وَكَيفَand how بِنَفسٍwith a soul كُلَّماwhenever قُلتُI said أَشرَفَتit drew near
وَكَيفَ بِنَفسٍ كُلَّما قُلتُ أَشرَفَت
عَلىto البُرءِhealing مِنfrom حَوصاءِHawsa هَيضَwas broken anew اِندِمالُهاits mending
عَلى البُرءِ مِن حَوصاءِ هَيضَ اِندِمالُها
And what of a soul that, whenever I say it has drawn near
to healing from Hawsa, has its mending broken anew?
تُهاضُis wounded anew بِدارٍby a dwelling قَدalready تَقادَمَgrew old عَهدُهاmemory of it
تُهاضُ بِدارٍ قَد تَقادَمَ عَهدُها
وَإِمّاand alternatively بِأَمواتٍby the dead أَلَمَّcame visiting خَيالُهاtheir apparition
وَإِمّا بِأَمواتٍ أَلَمَّ خَيالُها
It is wounded anew by a dwelling known long ago,
or else by the dead, whose apparition comes visiting.
وَماand not كُنتُI was ماas long as دامَتthere remained لِأَهليfor my family حَمولَةٌbeasts of burden
وَما كُنتُ ما دامَت لِأَهلي حَمولَةٌ
وَماand as long as حَمَلَتهُمcarried them يَومَa day ظَعنٍdeparture جِمالِهاits camels
وَما حَمَلَتهُم يَومَ ظَعنٍ جِمالِها
And I would not—while my family had beasts of burden,
and while its camels bore them on a day of departure,
وَماand as long as سَكَنَتkept quiet عَنّيabout me نَوارٌNawar فَلَمthen did not تَقُلsay
وَما سَكَنَت عَنّي نَوارٌ فَلَم تَقُل
عَلامَwhy اِبنُson لَيلىLayla وَهيَwhile she غُبرٌdust-covered عِيالُهاher dependents
عَلامَ اِبنُ لَيلى وَهيَ غُبرٌ عِيالُها
and while Nawar kept silent with me and did not say,
her dependents dust-covered, 'Why, son of Layla,
تُقيمُyou remain بِدارٍin a dwelling قَدalready تَغَيَّرَhas changed جِلدُهاits skin
تُقيمُ بِدارٍ قَد تَغَيَّرَ جِلدُها
وَطالَand lasted long وَنيرانُand the fires العَذابِof torment اِشتِعالُهاtheir burning
وَطالَ وَنيرانُ العَذابِ اِشتِعالُها
do you remain in a land whose skin has changed,
and where the fires of torment have burned so long?'—
لِأَقرَبَto approach أَرضَthe land الشَأمِal-Sham وَالناسُand the people لِمnot يَقُمstand up
لِأَقرَبَ أَرضَ الشَأمِ وَالناسُ لِم يَقُم
لَهُمfor them خَيرُهُمtheir best ماas long as بَلَّmoistened عَيناًan eye بِلالُهاits moisture
لَهُم خَيرُهُم ما بَلَّ عَيناً بِلالُها
approach the land of al-Sham, while the people have not had
their best stand up for them, as long as moisture wets an eye.
أَلَستَare you not تَرىyou see مِنfrom حَولَaround بَيتِكَyour house عائِذاًseeking refuge
أَلَستَ تَرى مِن حَولَ بَيتِكَ عائِذاً
بِقَدرِكَat your cooking pot قَدalready أَعياfailed عَلَيهاfor her اِحتِيالُهاher resourcefulness
بِقَدرِكَ قَد أَعيا عَلَيها اِحتِيالُها
Do you not see, around your house, one seeking refuge
at your cooking pot, her resourcefulness having failed her?
فَكَيفَso how تُريدُyou desire الخَفضَease بَعدَafter الَّذيwhat تَرىyou see
فَكَيفَ تُريدُ الخَفضَ بَعدَ الَّذي تَرى
نِساءٌwomen بِنَجدٍin Najd عُيَّلٌimpoverished وَرِجالُهاand their men
نِساءٌ بِنَجدٍ عُيَّلٌ وَرِجالُها
How, then, can you desire ease after what you see—
women in Najd impoverished, and their men likewise?
وَسَوداءَand a black woman فيin أَهدامِrags كَلّينَworn-out أَقبَلَتapproached
وَسَوداءَ في أَهدامِ كَلّينَ أَقبَلَت
إِلَيناtoward us بِهِمwith them تَمشيshe walks وَعَنّاand about us سُؤالُهاher inquiry
إِلَينا بِهِم تَمشي وَعَنّا سُؤالُها
And a black woman in worn-out rags approached
us, walking with them and asking about us.
عَلىon عاتِقَيهاher two shoulders اِثنانِtwo مِنهُمof them وَإِنَّهاand indeed she
عَلى عاتِقَيها اِثنانِ مِنهُم وَإِنَّها
لَتُرعَدُindeed trembles قَدindeed كادَتshe nearly يُقَصُّis recounted هُزالُهاher emaciation
لَتُرعَدُ قَد كادَت يُقَصُّ هُزالُها
Two of them were on her shoulders, and she
was indeed trembling, her emaciation almost a tale to tell.
وَمِنand from خَلفِهاbehind her ثِنتانِtwo girls كِلتاهُماboth of them لَهاhers
وَمِن خَلفِها ثِنتانِ كِلتاهُما لَها
تَعَلَّقَclung بِالأَهدامِto the rags وَالشَرُّand misery حالُهاher condition
تَعَلَّقَ بِالأَهدامِ وَالشَرُّ حالُها
And behind her were two girls, both of them hers,
clinging to the rags; misery was her condition.
وَفيand in حَجرُهاher lap مَخزومَةٌa nose-pierced girl مِنfrom وَرائِهاbehind her
وَفي حَجرُها مَخزومَةٌ مِن وَرائِها
شُعَيثاءُa little tousle-haired girl لَمnot يَتمِمbe completed لِحَولٍat a year فِصالُهاher weaning
شُعَيثاءُ لَم يَتمِم لِحَولٍ فِصالُها
And in her lap was a nose-pierced girl; behind her,
a little tousle-haired girl, not yet fully weaned at a year.
فَخَرَّتthen she collapsed وَأَلقَتهُمand cast them إِلَيناtoward us كَأَنَّهاas though she
فَخَرَّت وَأَلقَتهُم إِلَينا كَأَنَّها
نَعامَةُan ostrich مَحلٍdrought جانَبَتهاkept apart from her رِئالُهاher chicks
نَعامَةُ مَحلٍ جانَبَتها رِئالُها
Then she collapsed and cast them toward us, as though she were
an ostrich in drought whose chicks had moved away from her.
إِلىto حُجرَةٍan enclosure كَمhow many مِنof خِباءٍa tent وَقُبَّةٍand a domed pavilion
إِلى حُجرَةٍ كَم مِن خِباءٍ وَقُبَّةٍ
إِلَيهاto it وَهُلّاكٍand perishing people كَثيرٌnumerous عِيالُهاits dependents
إِلَيها وَهُلّاكٍ كَثيرٌ عِيالُها
Into an enclosure—how many tents and domed pavilions came
to it, and perishing people; its dependents were many.
Translation model: Sol 6.1