خليليَّmy two friends عوجاًturn aside, you two بالمحلَّةat the dwelling إنهاindeed it is
خليليَّ عوجاً بالمحلَّة إنها
قرارةُthe resting place أشجانيof my sorrows ومثوىand the abode بلابليof my anguish
قرارةُ أشجاني ومثوى بلابلي
My two friends, turn aside at the dwelling, for it is
My friend, crooked in Mahallah, it is
the resting place of my sorrows and the abode of my anguish.
The abode of my sorrows and home to my nightingales
قفاstand, you two بينamong هاتيكthose المشاهدِsites وأندباand mourn, you two
قفا بين هاتيك المشاهدِ وأندبا
مصارعَthe death-sites أبناءof the sons العلىof greatness والفضائلِand virtues
مصارعَ أبناء العلى والفضائلِ
Stand among those sites and mourn
Stand between these scenes and mourn
the places where the sons of greatness and virtue fell.
The fate of the noble and virtuous sons
لوif أنَّthat المناياdeath أمهلتهمhad granted them respite ليالياًnights
لو أنَّ المنايا أمهلتهم ليالياً
قلائلَfew ماnot آلاؤهاtheir blessings بقلائلِfew at all
قلائلَ ما آلاؤها بقلائلِ
Had death granted them nights of respite—
If only death had spared them a few nights
few, yet with blessings far from few—
How little its gifts for how little
لساءwould surely have distressed الأعاديthe enemies منهمُamong them كلُّevery باسلٍfearless man
لساء الأعادي منهمُ كلُّ باسلٍ
وسرَّand would have delighted المواليthe allies كلُّevery نذبٍgallant man (uncertain reading) حُلاحلmighty chief
وسرَّ الموالي كلُّ نذبٍ حُلاحل
every fearless man among them would have distressed their enemies,
The enemies gloated over their every valiant one
and every gallant, mighty chief would have gladdened their allies.
And the friends grieved over their every slain youth
نفوسٌsouls عفتْbecame desolate منهاwithout them جسومbodies منازلٍof dwellings
نفوسٌ عفتْ منها جسوم منازلٍ
قلوبٌhearts خلتْbecame empty منهاof them صدورُthe breasts محافلِof gatherings
قلوبٌ خلتْ منها صدورُ محافلِ
Souls, without which the bodies of dwellings lie desolate;
Souls whose bodies were dwellings
hearts, without which the breasts of gatherings lie empty.
Hearts whose chests were assemblies
لأمستْindeed have become نجومُthe stars المجدof glory وهيwhile they سواقطٌfalling
لأمستْ نجومُ المجد وهي سواقطٌ
وعهديand as I recall وماand not أقمارهits moons بأوافلِsetting at all
وعهدي وما أقماره بأوافلِ
The stars of glory have indeed fallen,
The stars of glory fell as meteors
yet I remember its moons as never setting.
And my era and its moons are setting
ألاbehold بأبيwith my father as ransom ماthose whom ضمتembraced التربُthe dust منهمُof them
ألا بأبي ما ضمت التربُ منهمُ
وماand those whom ضمِّنتwere made to contain منهمof them بطونthe bellies الجنادلِof the rocks
وما ضمِّنت منهم بطون الجنادلِ
Ah, may my father be ransom for those of them the dust has embraced,
Oh my father! The earth did not contain them
and those of them the bellies of the rocks were made to hold.
Nor the wombs of the valiant women who bore them
نرجيwe hope for بقاءًlasting life لاnot يدومُlasts ضلالةًin delusion
نرجي بقاءً لا يدومُ ضلالةً
ونأملُand we hope for دنياa world لاnot تفيءُreturns لآملfor one who hopes
ونأملُ دنيا لا تفيءُ لآمل
We hope, deluded, for a life that does not last,
We hope for an enduring life not one of misguidance
and hope for a world that will not turn back for the hopeful.
And we dream of a lasting world not one that disappoints
فياso oh ليتَwould that أناthat we حينwhen نذهبwe depart بالأسىwith grief
فيا ليتَ أنا حين نذهب بالأسى
علىover ماwhat تركناهُwe left it behind ذهبناwe departed بطائلwith something worthwhile
على ما تركناهُ ذهبنا بطائل
If only, when we depart in grief
I wish when we left in sorrow
over what we left behind, we departed with something worthwhile!
For what we had left behind we left with purpose
نودعwe bid farewell to خلاناًcompanions ونبكيand we weep for أحبةًloved ones
نودع خلاناً ونبكي أحبةً
خلتْbecame empty منهمُof them أكنافthe corners تلكthose المنازلhomes
خلتْ منهمُ أكناف تلك المنازل
We bid companions farewell and weep for loved ones;
We bid farewell to our friends and cried for our loved ones
the corners of those homes are empty of them.
Whose homes those dwellings had been emptied of
فلاso may ... not يُبعدِcast away اللهGod الوجوهthe faces تغيرتْchanged
فلا يُبعدِ الله الوجوه تغيرتْ
محاسنهاtheir beauties ماwhat lies بينbetween عامٍa year وقابلِand the next
محاسنها ما بين عامٍ وقابلِ
So may God not banish those faces; changed were
May God not distance the faces that changed
their beauties between one year and the next.
Their beauty in the span of a year or encounter
كبتْstumbled منهمof theirs نشمُّlofty (uncertain reading) الجدودfortunes وكمand how often عدتْthey galloped
كبتْ منهم نشمُّ الجدود وكم عدتْ
بعيدةfar شأوٍin their course منfrom يدthe hand المتطاولof one reaching high
بعيدة شأوٍ من يد المتطاول
Their lofty fortunes stumbled—how often they had galloped
Many proud chins have been subdued by them
far in their course, beyond the hand of one reaching high!
And many a haughty hand made to withdraw
سعتْthey hastened بهمbearing them سعيthe haste المجدِof a determined striver إلىtoward الردىdeath
سعتْ بهم سعي المجدِ إلى الردى
عواثرُstumbling فيin ذيلٍa hem منof الذلhumiliation سابلtrailing
عواثرُ في ذيلٍ من الذل سابل
They hastened them, with a striver's haste, toward death,
The slips of fate drove them to doom
stumbling in a trailing hem of humiliation.
In a train of disgrace and humiliation
جرىit flowed منهمfrom them جُريas the flow الندىof bounty منfrom أكفهمtheir hands
جرى منهم جُري الندى من أكفهم
فياso oh قُبحَهُits ugliness فيin حسنthe beauty تلكof those الثمائلremnants
فيا قُبحَهُ في حسن تلك الثمائل
It flowed from them as bounty flowed from their hands;
From their palms flowed the bounty of rains
oh, how ugly it was amid those beautiful remnants!
How ugly is it on the beauty of those wrists
وقاهمit protected them قودَfrom being led الذلولthe docile beast مجاهراًopenly
وقاهم قودَ الذلول مجاهراً
فواخجلتناso alas for our shame منfrom بعدهاafter them للمناصلbefore the sword-blades
فواخجلتنا من بعدها للمناصل
It openly spared them being led like a docile beast;
The guide of disgrace protected them openly
so alas for our shame, after them, before the sword-blades!
And we were shamed before the swords
طغىit surged دافعاًthrusting فيinto صدرthe breast كلof every كتيبةٍbattalion
طغى دافعاً في صدر كل كتيبةٍ
وغبَّرand raised dust غيثاًlike rain فيinto وجوهthe faces القبائلof the tribes
وغبَّر غيثاً في وجوه القبائل
It surged, thrusting into the breast of every battalion,
It overflowed repelling in the breasts of every brigade
and showered dust like rain into the faces of the tribes.
And murked the faces of the tribes like rain
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.