فَقُلْتُ:And I said:مَتَىwhenبِاللَّحْمِwith meatعَهْدُcovenantقُدُورِكُمْ؟of your pots?
And I said: When was the last time your pots had meat?
......فَقَالُوا:And they said:إِذَاifمَاnotلَمْnotيَكُنْbeعَوَارِيَاnaked
... And they said: When they are not bare
أَلَاضْحَىfrom one Eid al-Adhaإِلَىtoالْأَضْحَى،the next Eid al-Adha,وَإِلَّاand otherwiseفَإِنَّهَاthen indeed they......تَكُونُareكَنَسْجِlike the weaving ofالْعَنْكَبُوتِthe spiderكَمَاasهِيَاthey are
From one Eid al-Adha to the next, and otherwise they are like the spider's web as they are.
فَلَمَّاAnd whenاسْتَبَانَbecame clearالْجَهْدُthe hardshipلِيto meفِيinوُجُوهِهِمْtheir faces......وَشَكْوَاهُمْand their complaintsأَدْخَلْتُهُمْI included themفِيinعِيَالِيَاmy dependents
And when the hardship became clear to me in their faces and their complaints, I included them among my dependents.
فَكُنْتُAnd I wasإِذَاwhenمَاeverاسْتَشْرَفُونِيthey looked out for meمُقْبِلًاapproachingأَشَارُواthey pointedجَمِيعًاall togetherلَجَّةًa clamorوَتَدَاعِيَا1and a calling out
And whenever they saw me approaching, they would all point with a clamor and a calling out. (1)
وَمِمَّاAnd among whatقَالُواthey saidفِيinصِفَةِdescription ofقُدُورِهِمْtheir potsوَجِفَانِهِمْand their bowlsوَطَعَامِهِمْand their foodمَاthatأَنَاIكَاتِبُهُam writing itلَكَ.to you.
And among what they said in describing their pots, bowls, and food is what I am writing to you.
وَهُمْAnd theyوَإِنْeven thoughكَانُواwereفِيinبِلَادٍa landجَدْبٍ،barren,فَإِنَّهُمْindeed they areأَحْسَنُbetterحَالًاconditionفِيinالْخِصْبِ.prosperity.
And even though they are in barren land, they are in a better condition in prosperity.
فَلَاSo do notتَظُنَّنَّthinkأَنَّthatكُلَّeverythingمَاthatيَصِفُونَthey describeبِهِwith itقُدُورَهُمْtheir potsوَجِفَانَهُمْand their bowlsوَثَرِيدَهُمْand their tharidوَحَيْسَهُمْand their haisبَاطِلٌ.is false.
So do not think that everything they describe about their pots, bowls, tharid, and hais is false.
وَحَدَّثَنِيAnd narrated to meالْأَصْمَعِيُّ،al-Asma'i,قَالَ:he said:سَأَلْتُI askedالْمُنْتَجِعَal-Muntaji'بْنَibnنَبْهَانَNabhanعَنْaboutخِصْبِprosperity ofالْبَادِيَةِ،the desert,فَقَالَ:and he said:
And al-Asma'i narrated to me, saying: I asked al-Muntaji' ibn Nabhan about the prosperity of the desert, and he said:
«رُبَّمَا«PerhapsرَأَيْتُI sawالْكَلْبَthe dogيَتَخَطَّىstepping overالْخُلَاصَةَ2the remnants (of food)،,وَهُوَand itلَهَاfor itمُعَرَّضَةٌ،exposed,شَبَعًا»due to satiety.»
"Perhaps I saw the dog stepping over the remnants of food, exposed to it, out of satiety." (2)
وَقَالَAnd saidالْأَفْوَةُal-Afwahالْأَوْدِيُّ3al-Awdi
And al-Afwah al-Awdi said: (3)
تَهْنَأُis greasedلِثَعْلَبَةَfor Tha'labaبْنِibnقَيْسٍQaysجَفْنَةٌa bowl......يَأْوِيseeks refugeإِلَيْهَاto itفِيinالشِّتَاءِwinterالْجُوَّعُthe hungry
A bowl is greased for Tha'laba ibn Qays, to which the hungry seek refuge in winter.
وَمَذَانِبُAnd troughsلَاnotتُسْتَعَارُare borrowedوَخِيمَةٌand a tent......سَوْدَاءُblackعَيْبُdefect ofنَسِيجِهَاits weavingلَاnotيُرْقَعُ4is patched
And troughs that are not borrowed, and a black tent whose weaving defect is not patched. (4)
وَكَأَنَّمَاAnd as ifفِيهَاin itالْمَذَانِبُthe troughsحَلْقَةٌa ring......وَذَمُّand the blame ofالدِّلَاءِthe bucketsعَلَىuponدَلُوجٍa bucketيَنْزِعُ5drawing water
And as if the troughs in it are a ring, and the buckets' blame is upon a drawing bucket. (5)
وَقَالَAnd saidمَعْنُMa'nبْنُibnأَوْسٍ،Aws,وَهُوَand heيَذْكُرُmentionsقِدْرَthe pot ofسَعِيدِSa'idبْنِibnالْعَاصِ6al-Asفِيinبَعْضِsomeمَاof whatيَمْدَحُهُ:he praises him:
And Ma'n ibn Aws said, mentioning the pot of Sa'id ibn al-As (6), in some of his praise of him:
أَخُوBrother ofشَتَوَاتٍwintersلَاnotتَزَالُceaseقُدُورُهُhis pots......يَحُلُّalightsعَلَىuponأَرْجَائِهَاits sidesثُمَّthenيَرْحَلُ7departs
A man of winters whose pots never cease; he alights upon its sides then departs. (7)
Footnotes
- 1.هَذَا مِنْ قَوْلِهِ فِي وَصْفِ قُدُورِهِمْ وَطَعَامِهِمْ.
This is from his saying describing their pots and food.
- 2.الْخُلَاصَةُ: مَا يَبْقَى فِي أَسْفَلِ الْقِدْرِ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ.
Al-khulasa: what remains at the bottom of the pot of food.
- 3.الْأَفْوَةُ الْأَوْدِيُّ: شَاعِرٌ جَاهِلِيٌّ مِنْ مَعَدٍّ.
Al-Afwah al-Awdi: a pre-Islamic poet from Ma'add.
- 4.الْمَذَانِبُ: جَمْعُ مِذْنَبَةٍ، وَهِيَ مِنْ أَوَانِي الطَّعَامِ.
Al-madhanib: plural of midhnaba, which are vessels for food.
- 5.الدَّلُوجُ: الدَّلْوُ الَّتِي يُنْزَعُ بِهَا مِنَ الْبِئْرِ.
Ad-daluj: the bucket with which water is drawn from the well.
- 6.سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْعَاصِ: وَالٍ أُمَوِيٌّ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ.
Sa'id ibn al-As: an Umayyad governor of Medina.
- 7.يَحُلُّ عَلَى أَرْجَائِهَا: يَنْزِلُ عَلَى جَوَانِبِهَا، وَالْأَرْجَاءُ: الْجَوَانِبُ.
He alights upon its sides: he descends on its sides; al-arja' means the sides.