البرلمانparliament: وَهَلْand has…? أتاكَreached you حديثُهُits story
البرلمان: وَهَلْ أتاكَ حديثُهُ
وَحديثُand the story منthose who فيهin it مِنَamong النُوّامِthe sleepers
وَحديثُ من فيه مِنَ النُوّامِ
Parliament—and has its story reached you,
The Parliament: Has the news of it reached you,
and the story of the sleepers within it?
And the news of those sleepy ones in it?
نُقلواthey were taken إليهto it ناكسينَlowering رؤوسَهمْtheir heads
نُقلوا إليه ناكسينَ رؤوسَهمْ
نَقْلَlike the taking الجبانِthe coward لساحةِto the ground of (الإعدامِexecution)
نَقْلَ الجبانِ لساحةِ (الإعدامِ)
They were taken there with their heads bowed,
They were brought to him with heads bowed down,
as a coward is taken to the execution ground.
The bowing of cowards towards the field of execution.
مَلَكَseized الحياءُshame عليهمُover them أبصارَهمْtheir eyes
مَلَكَ الحياءُ عليهمُ أبصارَهمْ
فعيونُهمْso their eyes بمواطئِat the places trodden by الأَقدامthe feet
فعيونُهمْ بمواطئِ الأَقدام
Shame took command of their eyes,
Shame ruled their sights,
so their eyes rested where feet tread.
So their eyes were fixed on the ground.
وَإِذاand when رمواthey cast (عنout of غيرِlack of قصْدٍintention) نظرةًa glance
وَإِذا رموا (عن غيرِ قصْدٍ) نظرةً
نظرواthey looked بعينِwith the eye of الأحوالِthe cross-eyed man (probable intended reading) المتعاميfeigning blindness
نظروا بعينِ الأحوالِ المتعامي
And when they cast a glance without intending to,
And if they cast a glance unwittingly,
they looked with the eye of a cross-eyed man feigning blindness.
They looked with the eye of distracted preoccupations.
حسِبواthey thought العساكرَthe soldiers يهزؤنthey were mocking وَقَدْthough indeed أتواthey had come
حسِبوا العساكرَ يهزؤن وَقَدْ أتوا
بدلائلِwith signs of التبجيلِreverence والإعظامand veneration
بدلائلِ التبجيلِ والإعظام
They thought the soldiers were mocking them, though they had come
They thought the soldiers were mocking, yet they had come
with signs of reverence and veneration.
With signs of veneration and magnifying.
حقَرواthey despised نفوسَهمُthemselves فلمso not تُرفعْwere raised لهمfor them
حقَروا نفوسَهمُ فلم تُرفعْ لهم
أَيدhands لردِّto return تحيةٍa greeting وَسلامand a salute
أَيد لردِّ تحيةٍ وَسلام
They despised themselves, so they raised no
They belittled themselves, so no hand was raised to them
hands to return a greeting and a salute.
For returning a greeting or peace.
حتىuntil إذاwhen أخذواthey took مجالسَهمْtheir seats بهin it
حتى إذا أخذوا مجالسَهمْ به
ضاقَgrew cramped المكانُthe place ببسْطةِwith the bulk of الأجسامthe bodies
ضاقَ المكانُ ببسْطةِ الأجسام
At last, when they took their seats within it,
Until when they took their seats with him,
the place grew cramped with the bulk of their bodies.
The place was too narrow for the breadth of their bodies.
عَكَفَتْdevoted themselves زواياهits corners عَلَىto أصنامِهمْtheir idols
عَكَفَتْ زواياه عَلَى أصنامِهمْ
منwho ليfor me بإبراهيمwith an Abraham للأصنامfor the idols...
من لي بإبراهيم للأصنام...
Its corners were devoted to their idols—
Its corners crouched over their idols -
who will bring me an Abraham for the idols...?
Who will bring me an Abraham for the idols?