هاجَstirred الفُؤادَthe heart مَعارِفُfamiliar features الرَسمِthe campsite’s traces
هاجَ الفُؤادَ مَعارِفُ الرَسمِ
قَفرٌdesolate بِذيat the place of الهَضَباتِthe hills كَالوَشمِlike a tattoo
قَفرٌ بِذي الهَضَباتِ كَالوَشمِ
The campsite’s familiar traces stirred the heart—
desolate at Dhu al-Hadabat, like a tattoo.
تَعتادُهُfrequent it عينٌwide-eyed wild cows مُلَمَّعَةٌdappled
تَعتادُهُ عينٌ مُلَمَّعَةٌ
تُزجيurge onward جَآذِرَهاtheir calves مَعَwith الأُدمِthe white ones
تُزجي جَآذِرَها مَعَ الأُدمِ
Wide-eyed, dappled wild cows frequent it,
urging their calves along with the white ones.
فيin القَفرِthe wilderness يَعطِفُهاherds them back أَقَبُّa lean-bellied male تَرىyou see
في القَفرِ يَعطِفُها أَقَبُّ تَرى
نَسَفاًpatches rubbed bare بِليتَيهِon both sides of his neck مِنَfrom الكَدمِbiting
نَسَفاً بِليتَيهِ مِنَ الكَدمِ
In the wilderness a lean-bellied male herds them back; you see
patches rubbed bare on both sides of his neck by biting.
فيamid عانَةٍa herd بَذَلَbestowed العِهادُsuccessive showers لَهاfor it
في عانَةٍ بَذَلَ العِهادُ لَها
وَسمِيَّautumnal غَيثٍrain صادِقِtrue to النَجمِthe star
وَسمِيَّ غَيثٍ صادِقِ النَجمِ
Amid a herd for which successive showers bestowed
autumn rain, true to its star.
فَاِعتَمَّso it grew dense وَاِفتَخَرَتand flaunted زَواخِرُهُits luxuriant growth
فَاِعتَمَّ وَاِفتَخَرَت زَواخِرُهُ
بِتَهاوِلٍwith varied colors كَتَهاوِلِlike the varied colors of الرَقمِpatterned cloth
بِتَهاوِلٍ كَتَهاوِلِ الرَقمِ
So the waste grew dense, its lush growth flaunting
colors like the colors of patterned cloth.
وَلَقَدand indeed أَراهاI see it وَالحُلولُand the dwellers بِهاin it
وَلَقَد أَراها وَالحُلولُ بِها
مِنfrom بَعدِafter صِرمٍa clan أَيِّماwhat a صِرمِclan
مِن بَعدِ صِرمٍ أَيِّما صِرمِ
Indeed, I see it, with those dwelling there,
after a clan—and what a clan!—
عَكَراًmassed camel herds إِذاwhen ماever راحَreturned at evening سَربُهُمُtheir drove
عَكَراً إِذا ما راحَ سَربُهُمُ
وَثَنواand they turned back عُروجَlarge camel herds قَنابِلٍdroves دُهمِdark-coated
وَثَنوا عُروجَ قَنابِلٍ دُهمِ
with massed camel herds whenever their drove came home,
and they turned back great herds in dark droves.
فَاِستَأثَرَthen took sole possession الدَهرُTime الغَداةَthat morning بِهِمof them
فَاِستَأثَرَ الدَهرُ الغَداةَ بِهِم
وَالدَهرُand Time يَرمينيshoots at me وَلاand not أَرميI shoot
وَالدَهرُ يَرميني وَلا أَرمي
Then Time claimed them for itself that morning;
and Time shoots at me, while I do not shoot back.
لَوif كانَit were ليfor me قِرناًan equal opponent أُناضِلُهُI duel with him in archery
لَو كانَ لي قِرناً أُناضِلُهُ
ماnot طاشَwould stray عِندَat حَفيظَةٍoutraged honor سَهميmy arrow
ما طاشَ عِندَ حَفيظَةٍ سَهمي
Were it a rival I could meet in archery,
my arrow would not stray when honor roused me.
أَوor كانَit were يُعطيgranting النَصفَfairness قُلتُI would say لَهُto it
أَو كانَ يُعطي النَصفَ قُلتُ لَهُ
أَحرَزتَyou have secured قِسمِكَyour share فَاِلهُso turn away عَنfrom قِسميmy share
أَحرَزتَ قِسمِكَ فَاِلهُ عَن قِسمي
Or, if it granted fairness, I would tell it:
“You have secured your share; leave mine alone.”
ياO دَهرُTime قَدindeed أَكثَرتَyou have multiplied فَجعَتَناour bereavement
يا دَهرُ قَد أَكثَرتَ فَجعَتَنا
بِسَراتِناof our chieftains وَقَرَعتَand struck فيinto العَظمِthe bone
بِسَراتِنا وَقَرَعتَ في العَظمِ
O Time, you have so often bereaved us
of our chieftains, and struck into the bone.
وَسَلَبتَناand robbed us ماwhat لَستَyou are not مُعقِبَهُreplacing it
وَسَلَبتَنا ما لَستَ مُعقِبَهُ
ياO دَهرُTime ماnot أَنصَفتَyou judged fairly فيin الحُكمِjudgment
يا دَهرُ ما أَنصَفتَ في الحُكمِ
You have robbed us of what you will never replace;
O Time, you have not judged fairly.
أَجلَتhave cleared away صُروفُكَyour vicissitudes عَنfrom أَخيa man of ثِقَةٍtrustworthiness
أَجلَت صُروفُكَ عَن أَخي ثِقَةٍ
حاميdefender of الذِمارِhonor and dependents مُخالِطِimbued with الحَزمِsound judgment
حامي الذِمارِ مُخالِطِ الحَزمِ
Your turns of fortune left a trusted man fallen,
a defender of honor, steeped in sound judgment.
يَنميhe traces his lineage إِلىto ميراثِthe legacy of والِدِهِhis father
يَنمي إِلى ميراثِ والِدِهِ
كُلُّevery اِمرِئٍman لِأَرومَةٍto an ancestral stock يَنميtraces his lineage
كُلُّ اِمرِئٍ لِأَرومَةٍ يَنمي
He traces his lineage to his father’s legacy—
every man traces his lineage to an ancestral stock.
فيهاin it مُرَكَّبُهُhis origin وَمَحتِدُهُand his ancestral root
فيها مُرَكَّبُهُ وَمَحتِدُهُ
فيin اللُؤمِbaseness أَوor فيin المَوضِعِa station الفَخمِlofty
في اللُؤمِ أَو في المَوضِعِ الفَخمِ
There lie his origin and his ancestral root,
in baseness or in lofty station.
وَلَقَدand indeed عَلِمتَyou know عَلىdespite اِنصِلاتِكَyour headlong haste ماnot
وَلَقَد عَلِمتَ عَلى اِنصِلاتِكَ ما
أَزرىdemeaned وَلَوeven if أَكثَرتَyou increase بيme عُدميmy poverty
أَزرى وَلَو أَكثَرتَ بي عُدمي
And you well know, despite your headlong haste, that
my poverty has not demeaned me, however much you deepen it.
خُلُقيmy nature بَرىwore down جِسميmy body وَشَيَّبَنيand turned me gray
خُلُقي بَرى جِسمي وَشَيَّبَني
جَزَعيmy grief عَلىover ماwhat ماتَdied مِنof هَرمِHarim
جَزَعي عَلى ما ماتَ مِن هَرمِ
My nature has wasted my body; I have been turned gray
by my grief for all that died with Harim.
إِنَّindeed الرَزيئَةَthe calamity مالَهاit has no مَثَلٌequal
إِنَّ الرَزيئَةَ مالَها مَثَلٌ
فِقدانُthe loss of مَنone who يَنميtraces his lineage إِلىto الحَزمِsound judgment
فِقدانُ مَن يَنمي إِلى الحَزمِ
Indeed, the calamity beyond compare
is losing one whose lineage leads to sound judgment:
حُلوٌsweet-natured أَريبٌdiscerning فيin حَلاوَتِهِhis sweetness
حُلوٌ أَريبٌ في حَلاوَتِهِ
مُرٌّbitter كَريمٌnoble ثابِتُsteadfast in الحِلمِforbearance
مُرٌّ كَريمٌ ثابِتُ الحِلمِ
sweet, discerning in his sweetness;
bitter, noble, steadfast in forbearance.
لاno فِعلُهُhis deed فِعلٌa deed وَلَيسَand there is not كَقَولِهِlike his speech
لا فِعلُهُ فِعلٌ وَلَيسَ كَقَولِهِ
قَولٌany speech وَلَيسَand he is not بِمُفحِشٍfoul-mouthed كَزمِmiserly
قَولٌ وَلَيسَ بِمُفحِشٍ كَزمِ
No deed is like his deed, nor like his speech
is any speech; he is neither foul-mouthed nor miserly.
Sol 6.1