وَلَمّاand when رَأَيناwe saw المغربِيَّal-Maghribi بِخِدمَةِin the service of الـthe (continued)
وَلَمّا رَأَينا المغربِيَّ بِخِدمَةِ الـ
ـمُؤَيَّدِMu'ayyad مِثلَlike الراهِبِthe monk المُتَبَتِّلِdevoted to worship
ـمُؤَيَّدِ مِثلَ الراهِبِ المُتَبَتِّلِ
When we saw al-Maghribi in the service of al-
And when we saw al-Maghribi in the service of al-
Mu’ayyad, like a monk withdrawn in devotion,
Mu'ayyad, like a monk devoted to worship,
وَأَخلَقَand wore out فيهاin it عُمرَهُhis lifetime فَكَأَنَّهُso as though he were
وَأَخلَقَ فيها عُمرَهُ فَكَأَنَّهُ
قِفاhalt, you two نَبكِlet us weep مِنat ذِكرىthe memory of حَبيبٍa beloved وَمَنزِلِand a dwelling
قِفا نَبكِ مِن ذِكرى حَبيبٍ وَمَنزِلِ
and he wore out his life there, till he seemed the very embodiment of
and he had worn out his lifetime there, as though he were:
“Halt, friends—let us weep at the memory of a beloved and a campsite.”
“Halt, you two; let us weep at the memory of a beloved and a dwelling.”
سَأَلناهُwe asked him هَلis there فيin ظِلِّهِhis shade لَكَfor you مَرتعٌa pasture
سَأَلناهُ هَل في ظِلِّهِ لَكَ مَرتعٌ
وَهَلand is there عِندَat رَسمٍa trace دارِسٍeffaced مِنany معوَّلِrecourse
وَهَل عِندَ رَسمٍ دارِسٍ مِن معوَّلِ
We asked him, “Is there in his shade a pasture for you,
We asked him, “Is there a pasture for you in his shade?
and at an effaced campsite anything worth weeping over?”
And is there any recourse at an effaced trace?”
فَقالَso he said أَناI المُسديthe bestower إِلَيهِupon him تَفَضُّليmy bounty
فَقالَ أَنا المُسدي إِلَيهِ تَفَضُّلي
وَكَمand how many مِنof يَدٍa favor ليof mine عِندَهُwith him وَتَطَوُّلِand generosity
وَكَم مِن يَدٍ لي عِندَهُ وَتَطَوُّلِ
He said, “I am the one who bestows my favor upon him—
So he said, “I am the one who bestows my bounty on him;
how many favors of mine he owes, how lavish my bounty!
and how many favors and generous deeds I have done him!
أَسُدُّI plug إِذاwhen اِستَدبَرتُهُI take him from behind مِنهُof him فُرجَةًan opening
أَسُدُّ إِذا اِستَدبَرتُهُ مِنهُ فُرجَةً
بِضافٍwith a long, trailing one فُوَيقَjust above الأَرضِthe ground لَيسَit is not بِأَعزَلِat all askew
بِضافٍ فُوَيقَ الأَرضِ لَيسَ بِأَعزَلِ
Whenever I take him from behind, I plug an opening in him
I plug an opening in him whenever I take him from behind,
with a long-hung weapon just above the ground—not unarmed.
with a long, trailing one, just above the ground, not askew.
وَأَشفيand I cure غَليلاًa burning thirst عَزَّproved difficult شِفاؤُهُits cure
وَأَشفي غَليلاً عَزَّ شِفاؤُهُ
بِمُنجَرِدٍwith a sleek one قَيدِa fetter for الأَوابِدِwild beasts هَيكَلِmassive of frame
بِمُنجَرِدٍ قَيدِ الأَوابِدِ هَيكَلِ
And I slake a burning thirst whose cure is hard to find
And I quench a burning thirst whose cure is hard to find,
with a sleek, huge-framed steed, the fetterer of wild beasts.
with a sleek one, a fetter for wild beasts, massive of frame.
إِذاwhen ما(emphatic particle) تَمَطّىit stretched فيin حشاهُhis entrails بِصُلبِهِwith its spine
إِذا ما تَمَطّى في حشاهُ بِصُلبِهِ
وَأَردَفَand brought up أَعجازاًhindquarters وَناءَand bore down بِكَلكَلِwith a chest
وَأَردَفَ أَعجازاً وَناءَ بِكَلكَلِ
Whenever it stretches through his entrails upon its rigid shaft,
When it stretched its spine inside his entrails,
trailing haunches behind it and bearing down with its chest,
and brought up its hindquarters and bore down with its chest,
وَباتَand spent the night كَجُذروفِlike a whirligig الوَليدِthe child أَمَرَّهُset it spinning
وَباتَ كَجُذروفِ الوَليدِ أَمَرَّهُ
تَتابُعُthe succession of كَفَّيهِhis two hands بِخَيطٍwith a string مُوَصَّلِspliced
تَتابُعُ كَفَّيهِ بِخَيطٍ مُوَصَّلِ
all night it is like a boy’s spinning top, set whirling
and spent the night like a child's whirligig, spun by
by the rapid succession of his hands upon a fastened cord.
the successive motions of his two hands with a spliced string,
وَجادَتهُand drenched it أَنواعُkinds of الحَواياentrails فَأَنزَلَتso poured down
وَجادَتهُ أَنواعُ الحَوايا فَأَنزَلَت
عَلَيهِupon it مِنَof الأَمشاجِmingled matter كُلَّevery مُنَزَّلِdischarge
عَلَيهِ مِنَ الأَمشاجِ كُلَّ مُنَزَّلِ
The many kinds of bowels rain freely upon it, sending down
and all kinds of entrails drenched it, pouring down
upon it every sort of mingled discharge.
upon it every discharge of mingled matter,
بَداemerged رَأسُهُits head بَعدَafter العُتُوِّdefiance كَأَنَّهُas though it were
بَدا رَأسُهُ بَعدَ العُتُوِّ كَأَنَّهُ
مِنَamid السَيلِthe torrent وَالغُثاءِand floating debris فَلكَةُa whorl of مِغزَلِa spindle
مِنَ السَيلِ وَالغُثاءِ فَلكَةُ مِغزَلِ
Its head emerges, after all that proud stiffness, as though it were
its head emerged after its defiance, as though it were
a spindle-whorl amid the torrent and its scum;
a spindle's whorl amid the torrent and floating debris.
كَأَنَّas though دَمَthe blood of الأَعفاجِthe bowels مِنfrom فَوقabove متنِهِits back
كَأَنَّ دَمَ الأَعفاجِ مِن فَوق متنِهِ
عُصارَةُjuice of حِنّاءٍhenna بِشَيبٍon gray hair مُرَجَّلِcombed
عُصارَةُ حِنّاءٍ بِشَيبٍ مُرَجَّلِ
as though the blood of the bowels upon its shaft were
The blood of the bowels over its back seemed like
henna’s pressed juice staining well-combed gray hair.
henna juice on combed gray hair.
وَلَكِنَّنيbut I إِنif رُمتُI sought إِتيانَlying with عِرسِهِhis wife
وَلَكِنَّني إِن رُمتُ إِتيانَ عِرسِهِ
تَمَتَّعتُI took pleasure مِنin لَهوٍsport بِهاwith her غَيرَnot مُعجَلِhurried
تَمَتَّعتُ مِن لَهوٍ بِها غَيرَ مُعجَلِ
But whenever I desire to go in to his bride,
But if I seek to lie with his wife,
I savor my dalliance with her, in no haste.
I take my pleasure in sport with her, unhurried.
وَكَمand how many لَيلَةٍa night قَدindeed بِتُّI spent the night جَذلانَjoyful بَينَهُbetween him
وَكَم لَيلَةٍ قَد بِتُّ جَذلانَ بَينَهُ
وَبَينَand between هَضيمِslender الكَشحِthe waist رَيّاfull-fleshed المُخَلخَلِthe anklet-place
وَبَينَ هَضيمِ الكَشحِ رَيّا المُخَلخَلِ
How many a night have I spent exultantly between him
And many a night I have spent rejoicing between him
and a slender-waisted beauty, full where her anklets rest—
and a slender-waisted woman, full-fleshed where her anklets lie,
مِكَرّswift to charge مِفَرّswift to flee مُقبِلٍadvancing مُدبِرٍretreating مَعاًall at once
مِكَرّ مِفَرّ مُقبِلٍ مُدبِرٍ مَعاً
كَجُلمودِlike a boulder of صَخرٍrock حَطَّهُhurled it down السَيلُthe torrent مِنfrom عَلِon high
كَجُلمودِ صَخرٍ حَطَّهُ السَيلُ مِن عَلِ
charging and fleeing, advancing and retreating, all at once,
charging, fleeing, advancing, retreating, all at once,
like a massive rock the torrent has hurled down from on high.
like a boulder of rock hurled down by the torrent from on high.
فَعادىso it pursued عِداءًin successive pursuit بَينَbetween ثَورٍa bull وَنَعجَةٍand a cow
فَعادى عِداءً بَينَ ثَورٍ وَنَعجَةٍ
دِراكاًin quick succession وَلَمand was not يُنضَحsprinkled بِماءٍwith water فَيُغسَلِand thus be washed
دِراكاً وَلَم يُنضَح بِماءٍ فَيُغسَلِ
Then it courses in a single chase between a bull and a ewe,
So it pursued a bull and a cow in turn,
one after the other, without exuding water enough to need washing.”
in quick succession, without being sprinkled with water and washed.”
