غابَت سراةُ بَني بَحرٍ وَلَو شَهِدوا
يَوماً لَأُعطيتُ ما أَبغي وَأَطَّلِبُ
The chiefs of Banu Bahr were absent; had they been present
The caravan of the sons of Bahir disappeared
For a day, I would have been given what I desire and seek.
Had they witnessed a day, I would have been given what I want and ask for
لَمّا دَفَعتُ إِلى الماحوزِ قُلتُ لَهُ
هَل أَنتَ مُفتَعِلٌ خَيراً وَمُحتَسِبُ
When I made my way to al-Mahuz, I said to him,
When I handed over to Al-Mahouz, I said to him
“Will you do a good deed and seek divine reward?”
Are you a doer of good and a reckoner?
إِذا خَطيبٌ قَضى مِنّا مَقالَتَهُ
ثَنّى بِأُخرى خَطيبٌ فاصِلٌ أَرِبُ
Whenever one of our spokesmen finished his speech,
When an orator finishes his speech
An eloquent, skillful spokesman followed with another.
Another eloquent orator follows, intimate and skillful
حَتّى وَرَدنا القُنَينِيّاتِ ضاحِيَةً
في ساعَةٍ مِن نَهارِ الصَيفِ تَلتَهِبُ
Until we reached al-Qunayniyyat in full sunlight,
Until we reached Al-Qunainiyat shining
At a blazing hour of a summer day.
In an hour of a summer day flaming
فَجادَ بِالبارِدِ العَذبِ الزُلالِ لَنا
مادامَ يُمسِكُ عودَيْ دَلوِنا الكَرَبُ
Then cool, sweet, limpid water was generously given to us,
So he was generous with cool, fresh water for us
As long as the binding-rope held our bucket’s two rods,
As long as the handle of our bucket can still draw water
مِن ماءِ خالَةَ جَيّاشٌ بِجَمَّتِهِ
ممّا تَوارَثَهُ الأَوحادُ وَالعُتَبُ
From Khala’s water, surging in its pool,
From the surging water of Khalat Jiyash
From what al-Awhad and al-ʿUtab inherited generation after generation.
Inherited by the lonely and the loved ones
Sol 6.1