وَقَالَAnd saidالْقَطَامِيُّ1al-Qutamiفِيaboutأَكْلِهِمُtheir eatingالْقَدِيدَthe dried meat::
And al-Qutami [1] said about their eating dried meat:
تَعَمَّمْتُI covered my headفِيinطَلٍّlight rainوَرِيحٍand windتَلْفَحُنِيthat strikes me......
I covered my head in light rain and a wind that strikes me...
وَفِيand inطَرْمَسَاءَa dark nightغَيْرِwithoutذَاتِpossessor ofكَوَاكِبَ2stars
and in a dark night without stars [2].
إِلَىtowardsحَيْزَبُونٍHayzabun (a woman's name)تُوقِدُshe kindlesالنَّارَthe fireبَعْدَafterمَاthatتَلَفَّعَتْwrapped itselfالظَّلْمَاءُthe darknessمِنْfromكُلِّeveryجَانِبٍ3side
To Hayzabun, who kindles the fire after the darkness has wrapped itself from every side [3].
فَسَلَّمْتُSo I greetedوَالتَّسْلِيمُand the greetingلَيْسَis notيَسُرُّهَاpleases herوَلَكِنَّهُbut itحَقٌّis a rightعَلَىuponكُلِّeveryجَانِبٍ4side
So I greeted, and the greeting does not please her, but it is a right upon every side [4].
فَلَمَّاWhenتَنَازَعْنَاwe exchangedالْحَدِيثَthe conversationسَأَلْتُهَاI asked her::مَنْwhoالْحَيُّ؟are the tribe?قَالَتْshe said::مَعْشَرٌa groupمِنْfromمُحَارِبٍ5Muharib (tribe)
When we exchanged conversation, I asked her: 'Who is the tribe?' She said: 'A group from Muharib [5].'
مِنَfromالْمُشْتَوِينَthose who prepareالْقَدَّdried meatفِيinكُلِّeveryشِتْوَةٍwinterوَإِنْand even ifكَانَisرِيفُthe cultivated landالنَّاسِof peopleلَيْسَnotبِنَاصِبٍ6with hardship
Among those who prepare dried meat in every winter, even if people's cultivated land is not with hardship [6].
وَقَالَAnd saidالرَّاعِيar-Ra'i (the shepherd poet):7:
And ar-Ra'i [7] said:
بَكَىweptمُعْوَزٌa destituteمِنْbecauseأَنْthatيُضَافَhe is hostedوَطَارِقٍand a night visitorيَشُدُّhe tightensمِنَfromالْجُوعِhungerالْإِزَارَthe loinclothعَلَىonالْحَشَاthe belly
Wept a destitute because he is hosted, and a night visitor who tightens his loincloth on his belly from hunger.
إِلَىtowardsضَوْءِthe lightنَارٍof a fireيَشْتَوِيroastsالْقَدَّdried meatأَهْلُهَاits peopleوَقَدْand indeedيُكْرِمُhonorsالْأَضْيَافَthe guestsوَالْقَدُّand the dried meatيُشْتَوَىis roasted
Towards the light of a fire whose people roast dried meat, and indeed he honors the guests, and the dried meat is roasted.
وَقَدْAnd indeedيَضِيقُونَthey become narrowفِيinشَرَابٍdrinkغَيْرِother thanالْمَجْدُوحِthe mixed (with water? or the unmixed?)وَالْفَظُّand roughnessفِيinالْمَغَازِيmilitary expeditionsوَالْأَسْفَارِand journeys،,
And indeed they become narrow in drink other than the mixed, and roughness in expeditions and journeys.
فَيَمْدَحُونَso they praiseمَنْwhoآثَرَpreferredصَاحِبَهُhis companionوَلَاand notيَذُمُّونَthey blameمَنْwhoأَخَذَtookحَقَّهُhis rightمِنْهُfrom him..
So they praise whoever prefers his companion, and they do not blame whoever takes his right from him.
وَهُوَAnd it isمَاءُthe waterالْمُصَافَنَةِ8of sharing equally (musafana)..
And it is the water of equal sharing [8].
وَandالْمُصَافَنَةُal-musafana::مُقَاسَمَةُdividingهَذَاthisالْمَاءِwaterبِعَيْنِهِitself،,
And 'al-musafana' is the division of this very water.
وَذَلِكَand thatأَنَّbecauseالْمَاءَthe waterإِذَاwhenنَقَصَdecreasedعَنِfromالرِّيِّsatisfying thirstاقْتَسَمُوهُthey divided itبِالسَّوَاءِequally،,
And that is because when the water is less than enough for everyone's thirst, they divide it equally.
وَلَمْand notيَكُنْwasلِلرَّئِيسِfor the leaderوَلِصَاحِبِand for the owner ofالْمِرْبَاعِthe fourth shareوَالصَّفِيِّand the chosen oneوَفُضُولِand extras ofالْمَقَاسِمِ9the divisionsفَضْلٌadvantageعَلَىoverأَخَسِّthe lowestالْقَوْمِthe people..
And the leader, the owner of the fourth share, the chosen one, and the extras of the divisions [9] had no advantage over the lowest of the people.
وَهَذَاAnd thisخُلُقٌa traitعَامٌّgeneralوَمَكْرُمَةٌand honorعَامَّةٌgeneralفِيamongالرُّؤَسَاءِthe chiefs..
And this is a general trait and a general honor among chiefs.
قَالَSaidالْفَرَزْدَقُal-Farazdaq::
Said al-Farazdaq:
Footnotes
- 1.هُوَ عُمَيْرُ بْنُ شُيَيْمٍ، شَاعِرٌ إِسْلَامِيٌّ، مَاتَ سَنَةَ 110 هـ.
He is Umayr ibn Shuyaym, an Islamic poet, died in the year 110 AH.
- 2.الطَّرْمَسَاءُ: الظُّلْمَةُ الشَّدِيدَةُ.
At-tarmasa': intense darkness.
- 3.حَيْزَبُونُ: امْرَأَةٌ كَانِيَةٌ، وَيُقَالُ لِلْعَجُوزِ.
Hayzabun: a woman's name, and it is said for an old woman.
- 4.يَقُولُ: أَلْقَيْتُ السَّلَامَ عَلَيْهَا وَإِنْ كَانَ لَا يَعْجِبُهَا، لِأَنَّهُ وَاجِبٌ عَلَيَّ.
He says: I gave her the greeting even if it does not please her, because it is a duty upon me.
- 5.مُحَارِبٌ: قَبِيلَةٌ مِنْ قَيْسِ عَيْلَانَ.
Muharib: a tribe from Qays 'Aylan.
- 6.يَقُولُ: هُمْ يَشْتَوُونَ الْقَدِيدَ فِي الشِّتَاءِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ النَّاسُ فِي خِصْبٍ.
They prepare dried meat in winter even if people are in abundance.
- 7.هُوَ عُبَيْدُ بْنُ حُصَيْنٍ الرَّاعِي، شَاعِرٌ مُخَضْرَمٌ.
He is Ubayd ibn Husayn ar-Ra'i, a poet who lived in the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods.
- 8.أَيْ: مَاءُ الشُّرْبِ الَّذِي تَقَاسَمُهُ الْجَمَاعَةُ بِالسَّوِيَّةِ.
Meaning the drinking water that the group shares equally.
- 9.الْمِرْبَاعُ: رُبُعُ الْغَنِيمَةِ كَانَ يَأْخُذُهُ الرَّئِيسُ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ. وَالصَّفِيُّ: مَا يَصْطَفِيهِ الرَّئِيسُ مِنَ الْغَنِيمَةِ قَبْلَ الْقِسْمَةِ. وَفُضُولُ الْمَقَاسِمِ: مَا يَبْقَى بَعْدَ قِسْمَةِ الْغَنِيمَةِ.
Al-mirba': the fourth of the spoils that the chief used to take in pre-Islamic times. As-safi: what the chief chooses from the spoils before division. Fudul al-maqasim: what remains after the division of the spoils.