasking Him
كُنّا نُنادي اللَهَ نَسأَلَهُ
فيin الصُبحِthe morning وَالأَسحارِand the predawn hours وَالعَصرِand the afternoon
في الصُبحِ وَالأَسحارِ وَالعَصرِ
We used to call upon God, asking Him
We used to call upon God, beseeching Him
in the morning, the predawn hours, and the afternoon,
In the mornings, at night, and at noon,
أَنthat لاnot يُميتَكَHe take your life أَوuntil تَكونَyou become لَناfor us
أَن لا يُميتَكَ أَو تَكونَ لَنا
أَنتَyou yourself الإِمامَthe imam وَوالِيَand the ruler of الأَمرِaffairs
أَنتَ الإِمامَ وَوالِيَ الأَمرِ
that He not take your life until you should become for us
That He not take your life or that you be for us
you yourself, the imam and ruler of affairs.
The imam and the guardian of authority.
فَأَجابَso He answered دَعوَتَناour prayer وَأَنقَذَناand rescued us
فَأَجابَ دَعوَتَنا وَأَنقَذَنا
بِخِلافَةِthrough the caliphate of المَهدِيِّal-Mahdi مِنfrom ضِرِّsuffering
بِخِلافَةِ المَهدِيِّ مِن ضِرِّ
So He answered our prayer and rescued us
So He answered our prayers and rescued us
through al-Mahdi's caliphate, from suffering.
With the caliphate of al-Mahdi from harm.
ياO اِبنَson of الخَلائِفِthe caliphs لَمdid not نَجِدwe find أَحَداًanyone
يا اِبنَ الخَلائِفِ لَم نَجِد أَحَداً
يَبقىsurvives لِحَزِّagainst the cutting of نَوائِبِthe calamities of الدَهرِtime
يَبقى لِحَزِّ نَوائِبِ الدَهرِ
O son of caliphs, we have found no one
O son of caliphs, we have found no one
who withstands the cutting blows of time's calamities,
Who remains for the anguish of the blows of fate,
إِلّاexcept الرَواسيthe firmly rooted mountains وَهيَand they كائِنَةٌwill become
إِلّا الرَواسي وَهيَ كائِنَةٌ
كَالعُهنِlike wool وَهيَand they سَريعَةُswift in المَرِّpassing
كَالعُهنِ وَهيَ سَريعَةُ المَرِّ
except the firmly rooted mountains—and even they shall become
Except the pillars, which exist
like wool, and they will pass swiftly.
Like tent poles, quickly decaying.
فَقَدِso indeed اِبتُليتَyou have been tested بِماby what زَعَمتَyou asserted لَناto us
فَقَدِ اِبتُليتَ بِما زَعَمتَ لَنا
إِنif أَنتَyou كُنتَwere لَناfor us عَلىin charge of أَمرِaffairs
إِن أَنتَ كُنتَ لَنا عَلى أَمرِ
You have now been tested by what you declared to us,
So you have been tested with what you claimed for us,
if you were to be in charge of our affairs.
If indeed you were for us in command.
كَمhow many فيكَconcerning you إِنif مَلَكَتcame to possess يَداكَyour two hands لَناfor us
كَم فيكَ إِن مَلَكَت يَداكَ لَنا
يَوماًone day نَواصيناour forelocks مِنَof النَذرِvows
يَوماً نَواصينا مِنَ النَذرِ
How many, for your sake—if your hands should grasp
How much in you, if your hands controlled for us
our forelocks one day—were the vows:
One day our bequests from vows,
مِنof حَجِّpilgrimage حافِيَةٍa barefoot woman وَصائِمَةٍand a fasting woman
مِن حَجِّ حافِيَةٍ وَصائِمَةٍ
سَنَتَينِtwo years أُمِّa mother of أُفَيرَخٍlittle chicks زُعرِscant-feathered
سَنَتَينِ أُمِّ أُفَيرَخٍ زُعرِ
of barefoot pilgrimage and fasting
Of performing hajj barefoot and fasting
for two years, by a mother of scant-feathered little chicks.
For two years for Umm Ufayrakh in hardship,
لَمnot يَبقَremained مِنهُمof them غَيرُanything but أَلسِنَةٍtongues
لَم يَبقَ مِنهُم غَيرُ أَلسِنَةٍ
وَأُعَيظَمٍand tiny bones وَحَواصِلٍand crops (food-pouches) حُمرِred
وَأُعَيظَمٍ وَحَواصِلٍ حُمرِ
Nothing remained of them but tongues
Of them remains nothing but tongues
and tiny bones and red crops.
And burnt palms and red legs,
وَيُجَمِّرونَand they keep troops deployed بِغَيرِwithout أَعطِيَةٍstipends
وَيُجَمِّرونَ بِغَيرِ أَعطِيَةٍ
فيon البَرِّthe land مَنthose whom بَعَثواthey dispatched وَفيand at البَحرِthe sea
في البَرِّ مَن بَعَثوا وَفي البَحرِ
And they keep on campaign, without pay,
And they moan without compensation
those they dispatched, on land and at sea.
On land, wherever they were sent, and at sea,
وَيُكَلِّفونَand they burden أَباعِراًcamels ذَهَبَتhave perished
وَيُكَلِّفونَ أَباعِراً ذَهَبَت
جِيَفاًcarcasses بَلينَhave decayed تَقادُمَthe long passage of العَصرِtime
جِيَفاً بَلينَ تَقادُمَ العَصرِ
And they burden camels that have perished—
And they task the incapable, whose
carcasses, rotted by the long passage of time.
Corpses have wasted away with the passage of time,
حَتّىuntil غَبَطناwe envied كُلَّevery مُحتَمَلٍone borne away
حَتّى غَبَطنا كُلَّ مُحتَمَلٍ
يُمشىis borne along بِأَعظُمِهِwith his bones إِلىto القَبرِthe grave
يُمشى بِأَعظُمِهِ إِلى القَبرِ
Until we envied everyone borne away,
Until we envy every sufferer
whose bones are carried to the grave.
Who walks with his greatest to the grave.
وَتَمَنَّتِand wished الأَحياءُthe living أَنَّهُمُthat they
وَتَمَنَّتِ الأَحياءُ أَنَّهُمُ
تَحتَbeneath التُرابِthe dust وَجيءَand was brought بِالحَشرِwith the Resurrection
تَحتَ التُرابِ وَجيءَ بِالحَشرِ
And the living wished that they
And the living wish that they
lay beneath the dust, and that the Resurrection had come.
Were under the soil and the resurrection came.
وَالراقِصاتِby the dancing she-camels بِكُلِّat every مُبتَهَلٍplace of supplication
وَالراقِصاتِ بِكُلِّ مُبتَهَلٍ
مِنfrom فَجِّa mountain pass كُلِّevery عَمايِقٍdeep, far-reaching routes غُبرِdusty
مِن فَجِّ كُلِّ عَمايِقٍ غُبرِ
By the dancing she-camels at every place of supplication,
And the dancing girls for every supplicant
from every deep, dusty mountain pass,
From the crevasse of every deep ravine.
ماnot قُلتُI said إِلّاexcept الحَقَّthe truth تَعرِفُهُyou know it
ما قُلتُ إِلّا الحَقَّ تَعرِفُهُ
فيin القَولِspeech مُرتَجِلاًextemporaneously وَفيand in الشِعرِpoetry
في القَولِ مُرتَجِلاً وَفي الشِعرِ
I have said nothing but the truth—you know it—
I have only spoken the truth which you recognize
in extemporaneous speech and in poetry.
In poetry, improvised and composed.
Sol 6.1