بَكَتْwept فَقَدْthe loss of أكديشيmy mongrel horse خيولُhorses المرابطِthe stables
بَكَتْ فَقَدْ أكديشي خيولُ المرابطِ
وناحَand lamented عَلَيهِover him كلُّevery غازٍraider مُرابطِkeeping frontier watch
وناحَ عَلَيهِ كلُّ غازٍ مُرابطِ
The horses of the stables wept for the loss of my mongrel horse,
My horse Akydeshe wept when he died,
and every raider on frontier watch lamented him.
And every veteran warrior mourned for him.
لقدindeed كانَhe was شيخاًan old fellow ماnot يزالُceasing محنّكاًseasoned
لقد كانَ شيخاً ما يزالُ محنّكاً
بِتَجربةٍby experience ذاpossessing فِطْنةdiscernment بشَرائطِwith qualifications
بِتَجربةٍ ذا فِطْنة بشَرائطِ
Indeed, he was an old fellow, ever seasoned
He was an old horse, always alert and wise,
by experience, possessed of wit—with qualifications.
With great experience and clever tricks.
وكانَand he was إذاwhen ماever راثَhe defecated أجمعُI gathered رَوْثَهُhis dung
وكانَ إذا ما راثَ أجمعُ رَوْثَهُ
بكفِّيwith my palm وأحويهِand stored it لهُfor him فيin الخرائطِthe pouches
بكفِّي وأحويهِ لهُ في الخرائطِ
And whenever he defecated, I gathered his dung
When he needed to relieve himself,
with my palm, and stored it for him in pouches.
I would catch it in my hands and wrap it in maps.
وماand not كانَhe was منfrom فرطِthe excess of الشّجاdistress قطُّever وارداًcoming to water
وما كانَ من فرطِ الشّجا قطُّ وارداً
سوىexcept ماwhat أسقيهِI gave him to drink لهُfor him بالمَساعِطِwith nasal dosing spoons
سوى ما أسقيهِ لهُ بالمَساعِطِ
In his overwhelming distress, he never came to water,
He never suffered from extreme hunger,
except what I gave him through nasal dosing spoons.
Except what I fed him with ladles.
وَكُنْتُand I was عليهِon him راكباًriding مثلlike راجلٍa man on foot
وَكُنْتُ عليهِ راكباً مثل راجلٍ
لِحُقْرَتِهِbecause of his smallness أوor صاعداًascending مثلَlike هابطِone descending
لِحُقْرَتِهِ أو صاعداً مثلَ هابطِ
And riding him, I was like a man on foot,
I would ride him like walking on foot,
because he was so small—or, mounting, like someone descending.
Because he was so weak, or mount him like descending steps.
تمرُّpass بِناby us الأَبطالُthe champions وَهْوَwhile he مكانَهُin his place
تمرُّ بِنا الأَبطالُ وَهْوَ مكانَهُ
كأنِّيas though I منهُon him راكِبٌa rider فوقَatop حائطِa wall
كأنِّي منهُ راكِبٌ فوقَ حائطِ
Champions would pass us, while he stayed where he was,
The heroes would pass by as he stood in his place,
as though, riding him, I sat atop a wall.
As if I was riding high on a wall.
وماand not سُقتُهI drove him فيin السُّوقِthe market إلاَّexcept that تغامزَتْexchanged knowing winks
وما سُقتُه في السُّوقِ إلاَّ تغامزَتْ
علىover أخذهِtaking him منِّيfrom me كلابُthe dogs of المَسافِطِthe refuse heaps
على أخذهِ منِّي كلابُ المَسافِطِ
Never did I drive him through the market but they exchanged winks—
I would only take him to the market and the dogs
the dogs of the refuse heaps—over taking him from me.
Would snap to take him from me, the filthy mutts.
قَضىhe died فربوعُso the encampments of الزِّبلِdung منهُfrom him دَوارسٌare effaced
قَضى فربوعُ الزِّبلِ منهُ دَوارسٌ
وقدand already نَسَفتهاhad scattered them ريحُthe wind of تلكَthose المضارطِfarting orifices
وقد نَسَفتها ريحُ تلكَ المضارطِ
He died; the encampments of his dung lie effaced,
The winds of those abandoned places finished off
and the wind of those farting holes had scattered them.
What remained of him, blowing away the bits.
وماand not ساءنيdistressed me إلاّexcept بنوthe sons of الضّوءِal-Daw’ (Light) عندماwhen
وما ساءني إلاّ بنو الضّوءِ عندما
بَدَواthey appeared بينَّamong سلاّخٍa skinner لجلدٍof a hide وكاشطِand a scraper
بَدَوا بينَّ سلاّخٍ لجلدٍ وكاشطِ
Nothing distressed me but the sons of al-Daw’, when
What saddened me most was when the jackals
they appeared, some to flay his hide, others to scrape it.
Came flaying his skin and scraping it clean.
وكمand how often قالَhe said ليto me إذْwhen كانَhe was يأكلُeating زِبلَهُhis dung
وكم قالَ لي إذْ كانَ يأكلُ زِبلَهُ
أتمنَعُنيdo you forbid me لِلْجوعِbecause of hunger مِنْfrom أكلِeating غائِطيmy excrement
أتمنَعُني لِلْجوعِ مِنْ أكلِ غائِطي
And how often he said to me, while eating his dung,
And how he told me as he ate his dung,
'Do you stop me, hungry as I am, from eating my own excrement?'
“Do you deny me food and prevent me from eating my feces?”
فَقُلتُso I said لهُto him يكفيكَsuffices you زِبلُكَyour dung بُلغَةًas sustenance
فَقُلتُ لهُ يكفيكَ زِبلُكَ بُلغَةً
إذاwhen عزَّis scarce ماwhat تقتاتُهُyou feed on كالمغالِطِlike a quibbler
إذا عزَّ ما تقتاتُهُ كالمغالِطِ
So I told him, 'Your dung is sustenance enough
I told him, “Your dung should suffice,
when what you feed on is scarce'—like a quibbler.
If you value what you eat like false arguments.”
فَهَمْلَجَso he pranced منfrom غَيظٍrage عَلَىat بَرِفَسةwith a kick
فَهَمْلَجَ من غَيظٍ عَلَى بَرِفَسة
وقدand he had been كانَwere it not for لولاhis rage غَيظهُnot غَيرَlively ناشطِlively
وقد كانَ لولا غَيظهُ غَيرَ ناشطِ
So in rage he pranced at me with a kick,
He snorted angrily at my response,
though, but for his rage, he was anything but lively.
Although without his anger he was inactive.
وَضَرَّطَand farted فيin وجهيmy face ثمانينَeighty ضَرْطةًfarts
وَضَرَّطَ في وجهي ثمانينَ ضَرْطةً
فَتَبّاًso damnation لأَشياخto the elders of الخُيولِhorses الضّوارطِthe farters
فَتَبّاً لأَشياخ الخُيولِ الضّوارطِ
And he farted eighty farts in my face:
He farted in my face eighty farts,
so damn those farting elders among horses!
Curse the farts of old horses!
وقالَand he said لحاكَmay He curse you اللهGod منْas a مُتَصنعٍpretender
وقالَ لحاكَ الله منْ مُتَصنعٍ
يُصَوَقُنيgrooms me بالمَسحِby rubbing مثلَlike المواِشطhairdressers
يُصَوَقُني بالمَسحِ مثلَ المواِشط
And he said, 'God curse you, you pretender,
And he said to spite me, “God has fashioned you
grooming me with rubdowns like a hairdresser,
To wipe me like cleaning rags.”
وَبَطْنيَand my belly خالٍis empty مثلَlike راسكyour head فارغٌvacant
وَبَطْنيَ خالٍ مثلَ راسك فارغٌ
علىdespite أَنّهُthat it منfrom حُرقةٍburning pain مثلlike شائطِsomething scorched
على أَنّهُ من حُرقةٍ مثل شائطِ
while my belly is empty, as vacant as your head,
“My belly is empty like your hollow head,
though its burning pain makes it seem ablaze.'
As if scorched by flames,” he continued.
فأغلقتُso I shut للأصطَبلِfor the stable باباًa door مُوَثّقاًsecurely fastened
فأغلقتُ للأصطَبلِ باباً مُوَثّقاً
وغادرتُهand left him فيin زبْلهِhis dung أيَّquite a خابطflounderer
وغادرتُه في زبْلهِ أيَّ خابط
So I shut the stable’s door securely,
So I locked the stable door securely
and left him thrashing wildly in his dung.
And left him in his dung, the audacious one!
فأصبَحso by morning he was مرفوعَraised القوائمِthe legs داعِياًcalling down curses
فأصبَح مرفوعَ القوائمِ داعِياً
عَلَيَّagainst me ولمand did not أَقْدَرْI have the power علىto ردbring back فاقطِa dead creature
عَلَيَّ ولم أَقْدَرْ على رد فاقطِ
So by morning he lay with legs in the air, calling down curses
In the morning he stood on his legs calling me,
against me, and I could not bring a dead creature back.
But I could not answer the lacking one.
وعاينتُهand I saw him كالطّبلِlike a drum مُنْتَفخاًbloated وَقَدْand already
وعاينتُه كالطّبلِ مُنْتَفخاً وَقَدْ
أُضيفَbeen added إلىto موتيthe dead of الخيولِthe horses السّواقطِthe fallen
أُضيفَ إلى موتي الخيولِ السّواقطِ
And I saw him bloated like a drum; he had already
I saw him bloated like a drum,
been added to the dead among the fallen horses.
Added to the list of my fallen horses.
وجاءَتْand came كلابُthe dogs of السُّوقِthe market ماsome بينَamong لاهثٍpanting
وجاءَتْ كلابُ السُّوقِ ما بينَ لاهثٍ
طماعِيَةًgreedily فيهfor him وماand some بينَamong لاعطِlicking
طماعِيَةً فيه وما بينَ لاعطِ
And the market dogs came, some panting
The market dogs came, both starving
greedily for him, and others licking him.
And greedy for him, and others not wanting.
فأعلَيتُso I raised صوتيmy voice بالبكاءِin weeping لفَقْدِهِfor his loss
فأعلَيتُ صوتي بالبكاءِ لفَقْدِهِ
فآهاًso alas عليهfor him منas an أنيسcompanion مُخالطintimate
فآهاً عليه من أنيس مُخالط
So I raised my voice in weeping for his loss:
I cried loudly for his loss -
ah, alas for him, such an intimate companion!
Oh what a dear companion I have lost!
Sol 6.1