أحاذِرُI fear أَنthat أجيئَكَI come to you ثُمَّthen تَحبُوyou bestow
أحاذِرُ أَن أجيئَكَ ثُمَّ تَحبُو
حِباءَthe gift أَبيكَof your father يَومَon the day of صُنَيبِعاتِṢunaybiʿāt
حِباءَ أَبيكَ يَومَ صُنَيبِعاتِ
I fear that I might come to you, and you then bestow
I fear to come to you, then you act lovingly
the gift your father gave on the day of Ṣunaybiʿāt.
Like your father's love on the day of Sunaybi'at
وَكانَتand it was غَدرَةًa treachery شَنعاءَheinous تَهفُوit flutters
وَكانَت غَدرَةً شَنعاءَ تَهفُو
تَقَلَّدَهاhe wore it about his neck أَبوكَyour father إِلىuntil المَماتِdeath
تَقَلَّدَها أَبوكَ إِلى المَماتِ
And it was a heinous treachery, fluttering—
When it was a vicious betrayal sighing
your father wore it about his neck until death.
As your father followed it to death
تَتابعfollowed one another سَبعةseven كانواthey were لِأُمٍّof one mother
تَتابع سَبعة كانوا لِأُمٍّ
كَأَحراجِlike flocks of النعامِostriches الحائِراتِbewildered
كَأَحراجِ النعامِ الحائِراتِ
Seven, all born of one mother, followed one another,
Following seven who belonged to a mother
like flocks of bewildered ostriches.
Like the thickets of the wandering ostriches