لَقَدindeed أَتىhas come عَنfrom بَنيthe sons of الجَرباءِal-Jarbāʾ قَولُهُمُtheir words
لَقَد أَتى عَن بَني الجَرباءِ قَولُهُمُ
وَدونَهُمand between us and them قُفُّthe rocky ridge of جُمدانٍJumdān فَمَوضوعُthen Mawḍūʿ
وَدونَهُم قُفُّ جُمدانٍ فَمَوضوعُ
Their words have indeed reached me from the sons of al-Jarbāʾ,
though between us lie Jumdān’s rocky ridge, then Mawḍūʿ.
قَدindeed عَلِمَتhas learned أَسلَمُAslam الأَنذالُthe scoundrels أَنَّthat لَهُمthey have
قَد عَلِمَت أَسلَمُ الأَنذالُ أَنَّ لَهُم
جاراًa neighbor سَيَقتُلُهُwill kill him فيin دارِهِhis home الجوعُhunger
جاراً سَيَقتُلُهُ في دارِهِ الجوعُ
The scoundrels of Aslam know well that they have
a neighbor whom hunger will kill in his own home,
وَأَنand that سَيَمنَعُهُمwill bar them مِمّاfrom what نَوَواthey intended حَسَبٌancestral standing
وَأَن سَيَمنَعُهُم مِمّا نَوَوا حَسَبٌ
لَنwill never يَبلُغَattain المَجدَglory وَالعَلياءَand eminence مَقطوعُone of broken lineage
لَن يَبلُغَ المَجدَ وَالعَلياءَ مَقطوعُ
and that ancestral standing will bar them from what they intend:
one of broken lineage will never attain glory and eminence.
قَدindeed رَغِبواthey turned away disdainfully زَعَمواthey claimed عَنّيfrom me بِأُختِهِمُregarding their sister
قَد رَغِبوا زَعَموا عَنّي بِأُختِهِمُ
وَفيand among الذُرىthe summits نَسَبيmy lineage وَالمَجدُand glory مَرفوعُraised high
وَفي الذُرى نَسَبي وَالمَجدُ مَرفوعُ
They have, so they claim, deemed their sister too good for me,
yet my lineage is among the summits, and glory is raised high.
وَيلُwoe to اُمِّthe mother of شَعثاءَShaʿthāʾ شَيئاًwhat a thing تَستَغيثُshe seeks help بِهِfrom it
وَيلُ اُمِّ شَعثاءَ شَيئاً تَستَغيثُ بِهِ
إِذاwhen تَجَلَّلَهاenvelops her النَعظُthe erection الأَفاقيعُhuge and swollen
إِذا تَجَلَّلَها النَعظُ الأَفاقيعُ
Woe to Shaʿthāʾ’s mother—what a thing she calls upon for aid,
when the huge, swollen erection envelops her!
كَأَنَّهُas though it were فيin صَلاهاher rump وَهيَwhile she is بارِكَةٌkneeling
كَأَنَّهُ في صَلاها وَهيَ بارِكَةٌ
ذِراعُthe arm of آدَمَa dark-skinned man مِنfrom ناطاءَNāṭāʾ مَنزوعُtorn off
ذِراعُ آدَمَ مِن ناطاءَ مَنزوعُ
As though, in her rump while she kneels,
it were the severed arm of a dark-skinned man from Nāṭāʾ.
Translation model: Sol 6.1