أَرِقتُ وَدَمعُ العَينِ في العَينِ غائرُ
وَجادَت بِما فيها الشُؤونُ الأَعاوِرُ
I lay sleepless, the eye's tears sunk deep within the eye,
I languished, and tears flooded my eyes,
And the blind tear channels poured out what they held.
Troubles poured forth turbulently,
كَأَنَّ فِراشي فَوقَهُ نارُ مَوقِدٍ
مِنَ اللَيلِ أَو فَوقَ الفِراشِ السَواجِرُ
As though a hearth's fire lay upon my bed
As if my bed lay over raging fire,
At night, or blazing fires lay upon the bedding,
Or over it prowled preying beasts.
عَلى خَيرِ حافٍ مِن قُرَيش وَناعِلٍ
إِذا الخَيرُ يُرجى أَو إِذا الشَرُّ حاضِرُ
Mourning the best of Quraysh, barefoot or shod,
For the best guardian of Quraysh and its sandals -
When good is hoped for, or when evil is at hand.
When good is hoped or evil present -
أَلا إِنَّ زادَ الرَكبِ غَير مُدافَعٍ
بِسروِ سُحَيمٍ غَيَّبَتهُ المَقابِرُ
Behold, the Caravan's Provision, beyond dispute:
Alas, the food of the caravan is gone,
At Sarw Suhaym, the graves have hidden him.
Under Suhaym's pine trees buried in graves.
بِسروِ سُحَيمٍ عارِفٌ وَمُناكِرٌ
وَفارِسُ غاراتٍ خَطيبٌ وَياسِرُ
At Sarw Suhaym, friend and foe,
Under Suhaym's pine trees - a knowing and denying knight,
And raiding horseman, orator, and lot-caster,
A raider in forays, an eloquent and quick blade.
تَنادوا بِأَن لا سيِّدَ الحَيِّ فيهِم
وَقَد فُجِعَ الحَيّانِ كَعبٌ وَعامِرُ
Called out that the clan's chief was no longer among them.
They called out that among them was no lord of the living,
And indeed the two clans, Ka'b and Amir, were bereaved.
And the living were aggrieved - Ka'b and 'Amir.
وَكانَ إِذا يَأتي مِنَ الشامِ قافِلاً
تَقَدَّمهُ تَسعى إِلَينا البَشائِرُ
And whenever he came home from al-Sham,
Whenever he came from Syria in caravan,
Glad tidings hurried to us ahead of him.
Tidings would run ahead to us.
فَيُصبِحُ أَهلُ اللَهِ بيضاً كَأَنَّما
كَسَتهُم حَبيراً ريدَةٌ وَمَعافِرُ
Then God's people would shine white, as though
So Allah's people would wake pure white
Raydah and Ma'afir had clothed them in patterned cloth.
As if their shawls were stained reddish fur.
تَرى دارَةً لا يبرحُ الدَهر عِندَها
مُجَعجِعَةً كومٌ سِمانٌ وَباقِرُ
You see an enclosure where, all the while, there remain
You see a house the ages never leave it
Penned, high-humped, fat camels and cattle.
Rumbling, a heap of arrow shafts and makers,
إِذا أَكَلَت يَوماً أَتى الغَدَ مِثلها
زَواهِقُ زُهمٌ أَو مَخاضٌ بَهازِرُ
When they were eaten one day, their like came the next:
When it ate one day, the next would bring the same,
Full-fleshed, fat beasts, or huge pregnant she-camels.
Seafaring ships, raging she-camels in heat.
ضَروبٌ بِنَصلِ السَيفِ سوق سِمانِها
إِذا عَدِموا زاداً فَإِنَّكَ عاقِرُ
Often you struck its fat beasts' shanks with the sword's blade;
Strokes with the sword blades coursing their fat,
When they lacked provisions, you would slaughter.
When their supplies fail, you are barren.
فَإِن لا يَكُن لَحمٌ غَريضٌ فَإِنَّهُ
تُكَبُّ عَلى أَفواهِهِنَّ الغَرائِرُ
And if there was no fresh meat, then
If there is no mature meat, then it
The sacks were tipped out over their mouths.
Pours into their mouths the unripe.
فَيا لَكَ مِن ناعٍ حُبيتَ بِأَلَّةٍ
شِراعِيَّةٍ تَصفَرُّ مِنها الأَظافِرُ
And oh, herald of death, may a spear be your gift—
Oh you were loved with a sandal-strap
A long one that turns the fingernails yellow.
Of Levantine make whose thongs turn yellow.
Sol 6.1