شاةُ سَعيدٍ في أَمرِها عِبَرُ
لَمّا أَتَتنا قَد مَسَّها الضَرَرُ
There are lessons in the tale of Saʿīd’s ewe.
The sheep of Sa'id is a lesson in her plight
When she came to us, harm had already befallen her.
When she came to us, already stricken by harm
وَهيَ تُغَنّي مِن سوءِ حالَتِها
حَسبي بِما قَد لَقيتُ يا عُمَرُ
And in her wretched plight she sang:
And she sings of her miserable state
“What I have suffered is enough for me, O ʿUmar!”
Enough for me is what I have endured, O Life!
مَرَّت بِقُطفٍ خُضرٍ يُنَشِّرُها
قَومٌ فَظَنَّت بِأَنَّها خُضَرُ
She passed green plush coverlets being spread out
She passed by a green bud that enticed her
by some people, and thought they were greens.
With men who thought it lush and green
فَأَقبَلَت نَحوَها لِتَأكُلَها
حَتّى إِذا ما تَبَيَّنَ الخَبَرُ
So she headed toward them to eat them,
So she approached to eat it
until, when the truth became clear,
Until the truth was made clear
وَأَبدَلَتها الظُنونُ مِن طَمَعِ
يَأساً تَغَنَّت وَالدَمعُ مُنحَدِرُ
and her suppositions had replaced her hope with
And hopes of greed turned within her
despair, she sang, her tears streaming down:
To despair, she sang while tears streamed
كانوا بَعيداً فَكُنتُ آمُلُهُم
حَتّى إِذا ما تَقَرَّبوا هَجَروا
“They were far away, so I had hopes of them,
They were distant, so I hoped for them
until, when they drew near, they deserted me.”
Until when they drew near, they abandoned me
Sol 6.1