أبرقflash lightning! وأرعدand thunder! ياO يزيـYazīd (beginning)
أبرق وأرعد يا يزيـ
ـدYazīd (ending) فماfor ... not وعيدكyour threat ليto me بضائرat all harmful
ـد فما وعيدك لي بضائر
Flash and thunder, O Yazī-
Flash and thunder, O Yazid, yet your threats bring me no harm
d, for your threat cannot harm me.
Are you anything but empty noise, noise that echoes in the abyss for fleet horses
هلare ...? أنتyou إلاanything but الفقعthe truffle فقـtruffle (beginning)
هل أنت إلا الفقع فقـ
ـعtruffle (ending) القاعthe plain للحجلfor the partridges النوافرthe skittish ones
ـع القاع للحجل النوافر
Are you anything but a truffle—a truf-
You roar and speak of matters as if you were a grinding stone revolving
fle of the plain, for skittish partridges?
When it was said "O grinding stone, speak of birds for you are the worst bird"
أنشأتyou began تنطقto speak فيabout الأموaffairs (beginning)
أنشأت تنطق في الأمو
رaffairs (ending) كوافدlike the envoy الرخمthe vultures المداورthe maneuvering one
ر كوافد الرخم المداور
You began to speak of af-
So it went on with what it was worthy of
fairs, like the maneuvering envoy of the vultures,
While the wise avoided the paralysis of lectures
إذwhen قيلit was said ياO رخمvulture انطقيspeak!
إذ قيل يا رخم انطقي
فيamong الطيرthe birds إنكindeed you شرthe worst طائرbird
في الطير إنك شر طائر
when it was said, “O vulture, speak
among the birds; indeed, you are the worst bird!”
فاتتso she came بماwith what هيshe أهلهsuited to it
فاتت بما هي أهله
والعِيand inarticulacy منamong شللparalysis المحاضِرassemblies
والعِي من شلل المحاضِر
So she came out with what befitted her,
and inarticulacy is a kind of paralysis in assemblies.
Partial English translation: 6 of 10 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1