THE POEM OF ZUHAIR1

معلقة زهير بن أبي سلمى
THE POEM OF ZUHAIR1
سأحاول أن أدفع بطلبة اللغة الإنجليزية إلى الاستفادة أكثر فإليكم هذه المشاركة المتواضعة
فَالْـمُتَثَلَّـم أَمِنْ أُمِّ أَوْفَى دِمْنَةٌ لَـمْ تَكَـلَّمِ بِـحَوْمانَة الـدَّرَّاجِ
"Does the blackened ruin, situated in the stony ground between Durraj and Mutathallam, which did not speak to me, when addressed, belong to the abode of Ummi Awfa?
وَدار لها بِالرَّقْمَتَيْـنِ وَشْمٍ كَأَنَّهَـا مَراجِيعُ ٌ في نَواشِـرِ مِعْصَـمِ
"And is it her dwelling at the two stony meadows, seeming as though they were the renewed tattoo marks in the sinews of the wrist?
وإطلاؤها ينهضن من كل مجثم بها العَيْنُ وَالأَرْآمُ يَمْشِينَ خِلْفَة
"The wild cows and the white deer are wandering about there, one herd behind the other, while their young are springing up from every lying-down place.
َ وَقَفْتُ بِهَا مِنْ بَعْدِ عِشْرِين ِجحَّـةً فَـلأيَاً عَرَفْتُ الـدَّارَ بَـعْدَ تَـوَهُّمِ
"I stood again near it, (the encampment of the tribe of Awfa,) after an absence of twenty years, and with some efforts, I know her abode again after thinking awhile.
أَثَافِيَّ سُفْعَاً في مُعَرَّسِ مِرْجَـلٍ وَنُـؤْيَاً كَجِذْم الحَوْضِ لَـمْ يَتَثَلَّمِ ِ
"I recognized the three stones blackened by fire at the place where the kettle used to be placed at night, and the trench round the encampment, which had not burst, like the source of a pool.
وَاسْلَـم عَرَفْتُ الدَّارَ قُلْتُ لِرَبْعِهَـا أَلا انْعِمْ صَبَاحَاً أَيُهَا الرَّبْعُ فلماِ
"And when I recognized the encampment I said to its site, 'Now good morning, oh spot; may you be safe from dangers.'
تَرَى مِنْ ظَعائِـنٍ تَـحَمَّلْنَ بِـالْعَلْياءِ مِنْ فَوْقِ جُرْثَمِ تبصرخليلي . "Look, oh my friend! do you see any women traveling on camels, going over the high ground above the stream of Jurthum?2
علوان بأنماط عتاق وكلة وِرَادٍ حَوَاشِـيهَا مُشَـاكِهَةِ الـدَّمِ
"They have covered their howdajs with coverlets of high value, and with a thin screen, the fringes of which are red, resembling blood.
وَوَرَّكْنَ في السُّوبَانِ يَعْلُوْنَ مَتْنَـهُ عَلَـيْهِنَّ دَلُّ الـنَّـاعِمِ الـمُـتَنَعِّمِ
"And they inclined toward the valley of Soobán, ascending the center of it, and in their faces were the fascinating looks of a soft-bodied person brought up in easy circumstances;
بَكَرْنَ بُكُورًا وَاسْتَحَرْن بِسُحْـرَةٍ فَهُـنَّ وَوَادِي الـرَّسِّ كَالْيَدِ لِـلْفَمِ
"They arose early in the morning and got up at dawn, and they went straight to the valley of Rass as the hand goes unswervingly to the mouth, when eating.
ٌ وَفِيهِنَّ مَلْهَىً لِلَّطِيـفِ وَمَنْظَر أَنِـيـقٌ لِعَـيْنِ الـنَّاظِرِ الـمُتَوَسِّمِ
"And amongst them is a place of amusement for the far-sighted one, and a pleasant sight for the eye of the looker who looks attentively.
كَأَنَّ فُتَاتَ الْعِهْنِ في كُلِّ مَنْزِلٍ نَزَلْنَ بِـهِ حَبُّ الْـفَنَا لَـمْ يُحَطَّمِ
"As if the pieces of dyed wool which they left in every place in which they halted, were the seeds of night-shade which have not been crushed.
فَلَمَّا وَرَدْنَ المَاءَ زُرْقَاً جِـمَامُهُ وَضَـعْنَ عِـصِيَّ الـحَاضِرِ المُتَخَيِّمِ
"When they arrived at the water, the mass of which was blue from intense purity, they laid down their walking sticks, (i.e., took their lodging there,) like the dweller who has pitched his tents.
جَعَلْنَ الْقَنَانَ عَنْ يَـمِينٍ وَحَزْنَـهُ وَكَم بِـالقَنَانِ مِنْ مُـحِلٍّ وَمُحْرِمِ ْ
"They kept the hill of Qanan and the rough ground about it on their hand; while there are many, dwelling in Qanan, the shedding of whose blood is lawful and unlawful.3
ظَهَرْنَ مِن وَمُـفْأَمَ السُّوبَانِ ثُمَّ جَزَعْنَـهُ عَلَى كُلِّ قَـيْنِيٍّ قَـشِيبٍ ِ
"They came out from the valley of Soobán, then they crossed it, riding in every Qainian howdah new and widened.
فَأَقْسَمْتُ بِالْبَيْتِ الذِّي طَافَ حَوْلَهُ رِجَـالٌ بَـنَوْهُ مِنْ قُـرَيْشٍ وَجُرْهُمِ
"Then I swear by the temple, round which walk the men who built it frof Quraish and Jurhum.4
om the tribes