ليI have جَبّةa robe فَنيَتْhas worn out ممّاfrom how much أنَشيِّهاI starch it
لي جَبّة فَنيَتْ ممّا أنَشيِّها
وماand not أُخَيِّطُهاI sew it ألاexcept بأشراسِwith glue
وما أُخَيِّطُها ألا بأشراسِ
I have a robe worn out from all my starching it;
I have a robe that is tattered from how I twist it,
and I sew it together with nothing but glue.
And I patch it up with nothing but shreds.
وَرَثَّand grew threadbare شاشيَmy turban حتىuntil ظنَّthought مُبصرهُits beholder
وَرَثَّ شاشيَ حتى ظنَّ مُبصرهُ
أنَّthat العناكبَthe spiders قدalready سَدّتspun webs علىover راسيmy head
أنَّ العناكبَ قد سَدّت على راسي
And my turban grew so threadbare that its beholder thought
My cheeks shook until the onlooker thought
that spiders had spun webs over my head.
That spiders had nested upon my head.
وماand never نَظَرتُI looked إلىat المرآةِthe mirror منfrom سَقمillness
وما نَظَرتُ إلى المرآةِ من سَقم
إلاّexcept وشاهَدْتُand I saw فيهاin it وجهَthe face of نَسْناسa nasnas (ape-like creature)
إلاّ وشاهَدْتُ فيها وجهَ نَسْناس
Never, in my sickness, have I looked into the mirror
Whenever I look in the mirror out of illness,
without seeing in it the face of a nasnas.
I see nothing but an emaciated face.
لكنَّbut عِنديI have بحمدwith praise to اللهِGod جاريةًa slave girl
لكنَّ عِندي بحمد اللهِ جاريةً
لمdid not يحكِresemble منقارَهاher beak شيءٌanything سوىexcept الفاسِthe axe
لم يحكِ منقارَها شيءٌ سوى الفاسِ
But, praise be to God, I have a slave girl;
Yet thank God I have a maid
nothing resembles her beak but an axe.
Whose beak tells of nothing but the hoe.
لهاfor her البهارُyellow oxeye flowers خدودٌcheeks والشّقائقَand anemones الfirst part of 'glances'
لها البهارُ خدودٌ والشّقائقَ ال
حاظٌcompletion of 'glances' وَمَبْسمُهاand her smiling mouth فيin خُضْرَةthe greenness of الآسِmyrtle
حاظٌ وَمَبْسمُها في خُضْرَة الآسِ
Her cheeks are yellow oxeye flowers, and anemones are her
For her there are cheeks with pink flushes,
glances, and her smiling mouth is green as myrtle.
Eyes without kohl, and a smile amid green myrtle.
تظلُّshe keeps تزأرُroaring كالرئبالlike a lion باسطةًstretching out
تظلُّ تزأرُ كالرئبال باسطةً
ذراعَهاher arm وهوand it يَحْكيresembles ضلْعَa stalk of رئباسِrhubarb
ذراعَها وهو يَحْكي ضلْعَ رئباسِ
She keeps roaring like a lion, stretching out
She whimpers like a doe spreading
her arm, which resembles a stalk of rhubarb.
Her arms while he mimics the rib of an adolescent.
وليand I have عيالٌchildren بهمْbecause of them قدindeed عيلَhas been exhausted مُصْطبريmy patience
ولي عيالٌ بهمْ قد عيلَ مُصْطبري
وَصرتُand I have become للْهَمَfor grief فيهمon their account مثلَlike بُرْجاسa target
وَصرتُ للْهَمَ فيهم مثلَ بُرْجاس
And I have children who have exhausted my patience;
And I have children who have burdened my supporter,
and because of them, I have become like a target for grief.
And I have become, because of their sorrow, like a watchtower.
يَسعَونَthey scurry حَوليaround me كالجُرذانlike rats منout of شغبmischief
يَسعَونَ حَولي كالجُرذان من شغب
مقرضينَgnawing بأنيابwith fangs وأضراسِand molars
مقرضينَ بأنياب وأضراسِ
They scurry around me like rats, out of mischief,
They clamor around me like mice out of mischief,
gnawing with fangs and molars.
Biting with fangs and molars.
إذاwhen اصطلواthey warm themselves بلظىby the blaze of قدرa cooking pot حَسبْتَهُمI take them for
إذا اصطلوا بلظى قدر حَسبْتَهُم
لسوءbecause of the wretchedness of حالهمِtheir condition صبيانَboys عدّاسِa lentil seller
لسوء حالهمِ صبيانَ عدّاسِ
When they warm themselves by the flames beneath a pot, I take them,
When they quiet down for a while, you would think them,
in their wretched state, for a lentil-seller's boys.
Because of their horrible state, boys with mange.
وليلةُand a night of الحّمصِchickpeas المصلوقِboiled عنَدهُمُto them
وليلةُ الحّمصِ المصلوقِ عنَدهُمُ
معدودةٌis counted تلكَthat منamong ليلاتِnights of أعراسِweddings
معدودةٌ تلكَ من ليلاتِ أعراسِ
And a night of boiled chickpeas, to them—
And for them the night of boiled chickpeas
that is counted among nights of wedding feasts.
Is counted among those of weddings.
Sol 6.1