قامَتْrose لِهَيبَتِهاin awe of her غُصونُboughs البانِthe ban tree
قامَتْ لِهَيبَتِها غُصونُ البانِ
مثلlike الجنودِthe soldiers بحَضْرةِin the presence of السُّلطانِthe sultan
مثل الجنودِ بحَضْرةِ السُّلطانِ
The boughs of the ban tree rose in awe of her,
The branches of the acacia stood erect like soldiers before the sultan,
like soldiers in the sultan's presence.
And the north wind came circling above their stature, thinking them to be boughs in paradise.
وأتىand came الهَزازُthe songbird يحومُcircles فَوقَabove قَوامِهاher figure
وأتى الهَزازُ يحومُ فَوقَ قَوامِها
إذfor ظنَّهُit thought it to be غُصناًa branch بِرَوضِin a garden جِنانِparadise gardens
إذ ظنَّهُ غُصناً بِرَوضِ جِنانِ
And the songbird came circling above her form,
A Bedouin arrow in its nock, barbless on an unfeathered spear,
for it thought it a branch in a garden of paradise.
Showed cheeks red as blood, though none would imagine those to be anemones.
بَدَويَّةٌa Bedouin woman فيin طَرْفِهاher glance سهمٌan arrow بلاwithout
بَدَويَّةٌ في طَرْفِها سهمٌ بلا
وَتَرٍa bowstring علىupon رُمحٍa spear بغيرِwith no سنانِa spearhead
وَتَرٍ على رُمحٍ بغيرِ سنانِ
A Bedouin woman: in her glance, an arrow without
O noble beauty, we see you have estranged your lover in every place.
a bowstring, upon a spear without a point.
The stranger is base of spirit, inactive, like poetry among the tribe of Raslan.
أبدَتْshe revealed خُدُوداًcheeks كالدِّماءِlike blood فماso ... did not افترَىfabricate a lie
أبدَتْ خُدُوداً كالدِّماءِ فما افترَى
منْwhoever قالَsaid تلكَthose شَقائِقُanemones النُّعمانِal-Nu'man
منْ قالَ تلكَ شَقائِقُ النُّعمانِ
She revealed cheeks like blood; no falsehood was spoken
A people whose branches reach Tinukh, while their roots ascend to Qahtan,
by whoever said, "Those are al-Nu'man's anemones."
Their boys like old men in wisdom, their old men fierce as boys in war,
ياO رَبَّةَmistress of الحُسنِbeauty العزيزِexalted نراكِwe see you قدalready
يا رَبَّةَ الحُسنِ العزيزِ نراكِ قد
غرَّبتِyou made a stranger of عاشقَهُits lover بكلِّin every مكانِplace
غرَّبتِ عاشقَهُ بكلِّ مكانِ
O mistress of exalted beauty, we see that you have
The delegations find with them a generosity that makes them forget their homes,
made its lover a stranger everywhere.
And they address everyone in his field as if one of them had a thousand tongues.
إنَّindeed الغريبَthe stranger ذليلُabased نفسٍspirit خاملٌobscure
إنَّ الغريبَ ذليلُ نفسٍ خاملٌ
كالشِّعرِlike poetry عندَin the eyes of سِوَىother than بنيthe sons of رَسلانِRaslan
كالشِّعرِ عندَ سِوَى بني رَسلانِ
A stranger is indeed abased in spirit and obscure,
They hold power over Iraq - it has spread from it over strips to Lebanon.
like poetry among all but the sons of Raslan.
In the ancient abode of the Arabs a desolation from them like the passion of Ma'reh for Nu'man,
قَومٌa people تُساقُare traced back إلىto تَنوخَTanukh فروعهُمُtheir branches
قَومٌ تُساقُ إلى تَنوخَ فروعهُمُ
وأُصولُهُمand their roots تَرقىascend إلىto قَحطانِQahtan
وأُصولُهُم تَرقى إلى قَحطانِ
A people whose branches are traced to Tanukh,
They went down to the west of the country as the celestial spheres revolve in their circuits,
and whose roots ascend to Qahtan.
And there in the west the fairest east appeared to us on its horizon,
غِلْمانُهُمtheir youths مثلُlike الشُّيوخِthe elders نباهةًin sagacity
غِلْمانُهُم مثلُ الشُّيوخِ نباهةً
وشيوخُهُمand their elders فيin البأسِvalor كالغِلْمانِlike youths
وشيوخُهُم في البأسِ كالغِلْمانِ
Their youths are like elders in sagacity,
Two moons from which there rose a most pious father for the sake of a most intrepid son,
and their elders, in valor, are like youths.
The most pious father and most eminent son in whom the traits of nobility vied as in a horse-race.
يَجدُfind الوُفودُthe delegations منof الكرامةِhonor عندَهُمamong them
يَجدُ الوُفودُ من الكرامةِ عندَهُم
ماthat which يَذهلونَthey are distracted بهِby it عنfrom الأوطانِthe homelands
ما يَذهلونَ بهِ عن الأوطانِ
Delegations find such honor among them
What excellent princes they both are, both commanded to do good and show kindness,
that it makes them forget their homelands.
The righteous, the just, the perfect, who stand in obedience to the Merciful!
ويُخاطبونَand they address بكلِّin every فنٍّart أهلَهُits practitioners
ويُخاطبونَ بكلِّ فنٍّ أهلَهُ
فكأنَّso it is as though واحدَهمeach of them بألفwith a thousand لِسانِtongues
فكأنَّ واحدَهم بألف لِسانِ
And in every art they converse with its practitioners,
Do not reckon me a panegyrist, but a relater of facts that I saw plainly.
so it is as though each had a thousand tongues.
I relate as I know, and leave my hearers to praise - the matter is no concern of mine.
لهمtheirs is السِّيادةُsovereignty فيin العِراقِIraq تطرَّقَتْmade its way
لهم السِّيادةُ في العِراقِ تطرَّقَتْ
منهُfrom it علىin نُوَبٍsuccessive turns إلىto لُبنانِLebanon
منهُ على نُوَبٍ إلى لُبنانِ
Theirs is sovereignty in Iraq; it made its way
from there, in successive turns, to Lebanon.
فيin حِيرةِHira العَرَبِthe Arabs القديمةِancient وَحشةٌloneliness
في حِيرةِ العَرَبِ القديمةِ وَحشةٌ
منهمat their absence كشوقِlike the longing of مَعرَّةِMa'arrat النُّعمانِal-Nu'man
منهم كشوقِ مَعرَّةِ النُّعمانِ
There is loneliness in the Arabs' ancient Hira
for them, like the longing of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man.
دَرَجواthey traveled إلىto غَربِthe west of البلادِthe lands كماjust as سَعَتْtraveled
دَرَجوا إلى غَربِ البلادِ كما سَعَتْ
سَيَّارةُthe wandering planets الأفلاكِthe celestial spheres فيin الدَّوَرانِrevolution
سَيَّارةُ الأفلاكِ في الدَّوَرانِ
They traveled to the west of the lands, as did
the wandering planets of the spheres in their revolutions.
فإذاand behold بذاكَin that الغربِwest أحسنُthe fairest مَشرِقٍeast
فإذا بذاكَ الغربِ أحسنُ مَشرِقٍ
يبدوappear لناto us منfrom أُفقِهِits horizon القَمَرانِthe two moons
يبدو لنا من أُفقِهِ القَمَرانِ
And behold, in that west is the fairest east,
from whose horizon the two moons appear to us.
قَمَرانِtwo moons حَيدَرُHaydar منهماamong the two أزكىthe most virtuous أبٍfather
قَمَرانِ حَيدَرُ منهما أزكى أبٍ
لأجلِّto the most illustrious نجلٍson مُلحمِMulhim بنِson of فُلانِso-and-so
لأجلِّ نجلٍ مُلحمِ بنِ فُلانِ
Two moons: Haydar, one of them, the most virtuous father
to the most illustrious son, Mulhim, son of so-and-so.
أزكىthe most virtuous أبٍfather وأجلُّand the most illustrious نجلٍson فيهماin both of them
أزكى أبٍ وأجلُّ نجلٍ فيهما
شِيَمُvirtues العُلَىnobility استَبَقَتْhave vied كخَيلِlike horses رِهانِa race
شِيَمُ العُلَى استَبَقَتْ كخَيلِ رِهانِ
The most virtuous father and the most illustrious son—in them
the virtues of nobility have vied like horses in a race.
نِعْمَexcellent are الأميرانِthe two emirs اللذانِthe two who كِلاهماeach of them
نِعْمَ الأميرانِ اللذانِ كِلاهما
ذوpossessed of الأمرِenjoining بالمعروفِto do what is right والإحسانِand benevolence
ذو الأمرِ بالمعروفِ والإحسانِ
Excellent are the two emirs, each of whom
enjoins righteousness and benevolence.
الفاضلانِthe two virtuous ones العاملانِthe two men of action الكاملاthe two perfect ones (continued)
الفاضلانِ العاملانِ الكاملا
نِdual ending (completes preceding word) القائمانِthe two who stand firm بطاعةِin obedience to الرحمانِthe Merciful
نِ القائمانِ بطاعةِ الرحمانِ
The two virtuous men of action, the two perfect ones,
the two who steadfastly obey the Merciful.
لاdo not تحسبونيregard me مادحاًa panegyrist بلrather راوياًa narrator
لا تحسبوني مادحاً بل راوياً
أرويI recount الوقائعَthe events عنfrom جَلِيِّclear عِيانِfirsthand observation
أروي الوقائعَ عن جَلِيِّ عِيانِ
Do not think me a panegyrist, but a narrator;
I recount events from clear firsthand observation.
أرويI recount كماas أدريI know واترُكُand I leave سامعيmy listener
أروي كما أدري واترُكُ سامعي
يُثنيhe praises فليسَfor ... not يُهِمُّنيconcerns me الأمرانِthe two matters
يُثني فليسَ يُهِمُّني الأمرانِ
I recount according to what I know, and leave my listener
to praise, for neither matter concerns me.
Partial English translation: 20 of 40 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1