وَلَقَدand indeed رَحَلتُI saddled إِلَيكُمُto you all عيدِيَّةًʿĪdiyyah she-camels
وَلَقَد رَحَلتُ إِلَيكُمُ عيدِيَّةً
لاnot يَرعَوينَthey pay heed إِلىto جَنينٍa foetus مُجهَضِmiscarried
لا يَرعَوينَ إِلى جَنينٍ مُجهَضِ
And indeed I saddled ʿĪdiyyah she-camels to journey to you,
I came to you as a feast-day visitor,
They pay no heed to a miscarried foetus.
Not led to pluck unripe fruit.
أَصبَحنَthey reached dawn مِنfrom نَقَوىthe two sand-dunes of حَفيرٍḤafīr دُلَّحاًheavy-laden
أَصبَحنَ مِن نَقَوى حَفيرٍ دُلَّحاً
بِلِوىat the sand-bend of أُشَيقِرَUshayqir جائِلاتِswaying الأَعرُضِthe flanks
بِلِوى أُشَيقِرَ جائِلاتِ الأَعرُضِ
They came at dawn from Ḥafīr’s two sand-dunes, heavy-laden,
They had been bits of dry bread from a worn-out, decayed wallet
at the sand-bend of Ushayqir, their flanks swaying.
Crumbs from the table of turning-away integuments.
وَلَقَدand indeed عَلَونَthey ascended مِنَof السَماوَةِal-Samāwah مَعلَماًa marked tract
وَلَقَد عَلَونَ مِنَ السَماوَةِ مَعلَماً
خُلُجاًfar apart مَوارِدُهُits watering places بَعيدَfar-reaching المَركَضِthe course
خُلُجاً مَوارِدُهُ بَعيدَ المَركَضِ
And indeed they ascended a marked tract of al-Samāwah,
They had set out from on high as a landmark,
whose watering places lie far apart, with a long course to traverse.
Its wells far-extended in their run.
وَإِذاand when الإِدَلَّةُthe guides خاطَرواthey ventured into مَجهولَهاits unknown stretches
وَإِذا الإِدَلَّةُ خاطَروا مَجهولَها
مَشَقواthey sped through لَيالِيَthe nights خِمسِهاtheir five-day watering cycle المُستَوفِضِthe hurried
مَشَقوا لَيالِيَ خِمسِها المُستَوفِضِ
And when the guides ventured into its unknown stretches,
When the guides tried its unknown parts,
they sped through the nights of their hurried five-day watering cycle.
They endured five pitch-black nights.
يَسرونَthey travel by night لَيلَهُمtheir night فَلَمّاthen when غَوَّرواthey halted at noon
يَسرونَ لَيلَهُم فَلَمّا غَوَّروا
خَفَقَfluttered الخِباءُthe tent بِمَنزِلٍat a stopping place لَمnot يُخفَضِbe made comfortable
خَفَقَ الخِباءُ بِمَنزِلٍ لَم يُخفَضِ
They travelled through their night; then, when they halted at noon,
They beguiled their night, but when it darkened
the tent fluttered at a camp offering no ease.
The tents fluttered with no pitched camp.
جَعَلواthey made القِسِيَّthe bows مِنَof السَراءِsarā wood عِمادَهُits supports
جَعَلوا القِسِيَّ مِنَ السَراءِ عِمادَهُ
وَبِكُلِّand with every أَبيَضَbright sword فيin الغِمادِthe sheath مُفَضَّضِsilver-mounted
وَبِكُلِّ أَبيَضَ في الغِمادِ مُفَضَّضِ
They supported it with bows of sarā wood,
They made endurance out of ease the pillar for it
and with every bright, silver-mounted sword in its sheath.
And a dangling thing its every pillar white-blazed.
وَإِذاand when قَرُبنَthey drew near خَوامِساًon their fifth day without water مِنto صَلصَلٍṢalṣal
وَإِذا قَرُبنَ خَوامِساً مِن صَلصَلٍ
صَبَّحنَthey arrived at dawn دومَةَDūmah وَالحَصىand the pebbles لَمnot يَرمَضِgrow hot
صَبَّحنَ دومَةَ وَالحَصى لَم يَرمَضِ
And when they drew near Ṣalṣal, on their fifth day without water,
When they came close to stations made of sliding sand,
they reached Dūmah at dawn, while the pebbles were not yet hot.
They stayed over a sandhill whose pebbles were unmoved.
إِنّيindeed I لَمُعتَمِدُam certainly seeking الخَليفَةِthe caliph زائِراًas a visitor
إِنّي لَمُعتَمِدُ الخَليفَةِ زائِراً
وَأَراهُand I deem him أَهلَworthy of زِيارَتيmy visit وَتَعَرُّضيand my seeking favor
وَأَراهُ أَهلَ زِيارَتي وَتَعَرُّضي
Indeed, I am seeking the caliph as a visitor,
I am indeed the client of the Caliph come visiting
and deem him worthy of my visit and my seeking his favor.
And I see the people of my visit and presentation.
لَيسَis not البَرِيُّthe sound-hearted man كَمَنlike one who يُمَرَّضُis sickened قَلبُهُhis heart
لَيسَ البَرِيُّ كَمَن يُمَرَّضُ قَلبُهُ
فَأَناfor I المُشايِعُthe loyal supporter قَلبُهُhis heart لَمnot يَمرَضِfall ill
فَأَنا المُشايِعُ قَلبُهُ لَم يَمرَضِ
The sound-hearted man is unlike one whose heart is sickened;
The healthy man is not like one whose heart is sickened,
for I am the loyal supporter whose heart has not fallen ill.
I am his boon companion, his heart unsickened.
فَوَثِقتُso I felt assured ماas long as سَلِمَremained safe الخَليفَةُthe caliph بِالغِنىof wealth
فَوَثِقتُ ما سَلِمَ الخَليفَةُ بِالغِنى
لَيسَare not البُحورُthe seas إِلىcompared with الثِمادِthe shallow pools البُرَّضِscant
لَيسَ البُحورُ إِلى الثِمادِ البُرَّضِ
So I am assured of wealth as long as the caliph is safe;
I guaranteed, so long as the Caliph was safe with wealth,
seas are not to be compared with scant pools.
The seas are not for the briny soil made sodden.
بَحرٌa sea تَفيضُoverflow لَهُfor him سِجالٌfull buckets بِالنَدىwith bounty
بَحرٌ تَفيضُ لَهُ سِجالٌ بِالنَدى
وَإِلَيهِand toward him جارِيَةُflowing البُحورِthe seas الفُيَّضِoverflowing
وَإِلَيهِ جارِيَةُ البُحورِ الفُيَّضِ
A sea whose buckets overflow with bounty,
A sea whose streams pour down freshness
and toward him flow the overflowing seas.
And to which the seas of sweetness flow.
يَجزيكَrewards you رَبُّكَyour Lord حُسنَthe goodness of قَرضِكَyour loan إِنَّهُindeed He
يَجزيكَ رَبُّكَ حُسنَ قَرضِكَ إِنَّهُ
حَسَنُgood المَعونَةِin giving aid واسِعُample المُتَقَرَّضِresources for lending
حَسَنُ المَعونَةِ واسِعُ المُتَقَرَّضِ
May your Lord reward you for your generous loan; indeed, He is
May your Lord reward you for your fine loan,
gracious in aid, with ample resources to lend.
He of excellent support, most open to those who borrow!
وَاللَهُand God قَدَّرَordained أَنthat تَكونَyou should be خَليفَةًa caliph
وَاللَهُ قَدَّرَ أَن تَكونَ خَليفَةً
خَيرَthe best of البَرِيَّةِcreation وَاِرتَضاكَand chose you المُرتَضيthe One who chooses
خَيرَ البَرِيَّةِ وَاِرتَضاكَ المُرتَضي
And God ordained that you should be a caliph,
God has ordained that you should be Caliph,
the best of creation—and the One who chooses has chosen you.
The best of mankind, and the elect one chose you!
ياO اِبنَson of الفَوارِعِthe noble women وَاِلتَقَتand have come together أَعياصُهُhis ancestral thickets
يا اِبنَ الفَوارِعِ وَاِلتَقَت أَعياصُهُ
لُفّاًthickly intertwined بِمُتَّسَعِin the expanse of البِطاحِthe valley flats الأَعرَضِthe broadest
لُفّاً بِمُتَّسَعِ البِطاحِ الأَعرَضِ
O son of noble women, whose ancestral thickets have come together,
O son of cleansing smites whose leagues
thickly intertwined in the broadest expanse of the valley flats.
Bunched on the spreading plain came thick.
أَعطاكَgave you رَبُّكَyour Lord مِنfrom جَزيلِthe abundance of عَطائِهِHis giving
أَعطاكَ رَبُّكَ مِن جَزيلِ عَطائِهِ
مُلكاًa kingdom كُعوبُthe joints قَناتِهِits spear-shaft لَمnot تُرفَضِbe broken apart
مُلكاً كُعوبُ قَناتِهِ لَم تُرفَضِ
Your Lord has given you, from His abundant bounty,
Your Lord has given you from His abounding bounty
a kingdom whose spear-shaft’s joints have not been broken apart.
A kingdom whose anklets were not pushed away.
هَلwill ...? تَزجُرَنِّيَyou forbid me أَنto أَقولَI say لِظالِمٍto a wrongdoer
هَل تَزجُرَنِّيَ أَن أَقولَ لِظالِمٍ
إِنif كُنتَyou are صاحِبَone accustomed to خُلَّةٍsweet pasture فَتَحَمَّضِthen graze salty pasture
إِن كُنتَ صاحِبَ خُلَّةٍ فَتَحَمَّضِ
Will you forbid me to say to a wrongdoer:
Will you forbid me to say to an unjust person,
"If you are used to sweet pasture, then graze the salty kind"?
“If you are a boon companion, then turn acid”?
وَإِذاand when أُمَيَّةُUmayyah حُصِّلَتare examined أَنسابُهاits genealogies
وَإِذا أُمَيَّةُ حُصِّلَت أَنسابُها
كُنتَyou are المَجانَthe pure essence مِنَof الصَريحِthe unmixed milk الأَمخَضِthe well-churned
كُنتَ المَجانَ مِنَ الصَريحِ الأَمخَضِ
And when Umayyah’s genealogies are examined,
When the genealogies of Umayya are examined,
you are the pure essence of unmixed, well-churned milk.
You are the purest extract of the tribe most strong.
Sol 6.1