حرَّرُواthey freed الشعرَpoetry منfrom قُيودfetters الخليلِal-Khalil
حرَّرُوا الشعرَ من قُيود الخليلِ
وحَمَوْهand they protected it منfrom فاعلfāʿil (a metrical pattern) وفَعولand faʿūl (a metrical pattern)
وحَمَوْه من فاعل وفَعول
They freed poetry from al-Khalil's fetters,
They freed poetry from the shackles of al-Khalil,
and shielded it from fāʿil and faʿūl.
And protected it from subject and object.
لهمُfor them اللهGod! ماwhy لهمwith them يَتْركونdo they leave النـthe prose (word beginning)
لهمُ الله! ما لهم يَتْركون النـ
ـثَرprose (word ending) رهنًاheld hostage بكلby every قيدٍfetter ثقيلheavy؟
ـثَر رهنًا بكل قيدٍ ثقيل؟
God be with them! Why do they leave prose
God bless them! Why do they leave prose
hostage to every heavy fetter?
Bound by every heavy shackle?
أيهاO القومُpeople، حرِّرواfree النثرprose أيضًاtoo
أيها القومُ، حرِّروا النثر أيضًا
لِتُتِمُّواso that you may complete بذاكthereby صنعَthe doing of الجميلa kindness
لِتُتِمُّوا بذاك صنعَ الجميل
O people, free prose too,
O people, free prose as well
so that you may thereby complete your act of kindness.
To complete this good deed.
حررواfree النثرprose منfrom قَوَاعدِrules of صرفٍmorphology
حرروا النثر من قَوَاعدِ صرفٍ
مشكلاتperplexing أعْيَتْhave baffled كبارgreat العقولminds
مشكلات أعْيَتْ كبار العقول
Free prose from rules of morphology,
Free prose from the rules of grammar
perplexing rules that have baffled great minds.
That have exhausted the greatest minds.
حرروهfree it منfrom نحوthe grammar of زيِدٍZayd وعمروٍand ʿAmr
حرروه من نحو زيِدٍ وعمروٍ
وخلافٍand disagreement بينamong النحاةgrammarians طويلlengthy
وخلافٍ بين النحاة طويل
Free it from the grammar of Zayd and ʿAmr,
Free it from the syntax of Zayd and Amr
and lengthy disagreement among grammarians.
And the long disputes among grammarians.
حرروهfree it منfrom أحرفparticles of الجرِّthe genitive، والجزand the jussive (word beginning)
حرروه من أحرف الجرِّ، والجز
مjussive (word ending)، منfrom فَاعلٍa subject، ومنand from مفعولan object
م، من فَاعلٍ، ومن مفعول
Free it from prepositions and jussive particles,
Free it from prepositions, objects,
from subjects and from objects.
Subjects, and predicates.
ماwhy لتلكwith those الأسماءnouns: تُرْفَعَare raised (made nominative) كالهاlike heads (word beginning)
ما لتلك الأسماء: تُرْفَعَ كالها
مheads (word ending)، وهذيand these تُجَرُّare dragged (made genitive) جَرَّthe dragging of الذيولtails؟
م، وهذي تُجَرُّ جَرَّ الذيول؟
Why are those nouns raised like heads,
Why are some nouns made marfou’ while others jar?
while these are dragged as tails are dragged?
Why do some verbs complain while others do not?
ماwhat لتلكwith those الأفعالverbs: هذاthis one عَلِيلٌailing (grammatically weak)
ما لتلك الأفعال: هذا عَلِيلٌ
باتspent the night يشكوcomplaining، وذلكand that one غيرnot عليلailing؟
بات يشكو، وذلك غير عليل؟
What is wrong with those verbs? This one is ailing,
Speak without adhering
and has spent the night complaining, while that one is not ill?
To branches or principles of rhetoric.
انطقواspeak بالكلامwith words دونwithout مُراعَاregard (word beginning)
انطقوا بالكلام دون مُراعَا
ةِregard (word ending) فروعsubsidiary rules لضبطهfor regulating it أوor أصولfundamental principles
ةِ فروع لضبطه أو أصول
Speak your words without regard
And cast these dictionaries into obscurity,
for subsidiary rules governing them, or fundamental principles.
Or into the Euphrates like the Mongols.
واطرحواand cast away هذهthese المعاجِمَdictionaries فيinto الدجـthe Tigris (word beginning)
واطرحوا هذه المعاجِمَ في الدجـ
ـلةِTigris (word ending)، أوor فيinto الفُرَاتthe Euphrates طَرْحَthe casting of المغولthe Mongols
ـلةِ، أو في الفُرَات طَرْحَ المغول
And cast these dictionaries into the Tigris,
And leave these academies to mourn
or into the Euphrates, as the Mongols did.
The loss of their vain members.
واتركواand leave هذهthese المجامعَacademies ينعاannounces the demise of
واتركوا هذه المجامعَ ينعا
هاthem لأصحابهاto their members نعاةmourners of الطُّلُولruins
ها لأصحابها نعاة الطُّلُول
And leave these academies; let their demise be announced
O you who play with the letter ‘d’, gently!
to their members by the mourners of ruins.
Little of the Arabs remains.
أيهاO العابثونthose who tamper بالضادwith ḍād (Arabic)، رفقًاgently
أيها العابثون بالضاد، رفقًا
ماnot تَبَقَّىremains للعُرْبfor the Arabs غيرُexcept قليلa little
ما تَبَقَّى للعُرْب غيرُ قليل
O you who tamper with ḍād, be gentle!
The loss of ‘d’ was an insider’s betrayal,
Only a little remains to the Arabs.
Far worse than a thousand foreigners.
آفةthe bane of الضادḍād (Arabic) مارقa renegade منfrom بنيهاits sons
آفة الضاد مارق من بنيها
هُوَhe شَرُّis worse منthan ألفa thousand ألفthousand دخيلoutsider
هُوَ شَرُّ من ألف ألف دخيل
The bane of ḍād is a renegade among its sons;
he is worse than a thousand thousand outsiders.
Partial English translation: 24 of 26 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1