لَمّاwhen رَأَتْنِيshe saw me أُمُّmother of عَمرٍوʿAmr لَمْnot أَنَمْI sleep
لَمّا رَأَتْنِي أُمُّ عَمرٍو لَمْ أَنَمْ
كَصاحِبِlike one suffering from اللَدْغَةthe sting مِنْbecause of دَيْنٍdebt وَهَمْand worry
كَصاحِبِ اللَدْغَة مِنْ دَيْنٍ وَهَمْ
When Umm ʿAmr saw that I could not sleep,
When Umm ʿAmr saw that I had not slept,
like one suffering a venomous bite, from debt and care,
Like one stung, from debt and worry,
قالَتْshe said وَمَنْand whoever قالَspeaks الصَوابَwhat is right لَمْnot يُلَمْis blamed
قالَتْ وَمَنْ قالَ الصَوابَ لَمْ يُلَمْ
إِنَّindeed الفَتَىthe young man العَبْدِيَّthe ʿAbdī حَرْبَḤarb بْنَson of حَكَمْḤakam
إِنَّ الفَتَى العَبْدِيَّ حَرْبَ بْنَ حَكَمْ
she said—and whoever speaks the truth is not to blame—
She said—and whoever speaks rightly is not blamed—
“Indeed, the ʿAbdī youth, Harb ibn Hakam,
Indeed, the ʿAbdī youth, Ḥarb son of Ḥakam,
فيin مَعْدِنٍa mine إِنْif زُرْتَهُyou visit him مِنَof الكَرَمْgenerosity
في مَعْدِنٍ إِنْ زُرْتَهُ مِنَ الكَرَمْ
كَمْhow many لَكَfor you مِنْof خالٍa maternal uncle وَمِنْand of جَدٍّa grandfather لِهَمْgenerous
كَمْ لَكَ مِنْ خالٍ وَمِنْ جَدٍّ لِهَمْ
dwells in an inexhaustible mine of generosity, if you visit him.
Is in a mine of generosity, if you visit him.
How many an uncle and grandsire you have among them,
How many a maternal uncle and generous grandfather you have!
بِهِthrough him تَزَيَّدْتَyou gained strength عَلَىfor وَثْبِleaping across القُحَمْperils
بِهِ تَزَيَّدْتَ عَلَى وَثْبِ القُحَمْ
مَدَّextended لَكَto you المُنْذِرُal-Mundhir فِيin المَجْدglory الأَشَمْlofty
مَدَّ لَكَ المُنْذِرُ فِي المَجْد الأَشَمْ
through whom you have risen above the charge of men who plunge into peril!
Through him you gained strength to leap across perils.
Al-Mundhir has extended for you, in lofty glory,
Al-Mundhir extended to you, in lofty glory,
مَجْداًa glory نَمَىgrew مِنْsince عَهْدِthe age of عادٍʿĀd وَإِرَمْand Iram
مَجْداً نَمَى مِنْ عَهْدِ عادٍ وَإِرَمْ
وَلَكَand you have أَعْلامٌmountains رَفِيعاتُlofty القِمَمْin their summits
وَلَكَ أَعْلامٌ رَفِيعاتُ القِمَمْ
a glory that has grown since the age of ʿĀd and Iram.
A glory grown since the age of ʿĀd and Iram.
And yours are standards raised high upon the peaks,
And yours are mountains with lofty summits,
وَشَرَفٌand honor أَتَمَّهُperfected it اللَّهُGod فَتَمّso it became complete
وَشَرَفٌ أَتَمَّهُ اللَّهُ فَتَمّ
فَنِعْمَso excellent is بَانِيthe builder of المَكْرُماتِnoble deeds وَالعَلَمْand the lofty landmark
فَنِعْمَ بَانِي المَكْرُماتِ وَالعَلَمْ
and an honor God perfected—so it stands complete.
And honor that God perfected, and so it became complete.
How excellent a builder of noble deeds and renown!
What a fine builder of noble deeds and towering honor
أَنْتَyou إِذَاwhen ماever عَضَّbit بِالناسِupon the people العَدَمْdestitution
أَنْتَ إِذَا ما عَضَّ بِالناسِ العَدَمْ
أَنْتَyou رَبِيعspringtime for الأَقْرَبِينَnear kin وَالعَمَمْand people at large
أَنْتَ رَبِيع الأَقْرَبِينَ وَالعَمَمْ
You are there whenever want sinks its teeth into men;
You are when poverty bites the people!
you are springtime to near kinsmen and to all.
You are springtime for near kin and people at large,
لِزائرfor a visitor to الأَكْفاءِpeers إِنْif خَطْبٌa calamity أَلَمّbefell
لِزائر الأَكْفاءِ إِنْ خَطْبٌ أَلَمّ
شَدَّclamped hard بِنابَيْهwith its two fangs العِضاضthe biting أَوor أَزَمْclenched its teeth
شَدَّ بِنابَيْه العِضاض أَو أَزَمْ
And for a visitor among worthy peers, if calamity descends—
For one who visits his peers when calamity strikes,
the biting calamity grips with both its fangs, or clamps down.
Clamping with both its fangs, biting or clenching.
إِلَيْكَto you أَشْكُوI complain of الهَمَّworry مِنْfrom أَمْرٍan affair أَهَمْpressing
إِلَيْكَ أَشْكُو الهَمَّ مِنْ أَمْرٍ أَهَمْ
أَجْفَىhostile عَلَىto النَوْمِsleep وَدَيْناًand a debt كَالسَقَمْlike sickness
أَجْفَى عَلَى النَوْمِ وَدَيْناً كَالسَقَمْ
To you I complain of anxiety over a graver affair:
To you I complain of worry from a pressing affair,
it has made sleep shun me—and of a debt like sickness.
That banishes sleep, and of a debt like sickness.
أَنْتَyou المُجارِيthe racer جَرْيَthe running of سَبّاقٍa frontrunner خَذِمْswift
أَنْتَ المُجارِي جَرْيَ سَبّاقٍ خَذِمْ
إِلَىto المَدَىthe goal الأَقْصَىfarthest بِعافِwith a petitioner مُعْتَزِمْresolute
إِلَى المَدَى الأَقْصَى بِعافِ مُعْتَزِمْ
You match the course of a swift, foremost racer,
You race with the stride of a swift frontrunner,
toward the farthest goal with sweeping, resolute stride.
To the farthest goal with a resolute petitioner.
قَدْindeed علِمُواthey have known أَنَّكَthat you إِذْwhen عَيَّwas helpless البرَمْthe miser
قَدْ علِمُوا أَنَّكَ إِذْ عَيَّ البرَمْ
وَأَلْبَسَand clothed الأَرْضَthe earth الضَبابُfog وَالقَتَمْand dark dust
وَأَلْبَسَ الأَرْضَ الضَبابُ وَالقَتَمْ
They know that, when the knotted crisis defies solution,
They know that you, when the miser is helpless,
and the earth is swathed in fog and black haze,
And fog and dark dust have clothed the earth,
وَسَنَةٌand a year شَهْباءُash-gray صَمّاءُdeaf الصَمَمْwith utter deafness
وَسَنَةٌ شَهْباءُ صَمّاءُ الصَمَمْ
مُنْحَدَرُa cascade of الوابِلِheavy rain وَكّافُpouring abundantly الدِيَمْsteady rains
مُنْحَدَرُ الوابِلِ وَكّافُ الدِيَمْ
and a gray famine is unleashed, deaf to every cry,
And an ash-gray famine year is utterly deaf,
you send the cloudburst plunging down and pour the steady rains—
Are a cascade of heavy rain, pouring steady showers in abundance.
وافٍfaithful إِذَاwhen عاهَدْتَyou pledge مَنّاعُa staunch defender of الحَرَمْthe inviolable
وافٍ إِذَا عاهَدْتَ مَنّاعُ الحَرَمْ
تُجْلِيyou dispel بِتَنْوِيرِكَwith your illumination أَلْوانَthe shades of الظُلَمْdarkness
تُجْلِي بِتَنْوِيرِكَ أَلْوانَ الظُلَمْ
true when you covenant, a staunch defender of sacred bounds.
Faithful when you pledge, a staunch defender of the sacred,
By slaughtering camels in bounty, you clear away hunger in all its forms.
You dispel with your radiance every shade of darkness.
وَإِنand if أَلَحَّتْpersisted غُمَّةٌa cloud of sorrow مِنَamong الغُمَمْsorrow’s clouds
وَإِن أَلَحَّتْ غُمَّةٌ مِنَ الغُمَمْ
فَرَّجَهاdispels it مِنْكَfrom you ضِياءٌa radiance مُدَّعِمْresting for support
فَرَّجَها مِنْكَ ضِياءٌ مُدَّعِمْ
And if some pall of affliction presses relentlessly,
And if one of sorrow’s clouds persists,
a strongly buttressed radiance from you dispels it.
A radiance from you dispels it, resting for support
إِلَىagainst عِمادٍpillars ثَبْتُهُنَّtheir steadfast one لَمْnot يُرَمْhas been assailed
إِلَى عِمادٍ ثَبْتُهُنَّ لَمْ يُرَمْ
وَأَنْتَand you بَحْرٌa sea مَدَّهُfed it بَحْرٌa sea قِذَمْvast and brimming
وَأَنْتَ بَحْرٌ مَدَّهُ بَحْرٌ قِذَمْ
Behind it stands a pillar that has held them firm and never shifted.
Against pillars whose steadfast one has never been assailed.
You are an ocean before whose surge another sea is dwarfed.
And you are a sea fed by a vast, brimming sea.
إِذاwhen ازْدَهَتْهُtosses it رِيحُa wind غَيْمٍcloud أَوْor شَبَمْcold
إِذا ازْدَهَتْهُ رِيحُ غَيْمٍ أَوْ شَبَمْ
طارَflew العَدَوْلِيُّthe ʿAdawlī ship كَأَقْحافِlike shards of البُرَمْcooking pots
طارَ العَدَوْلِيُّ كَأَقْحافِ البُرَمْ
When a rain-cloud wind or bitter chill lashes it,
When a cloud-bearing or cold wind tosses it,
the ʿAdawlī ship flies like shards of stone cooking pots,
The ʿAdawlī ship flies like shards of cooking pots,
بِالساحِلَيْنِby both shores عَنْaway from بُذاخِيٍّa high-swelling sea غِطَمْvast and full
بِالساحِلَيْنِ عَنْ بُذاخِيٍّ غِطَمْ
مُعْتَلِجclashing الأَعْرافِthe crests مُلْتَجِّseething الحُوَمْthe deep expanses
مُعْتَلِج الأَعْرافِ مُلْتَجِّ الحُوَمْ
between the two shores, fleeing a towering, overwhelming swell,
By both shores, away from a high-swelling, vast sea,
whose crests are locked in struggle, whose dark deeps surge,
Its crests clashing, its depths seething.
إِذَاwhen الْتَقَتْmet أَرْكانُهُits flanks بِمُزْدَحَمْin a crowded confluence
إِذَا الْتَقَتْ أَرْكانُهُ بِمُزْدَحَمْ
سَرَّحَsent forth عَنْهُaway from it وَهوَwhile it is رَحْبُwide المُنْثَلَمْat the breach
سَرَّحَ عَنْهُ وَهوَ رَحْبُ المُنْثَلَمْ
when its sides collide in the crush,
When its flanks meet in a crowded confluence,
the ship glides clear of it through a broad breach.
It sends the ship away, its breach wide.
Sol 6.1