رابَtroubled دَهرٌTime وَسَطاand assailed
رابَ دَهرٌ وَسَطا
وَنَأىand withdrew وَأَفرَطاand went too far
وَنَأى وَأَفرَطا
Time has troubled me and struck,
Time has flown by
withdrawn and gone too far—
And gone to extremes
لاnot كَماas كُنتَyou used to تَرىsee
لا كَما كُنتَ تَرى
بَهِجاًcheerful مُغتَبِطاcontented
بَهِجاً مُغتَبِطا
not as you once saw me,
No longer as you used to see it
cheerful and content.
Joyful and content
وَلَقَدand indeed أَرضىI am content وَلاand nothing
وَلَقَد أَرضى وَلا
مِثلَlike شَيبيmy gray hair سَخَطاin displeasure
مِثلَ شَيبي سَخَطا
And I may indeed be content, yet nothing
Yet I was pleased but never
displeases me like my gray hair.
As displeased as my gray hair
أَنبَتَmade sprout الدَهرُTime لَناfor us
أَنبَتَ الدَهرُ لَنا
كُلَّevery شَيءٍthing فَرَطاto excess
كُلَّ شَيءٍ فَرَطا
Time has made sprout for us
Time has yielded for us
all things to excess.
Everything abandoned
وَلَقَدand indeed أَعدوI gallop عَلىon
وَلَقَد أَعدو عَلى
قارِحٍa full-grown horse رَحبِbroad الخُطاthe strides
قارِحٍ رَحبِ الخُطا
And indeed I gallop on
And I have spurred on
a full-grown horse, broad of stride,
A wide-striding assailant
مُقبِلٍapproaching فيin دُهمَةٍblackness
مُقبِلٍ في دُهمَةٍ
بِبَياضٍin white قُمِطاswathed
بِبَياضٍ قُمِطا
approaching in a black coat,
Approaching in the darkness
swathed in white;
With white speckled
ناظِرٍlooking فيwithin غُرَّةٍa white forehead blaze
ناظِرٍ في غُرَّةٍ
حَشَّهاbordered it وَاِشتَرَطاand marked
حَشَّها وَاِشتَرَطا
looking from within a forehead blaze,
Looking with unbridled passion
which he bordered and marked.
That ignited when tied
مُشعَلِablaze المَيعَةِimpetuous vigor جَوّاever roam- (word fragment)
مُشعَلِ المَيعَةِ جَوّا
لٍ-ing (word ending) إِذاwhenever ما(emphatic particle) رُبِطاhe was tethered
لٍ إِذا ما رُبِطا
Ablaze with vigor, ever roam-
And when he walked he flung
ing whenever he is tethered;
His sleeves folded
وَإِذاand when سارَhe moved رَمىhe flung
وَإِذا سارَ رَمى
بِيَدَيهِwith his forelegs القُمُطاthe hobbles
بِيَدَيهِ القُمُطا
and when he moves, he flings
Like a gazelle escaped
the hobbles away with his forelegs.
From a leafy branch it leaped
كَغَزالٍlike a gazelle فاتَهُeluded it
كَغَزالٍ فاتَهُ
فَرعُthe tip غُصنٍof a branch فَعَطاso it stretched upward
فَرعُ غُصنٍ فَعَطا
Like a gazelle that cannot reach
And his beard seemed
a branch-tip, and so stretches upward.
To flutter open
وَكَأَنَّand as though لَحيَهُhis jaws
وَكَأَنَّ لَحيَهُ
مُفتِحاتٌopeners سَفَطاa wicker box
مُفتِحاتٌ سَفَطا
And his jaws seem
So we trod a barren land
to be opening a wicker box.
That it traversed and roamed
فَوَطِئناso we trod عازِباًa remote tract
فَوَطِئنا عازِباً
قَدalready حَلاgrown lovely وَشَمَطاand become gray-flecked
قَد حَلا وَشَمَطا
Then we trod a remote tract,
In it the Spring’s rain poured
grown lovely and flecked with gray.
Patterns woven
نَشَرَتspread فيهِin it أَهاrain- (word fragment)
نَشَرَت فيهِ أَها
ضيبُ-showers (word ending) الرَبيعِof spring نَمَطاa patterned carpet
ضيبُ الرَبيعِ نَمَطا
Unfurled there by the rain-
And its furrows we gathered
showers of spring was a patterned carpet.
And divided its plots
وَضَمَمنَand they gathered وَشيَهُits embroidery
وَضَمَمنَ وَشيَهُ
وَإِقتَسَمنَand they divided among themselves خُطَطاplots
وَإِقتَسَمنَ خُطَطا
And they gathered its embroidery,
As if its light
and divided it among themselves in plots.
Cast off gray locks
فَكَأَنَّso as though نورَهُits blossoms
فَكَأَنَّ نورَهُ
نَبذُscattered tufts شَيبٍof gray hair وَخَطاhad streaked it
نَبذُ شَيبٍ وَخَطا
So its blossoms seemed
The dawn raised in it
like scattered gray hairs streaking it.
Chatter for the birds
رَفَعَتraised فيهِwithin it الضُحىthe forenoon
رَفَعَت فيهِ الضُحى
لِلطُيورِamong the birds لَغَطاa clamor
لِلطُيورِ لَغَطا
The forenoon stirred within it
Safe, though its wilderness
a clamor among the birds.
Rose or sank
آمِناًsafe وَحشِيُّهُits wild game
آمِناً وَحشِيُّهُ
إِنif عَلاit ascended أَوor هَبَطاit descended
إِن عَلا أَو هَبَطا
Its wild game was safe,
Leaving with its foot
whether it climbed or descended,
Every land it stamped
تارِكاًleaving behind بِرِجلِهِwith its foot
تارِكاً بِرِجلِهِ
كُلَّevery أَرضٍtract of earth خَبَطاit had trodden
كُلَّ أَرضٍ خَبَطا
leaving behind, with its foot,
Oh you who toy with me
every tract of earth it had trodden.
Excessively erring
أَيُّهاO you العابِثُwho trifle بيwith me
أَيُّها العابِثُ بي
سَرَفاًrecklessly وَغَلَطاand mistakenly
سَرَفاً وَغَلَطا
O you who trifle with me,
Can a chick’s screech frighten
recklessly and mistakenly,
A prowling hunter?
هَلdoes يَروعُfrighten يازِياًa hawk
هَل يَروعُ يازِياً
رُزءُthe loss أَفراخِof chicks القَطاof sandgrouse
رُزءُ أَفراخِ القَطا
can a hawk be frightened
No blame on the trapper
by the loss of sandgrouse chicks?
For any harm inflicted
ماwhat عَلىupon مُقتَنِصٍa hunter
ما عَلى مُقتَنِصٍ
أَيُّwhich عَيرٍwild ass ضَرَطاfarted
أَيُّ عَيرٍ ضَرَطا
What does a hunter care
A slithering serpent alerted
which wild ass has farted?
Coiled dusty vipers
نَبَّهَتroused سارِيَةٌa night raincloud
نَبَّهَت سارِيَةٌ
أُفعُواناًa male viper أَرقَطاspeckled
أُفعُواناً أَرقَطا
A night raincloud roused
Vicious and preying
a speckled male viper,
And upon me they pounced
ضارِياًsavage مُفتَرِساًpredatory
ضارِياً مُفتَرِساً
وَعَلَيَّand upon me سَقَطاit fell
وَعَلَيَّ سَقَطا
savage and predatory,
and it fell upon me.
Partial English translation: 44 of 46 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1