كُلَّماwhenever قُلتُI said اِستَرَحناwe found rest
كُلَّما قُلتُ اِستَرَحنا
جاءَناhe came to us الشَيخُthe shaykh الإِمامُthe imam
جاءَنا الشَيخُ الإِمامُ
Whenever I said, “We have found rest,”
Whenever we said we rested
the shaykh, the imam, came to us.
The sheikh, the imam came to us
فَاِعتَراناthen it overtook us كُلَّناall of us مِنfrom
فَاِعتَرانا كُلَّنا مِن
هُhim اِنقِباضٌunease وَاِحتِشامُand reserve
هُ اِنقِباضٌ وَاِحتِشامُ
Then all of us were overcome, because of
So he blamed us, all of us, for
him, with unease and reserve.
Withdrawal and modesty from him
فَهُوَfor he فيin المَجلِسِthe gathering فَدمٌa dullard
فَهُوَ في المَجلِسِ فَدمٌ
وَلَناand for us فَهوَso he فِدامُa muzzle
وَلَنا فَهوَ فِدامُ
For in the gathering he is a dullard,
So he is blood in the gathering
and for us he is a muzzle.
And for us he is ransom
وَعَلىand on الجُملَةِthe whole فَالشَيso the shay- (beginning of 'shaykh')
وَعَلى الجُملَةِ فَالشَي
خُ-kh (completes 'shaykh') ثَقيلٌtiresome وَالسَلامُand that is all
خُ ثَقيلٌ وَالسَلامُ
And, in short, the shay-
And in summary, the sheikh is burdensome
kh is a bore—and that is all.
And peace