ياO خيرbest of أُسرتهhis family وإنand even if رغمواthey resent it
يا خير أُسرته وإن رغموا
إنيindeed I عليكfor you لمثبتsurely stricken أسفgrieving
إني عليك لمثبت أسف
O best of his family, though they resent it!
O best of his family, though they resented,
I am indeed stricken with grief for you.
Indeed I am steadfast in my grief over you
اللهGod يعلمknows أنthat ليfor me كبداa liver
الله يعلم أن لي كبدا
حرىburning عليكfor you ومقلةًand an eye تكفdrips tears
حرى عليك ومقلةً تكف
God knows that I have a liver
God knows my liver has become
burning for you, and an eye that streams with tears.
Worthy of you, and tearful enough
ولئنand although شجيتI was grieved لماat what رزئتI was bereaved بهby it
ولئن شجيت لما رزئت به
إنيindeed I لأضمرI surely harbor فوقmore than ماwhat أصفI describe
إني لأضمر فوق ما أصف
And though I grieve at the loss that has befallen me,
And if I were hurt by what befell you
I surely harbor more than I describe.
Indeed, I harbor more than I express
هلاif only بقيتyou had remained لسدto relieve فاقتناour need
هلا بقيت لسد فاقتنا
أبداًforever وكانand had been لغيركfor someone other than you التلفdeath
أبداً وكان لغيرك التلف
If only you had remained to relieve our need
If only you had remained to fill our deficit
forever, and death had fallen to someone else!
Forever, and ruin had come to others
قدindeed كانthere was فيكin you لمنfor those who مضىpassed away خلفٌa successor
قد كان فيك لمن مضى خلفٌ
ولسوفand surely will يعوزُbe lacking بعدكafter you الخلفa successor
ولسوف يعوزُ بعدك الخلف
In you there was a successor to those who passed away;
There was in you a successor for those passed
and after you, a successor will surely be lacking.
And after you, a successor will be lacking
لاmay not باتspend the night رهطكyour clansmen بعدafter هفوتهمtheir lapse
لا بات رهطك بعد هفوتهم
إنيindeed I لرهطكtoward your clansmen بعدهاafter it شنفhostile
إني لرهطك بعدها شنف
May your clansmen not live another night after their lapse!
Your comrades do not spend the night after losing you
After it, I am indeed hostile to your clansmen.
Indeed, I am your comrade after them, sleepless
هتكواthey violated لحرمتكthrough your inviolable household التيwhich هتكتwas violated
هتكوا لحرمتك التي هتكت
حرمinviolable women الرسولthe Messenger ودونهاand before them السجفُcurtains
حرم الرسول ودونها السجفُ
Through your violated household, they violated
They violated your sanctity which was violated
the Messenger's inviolable women, though curtains screened them.
The sanctity of the Messenger, and besides it sacrilege
ونبتand turned away أقاربكyour relatives التيwho خذلتabandoned you
ونبت أقاربك التي خذلت
وجميعهاand all of them بالذلof humiliation معترفacknowledging
وجميعها بالذل معترف
And your kin, who abandoned you, turned away,
And your treacherous kinsfolk sprouted
and all of them acknowledged their humiliation.
All admitting being humiliated
لمdid not يفعلواact بالشطon the riverbank إذwhen حضرواthey were present
لم يفعلوا بالشط إذ حضروا
ماwhat تفعلdoes الغيرانةُthe jealous woman الأنفُthe proud one
ما تفعل الغيرانةُ الأنفُ
On the riverbank, when they were present, they did not do
They did not do at the riverbank when they came
what a jealous, proud woman would do.
What the jealous do, full of rage
تركواthey left حريمَwomenfolk أبيهمُtheir father نفلاًas plunder
تركوا حريمَ أبيهمُ نفلاً
والمحصناتُand the chaste women صوارخٌscreaming هتفcrying aloud
والمحصناتُ صوارخٌ هتف
They left their father's womenfolk as plunder,
They left the women of their father prey
while the chaste women shrieked and cried aloud.
While the chaste cried loudly
أبدتbared مخلخلهاher ankleted ankle علىin دهشٍbewilderment
أبدت مخلخلها على دهشٍ
أبكارهنtheir maidens ورنتand wailed النصفًُthe middle-aged women
أبكارهن ورنت النصفًُ
In bewilderment, their ankleted ankles were bared
Their untouched maidenhood showed through their clothes
by their maidens, and the middle-aged women wailed.
As their anklets rang
سلبتwere stripped away معاجرهنtheir head-wraps واجتليتand was unveiled
سلبت معاجرهن واجتليت
ذاتthe woman with النقابِthe face-veil ونوزعand was tugged at الشنفthe earring
ذات النقابِ ونوزع الشنف
Their head-wraps were stripped away, and unveiled was
Their quarters were looted and stripped
the veiled woman, and the earring was tugged at.
Of veiled ladies, as if they were prey
فكأنهنso, as though they were خلالَamid منتهبٍplundered goods
فكأنهن خلالَ منتهبٍ
دُرٌّpearls تكشفَcame away دونهfrom before it الصدفُthe shells
دُرٌّ تكشفَ دونه الصدفُ
Thus, amid the plunder, they seemed
As though they were midst pillaged ruins
pearls with the shells stripped from around them.
Pearls exposed, no longer cloistered
ملكٌa king تخونَbetrayed ملكهhis kingdom قدرٌfate
ملكٌ تخونَ ملكه قدرٌ
فوهىso it weakened وصرفُand the vicissitudes of الدهرtime مختلفُchangeful
فوهى وصرفُ الدهر مختلفُ
A king whose kingdom fate betrayed,
A kingdom whose king betrays, inevitably
so it weakened; the turns of time are changeful.
It and the turns of fate differ
هيهاتhow far-fetched بعدكafter you أنthat يدومshould endure لناfor us
هيهات بعدك أن يدوم لنا
عزٌّglory وأنand that يبقىshould remain لناfor us شرفُhonor
عزٌّ وأن يبقى لنا شرفُ
How remote, after you, that there should endure for us
Alas, after you, glory will not endure for us
glory, and that honor should remain ours!
Nor honour remain for us
لاmay not هيبواthey be held in awe صحفاًsheets مشرفةًlofty
لا هيبوا صحفاً مشرفةً
للغادرينof the traitors تحثهاurge them onward الجدفُthe oars
للغادرين تحثها الجدفُ
May they never be held in awe—lofty sheets [wording unclear],
They did not revere noble pages
of the traitors, urged onward by the oars.
That spur the oarsman on
أفبعدis it then after عهدthe covenant of اللَهGod نقلتهhis departure
أفبعد عهد اللَه نقلته
والقتلُand killing بعدafter أمانهِhis safe-conduct سرفُa transgression
والقتلُ بعد أمانهِ سرفُ
Was his departure, then, after God's covenant?
After the covenant of God you conveyed
And killing after his safe-conduct is a transgression.
And killing, after safety, is sin
فستعرفونso you will know غداًtomorrow بعاقبةٍthrough the outcome
فستعرفون غداً بعاقبةٍ
عزthe might of الإلهGod فأوردواso come to the water وقفواand stand
عز الإله فأوردوا وقفوا
So tomorrow, through the outcome, you will know
So tomorrow you will know the consequence
God's might—so come to the water and stand!
Of God's might―advance, then halt
ياO منone whose تخونhas stolen نومهhis sleep أرقٌsleeplessness
يا من تخون نومه أرقٌ
هدتhave crushed الشجونsorrows وقلبهand his heart لهفُanguished
هدت الشجون وقلبه لهفُ
O one whose sleep sleeplessness has stolen,
O you who betray his sleep, anguished
whom sorrows have crushed, and whose heart is anguished,
Grief has awakened, and his heart burns
قدindeed كنتyou were ليfor me أملاًa hope غنيتُI found contentment بهin it
قد كنت لي أملاً غنيتُ به
فمضىthen it passed away وحلَّand settled محلَّهin its place الأسفُgrief
فمضى وحلَّ محلَّه الأسفُ
you were indeed my hope, in which I found contentment;
You were my abundant hope, I gloried in you
then it passed away, and grief settled in its place.
But you went, and grief took your place
مرجfell into confusion النظامorder وعادand became منكرناwhat we condemned
مرج النظام وعاد منكرنا
عرفاًright وأنكرand was disowned بعدهafter him العرفُwhat is right
عرفاً وأنكر بعده العرفُ
Order fell into confusion, and what we condemned became
The order is in turmoil, and our shame
right; and after him, what is right was disowned.
Is custom, while custom after you is obscure
والشملُand the gathering منتشرٌscattered لفقدكbecause of losing you والدنياand the world
والشملُ منتشرٌ لفقدك والدنيا
سُدىuntended والبابُand the gate منكسِفُdarkened
سُدى والبابُ منكسِفُ
And the gathering is scattered by your loss, and the world
And the family you held together now scattered
is left untended, and the gate is darkened.
The world vacant, the door eclipsed