ومُذand since خَيَّمتُI pitched camp بِالخَضراءِin al-Khadra دَاراas a dwelling
ومُذ خَيَّمتُ بِالخَضراءِ دَارا
وَزنتُI weighed بِشِسعِagainst the strap of نَعلِيmy sandal تَاجَthe crown of داراDara
وَزنتُ بِشِسعِ نَعلِي تَاجَ دارا
And since I pitched camp in al-Khadra, making it my home,
Since I pitched my tent in the green oasis
I weighed Dara's crown against my sandal strap.
And donned the crown with my sandal straps
تَوَهَّمتُI imagined السَّمَاءَheaven بِهَاin it مَحَلِّيmy dwelling
تَوَهَّمتُ السَّمَاءَ بِهَا مَحَلِّي
لأَنِّيbecause I لِلنُّجومِto the stars أَقَمتُI settled جَاراas a neighbor
لأَنِّي لِلنُّجومِ أَقَمتُ جَارا
I imagined heaven to be my dwelling there,
I fancied the sky as my abode
Because I had settled as a neighbor to the stars—
For I made the stars my neighbors
لإِخوَانٍto brothers إِذَاwhenever فَكَّرتُI thought فِيهِمof them
لإِخوَانٍ إِذَا فَكَّرتُ فِيهِم
رَأَيتُI saw كِبَارَthe great ones among إخوَانِيmy brothers صِغَارَاas small
رَأَيتُ كِبَارَ إخوَانِي صِغَارَا
To brothers: whenever I thought of them,
When I think of my brethren
I saw the great ones among my brethren as small.
I see my elder brothers as smaller
كَأَنَّas though اللَّهَGod قَدhad سَبَكَsmelted المَعَالِيnoble qualities
كَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَد سَبَكَ المَعَالِي
فَخَلَّصَand so refined مَجدَهُمtheir glory مِنهَاfrom them نُضَارَاpure gold
فَخَلَّصَ مَجدَهُم مِنهَا نُضَارَا
As though God had smelted noble qualities,
As if God had forged greatness
And refined their glory from them into pure gold.
And extracted their glory anew
وَماand not قَالواthey called لهاfor it الخَضرَاءَal-Khadra (the Green) إِلاexcept
وَما قَالوا لها الخَضرَاءَ إِلا
لأَنbecause كَانَتit was لأنجُمِهِمfor their stars مَدَارَاan orbit
لأَن كَانَت لأنجُمِهِم مَدَارَا
And they called it al-Khadra—the Green—only
And they only called it “the Green”
Because it was an orbit for their stars.
Because it was the orbit of their stars
وَمَنزِلُنَاand our dwelling بِأَزرَقَbeside a blue stream كَوثرِيٍّKawthar-like
وَمَنزِلُنَا بِأَزرَقَ كَوثرِيٍّ
بِمَنزِلat the dwelling of أَزرَقٍAzraq مَاnot إِنemphatic particle يُجَارَاcan be rivaled
بِمَنزِل أَزرَقٍ مَا إِن يُجَارَا
And our dwelling lay beside a blue, Kawthar-like stream,
While our abode in the Azrāq oasis
At Azraq's abode, which cannot be rivaled.
Cannot rival the abode of Azrāq
لَبِسنَاwe donned لِلغَدِيرِthe pool's بِهِthere دُرُوعاًcoats of mail
لَبِسنَا لِلغَدِيرِ بِهِ دُرُوعاً
وَجَرَّدنَاand we unsheathed جَدَاوِلَهُits rivulets شِفَارَاas blades
وَجَرَّدنَا جَدَاوِلَهُ شِفَارَا
There we donned the pool's coats of mail,
We donned its pond with armors
And unsheathed its rivulets as blades.
And bared its streams to thirst
بِيَومٍon a day لَوif رَمَىshot الكُسَعِيal-Kusa‘i فِيهِon it
بِيَومٍ لَو رَمَى الكُسَعِي فِيهِ
رَأىhe would have seen مِنfrom قَوسِهِhis bow سرّاًa secret تَوَارَىthat lay hidden
رَأى مِن قَوسِهِ سرّاً تَوَارَى
On a day on which, had al-Kusa‘i shot,
On a day when, had Al-Kusa’i shot
He would have seen his bow's once-hidden secret.
His bow would have missed its mark
وَرَوضٍand a garden رَاقَdelighted مَنظَرُهُits sight وَإِلاand otherwise
وَرَوضٍ رَاقَ مَنظَرُهُ وَإِلا
فَلِمthen why خَلَعَcast off الحَمامُthe dove بِهِthere العِذاراthe bridle strap
فَلِم خَلَعَ الحَمامُ بِهِ العِذارا
And a garden whose sight delighted—otherwise,
In a garden, pretty was its sight
Why did the dove cast off its bridle there,
Else why did the doves there shed their plumage?
وَقَامَand it stood عَلَىupon مَنَابِرِهِits pulpits خَطِيباًas a preacher
وَقَامَ عَلَى مَنَابِرِهِ خَطِيباً
فَحَرَّكَthen stirred لِلغُصونِfor the boughs بِهِthere حُوَارَاa dialogue
فَحَرَّكَ لِلغُصونِ بِهِ حُوَارَا
And stand upon its pulpits as a preacher,
And on its pulpits stood an orator
Then stir the boughs there into conversation?
who stirred the boughs to discourse
وَطارَحَهَاand it conversed with them فَأَصغَتso they listened closely سَامِعَاتٍlistening
وَطارَحَهَا فَأَصغَت سَامِعَاتٍ
وَهَزَّتand they swayed مِنfrom مَعَاطِفِهَاtheir curving sides حَيَارَىbewildered
وَهَزَّت مِن مَعَاطِفِهَا حَيَارَى
It conversed with them, and they listened attentively,
Which listened rapt and shook
And swayed their curving forms, bewildered.
from their mantles, shyer
فَإنand if مَرَّpassed النَّسِيمُthe breeze بِهِthrough it عَلِيلاًailing
فَإن مَرَّ النَّسِيمُ بِهِ عَلِيلاً
تَكَلَّفَتِthey exerted themselves القِيَامَto rise لَهُfor it سُكَارَىdrunken
تَكَلَّفَتِ القِيَامَ لَهُ سُكَارَى
And if the breeze passed through it, ailing,
Should the breeze pass by, frail
They strained to rise for it, drunk.
The trees strive to stand, drunk
وَطَودٍand a mountain لَوif تُزاحِمُwere to jostle مَنكِبَاهُits two shoulders
وَطَودٍ لَو تُزاحِمُ مَنكِبَاهُ
نِظَامَthe string of النَّجمِthe stars لانتَثَرَit would scatter انتِثَارَاutterly
نِظَامَ النَّجمِ لانتَثَرَ انتِثَارَا
And a mountain—if its shoulders were to jostle
With a bulk, if its shoulders vied
The string of stars, it would scatter utterly.
It would toss the order of stars into chaos
سَمَاit rose high فَتَشَوَّقَتand so yearned زهرُthe bright ones الدَّرَارِيof the glittering stars
سَمَا فَتَشَوَّقَت زهرُ الدَّرَارِي
إِلَيهِfor it فَنَكَّسَthen it lowered الرَّأسَthe head احتِقَارَاin disdain
إِلَيهِ فَنَكَّسَ الرَّأسَ احتِقَارَا
It rose high, and the bright, glittering stars yearned
The flowers of wild pear bloomed
For it; then it bowed its head in disdain.
Yearning for it, so it bowed its head in disdain
وَقَدand had شَمَخَtowered الوَقَارُdignity بِهِin it وَلَكِنbut
وَقَد شَمَخَ الوَقَارُ بِهِ وَلَكِن
وَقَارُthe dignity of ذَوِيهِits people عَلَّمَهُtaught it الوَقَارَاdignity
وَقَارُ ذَوِيهِ عَلَّمَهُ الوَقَارَا
And dignity had towered within it, yet
Though it rose with dignity
The dignity of its people taught it dignity.
The dignity of its family taught it composure
أَولائِكَthose مَعشَرٌa people قَهَرُواthey conquered الليَالِيthe nights
أَولائِكَ مَعشَرٌ قَهَرُوا الليَالِي
وَرَدُّوهَاand they brought them لِحُكمِهِمunder their rule اضطِرَارَاby force
وَرَدُّوهَا لِحُكمِهِم اضطِرَارَا
Those are a people who conquered the nights,
That band subdued the nights
And brought them under their rule by force.
And bent them by force to their rule
وَقَامَand he undertook بِعبءِthe burden of مَجدِهِمُtheir glory اضطِلاعاًably shouldering it
وَقَامَ بِعبءِ مَجدِهِمُ اضطِلاعاً
فَأَنجَدَso he climbed the highlands فِيin العَلاءِeminence كَمَاjust as أَغَارَاhe descended to the lowlands
فَأَنجَدَ فِي العَلاءِ كَمَا أَغَارَا
And he ably shouldered the burden of their glory,
And bore the burden of their glory
So he climbed honor's highlands as he descended its lowlands:
So it rose to the sublime as they did
أَبوfather of عَمرو‘Amr بنِson of حَسُّونHassun الَّذِيwho لاnot
أَبو عَمرو بنِ حَسُّون الَّذِي لا
تَشُقُّcan cut through النِّيِّرَاتُthe radiant stars لَهُfor him غُبَارَاdust
تَشُقُّ النِّيِّرَاتُ لَهُ غُبَارَا
Abu ‘Amr ibn Hassun, whom not even
Abu ‘Amr ibn Hassoun
The radiant stars can overtake amid his dust.
Whom the banners do not cloak in dust
فَتىًa youth فِيin السِّنِّage كَهلٌa mature man فِيin المَعَالِيnoble attainments
فَتىً فِي السِّنِّ كَهلٌ فِي المَعَالِي
صَغِيرٌa young man زَيَّفَhe exposed as counterfeit النَّاسَthe men الكِبَارَاthe great
صَغِيرٌ زَيَّفَ النَّاسَ الكِبَارَا
A youth in years, a mature man in noble attainments,
A lad in years, aged in feats
A young man who proved the great men counterfeit.
A child who disguised the elders as small
وَلاand no عَجَبwonder بِسُؤدَدِهِat his preeminence صَغِيراًwhile young
وَلا عَجَب بِسُؤدَدِهِ صَغِيراً
فَإِنَّfor indeed الخَيلَhorses أَنجَبَتِhave borne noble offspring المِهَارَاfoals
فَإِنَّ الخَيلَ أَنجَبَتِ المِهَارَا
And no wonder at his preeminence while young:
No wonder at his precocity
For horses have borne noble foals.
When horses sire racers
وَإِنَّand indeed السَّهمَthe arrow وَهوَwhile it is أَدَقُّthe slenderest شَيءٍthing
وَإِنَّ السَّهمَ وَهوَ أَدَقُّ شَيءٍ
يَفُوتُoutstrips الرُّمحَthe spear سَبقاًin speed وَابتِدَارَاand in swiftness
يَفُوتُ الرُّمحَ سَبقاً وَابتِدَارَا
And the arrow, though it is the slenderest of things,
And the arrow, subtlest of things
Outstrips the spear in speed and swiftness.
Overtakes the spear, outstripping it
Sol 6.1