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۔ by Imru' al-Qais — Analysis & Translation

2 min read Arabic

Original Poem

۔ ابیات من امرؤالقیس قِ فا ن بْكِ مِ نْ ذِكْ رى حبِیبٍ و منِْْلِ بِسِقْطِ اللَِّ وى ب ین ال دَّخُولِ ف حوْ ملِ ول یْلٍ ك موْجِ ال بحْرِ أ رْ خ سُدُول هُ ع ل يَّ بِأنْواعِ الهُمُومِ لِ یبْ تلِي فقُلْتُ ل هُ ل مَّ ا ت م طَّى بِصُلْبِهِ وأ رْ د ف أ عْجازًا ون ا ء بِک لْ كلِ أ لا أ یَُّها الل یْلُ ال طَّویلُ أ لا انْ جلِی بِصُبْحٍ وما الإِصْباحُ مِنْ ك بِأ مْ ثلِ فیا ل ك مِنْ ل یْلٍ ک أ نَّ نُجُو مهُ بِکلَُِّ مُ غارِ ال فتْلِ شُ دَّتْ بِ یذْبُلِ ک أ نَّ الثَُّ ری ا عُلَِّ قتْ في م صامِها بِأ مْراسِ ك تَّانٍ إ لی صُمَِّ جنْ دلِ و قدْ أ غْ تدِي وال طَّیْرُ فِي وُكُناتِها بِمُنْ جرِدٍ قیْدِ الأ وابِدِ ھیْ ك ی لِ مِ كرٍَّ مِ فرٍَّ مُقْبِلٍ مُدْبِرٍ معًا كجُل مُودِ صخْرٍ ح طَّهُ ال سَّیْل مِنْ علِ کُ میْتٍ ی زِلَُّ الل بْدُ عنْ حالِ متْنِهِ ك ما زل تِ ال صَّفْ واءُ بِالمُ ت ن زَّلِ

Translation (English)

Pause and let's cry for the memory of a loved one and a place in the lowland between Dakhul and Hawmal. A night like ocean waves, its curtains drawn over me with various worries to challenge me. I said to it, when it stretched its back and followed its hind parts, burdened with everything. O long night, won't you clear with the morning, and what is the morning like you? Oh, what a night, as if its stars were tied with twisted thread to Yathbul. As if the Pleiades were hung in their places with flax ropes to solid rocks. I set out while the birds are in their nests with a swift horse that captures wild beasts. Running forward and backward, coming and going together like a torrent of rocks washed by the flood from above. A dark horse whose saddle slips from its back like the smoothness of a polished stone.

About the Poet

Imru' al-Qais (Pre-Islamic Arabian)

Imru' al-Qais was a pre-Islamic Arabian poet from Najd, considered the father of Arabic poetry. His famous poem 'Let us stop and weep' is part of the Mu'allaqat, a collection of pre-Islamic poems. He led a scandalous lifestyle and was eventually exiled, but later avenged his father's death.

Read more on Wikipedia →

Historical Context

Literary Form
Mu'allaqat
When Written
Late 5th to early 6th century
Background
The poem is part of the Mu'allaqat, a collection of pre-Islamic poems that were highly esteemed. It reflects themes of nostalgia, loss, and the harsh realities of life.

Sources: https://shamela.ws/book/151017/22, https://x.com/SalehAlmoghamsy/status/1303367362960330753?lang=ar, https://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/قفا_نبك_من_ذكرى_حبيب_ومنزل_(معلقة), https://adabworld.com/شرح-معلقة-امرؤ-القيس-برواية-الزوزني/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imru%27_al-Qais

Detailed Explanation

This poem by Imru' al-Qais is a classic example of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, known as the Mu'allaqat. It begins with a call to pause and mourn the memories of a beloved and a place, evoking nostalgia and a sense of loss. The poet describes a night filled with worries, comparing it to the vast and tumultuous sea. He personifies the night, questioning its length and yearning for the morning. The imagery of the night is vivid, with stars likened to being tied with ropes, and the Pleiades depicted as anchored to stones. The poet also describes setting out with a swift horse, emphasizing its speed and agility, akin to a torrent of rocks. The poem captures themes of longing, the passage of time, and the harshness of life, all conveyed through rich metaphors and vivid imagery.

Themes

  • nostalgia
  • loss
  • nature
  • time
  • memory

Literary Devices

  • metaphor: The night is compared to the sea, emphasizing its vastness and depth.
  • personification: The night is given human-like qualities, being asked to clear with morning.
  • imagery: Vivid descriptions of the night, stars, and horse create a rich visual experience.
  • simile: Stars are likened to being tied with ropes, and the horse's movement to a torrent of rocks.

Word Dictionary

Word Meaning Translation Transliteration
قِ قف stop qi
فا ثم then fa
ن نحن we na
بْكِ نبكي cry bki
مِ نْ من from min
ذِكْ رى تذكر memory dhikraa
حبِیبٍ محبوب beloved habeeb
و و and wa
منِْْلِ مكان place manzil
بِسِقْطِ في in bisqti
اللَِّ وى الوادي lowland allawaa
ب ین بين between bayna
ال دَّخُولِ مكان Dakhul ad-dakhul
ف حوْ ملِ مكان Hawmal fahawmal
ول و and wa
یْلٍ ليل night laylin
ك مثلك like you ka
موْجِ أمواج waves mawj
ال بحْرِ البحر the sea al-bahr
أ رْ خ أرخى drawn arkha
سُدُول هُ ستائر curtains sudoolahu
ع ل يَّ علي over me alayya
بِأنْواعِ بأنواع various bi-anwaa'i
الهُمُومِ هموم worries al-humoom
لِ یبْ تلِي ليختبرني to challenge me liyabtalee
فقُلْتُ قلت I said faqultu
ل هُ له to it lahu
ل مَّ ا عندما when lammaa
ت م طَّى امتد stretched tamattaa
بِصُلْبِهِ بظهره its back bisulbihi
وأ رْ د ف وتبع and followed wa-ardafa
أ عْجازًا نهايات hind parts a'jaazan
ون ا ء وحمل burdened wanaa
بِک لْ بكل everything bikulli
كلِ كل everything kulli
أ لا ألا won't you alaa
أ یَُّها أيها O ayyuhal
الل یْلُ الليل night al-laylu
ال طَّویلُ الطويل long at-taweel
انْ جلِی تظهر clear anjali
بِصُبْحٍ بصباح with morning bisubh
وما وما and what wa ma
الإِصْباحُ الصباح the morning al-isbaah
مِنْ من from min
بِأ مْ ثلِ بمثل like bi-mithli
فیا يا Oh faya
ل ك لك what a laka
ل یْلٍ ليل night laylin
ک مثل as if ka
أ نَّ أن as if anna
نُجُو مهُ نجومه its stars nujumahu
بِکلَُِّ بكل with all bikulli
مُ غارِ مغار twisted mughaar
ال فتْلِ الفتل thread al-fatli
شُ دَّتْ شدت were tied shuddat
بِ یذْبُلِ بيذبل to Yathbul bi-yathbul
الثَُّ ری ا الثريا the Pleiades ath-thurayaa
عُلَِّ قتْ علقت were hung ulliquat
في في in fi
م صامِها مصامها their places masaamiha
بِأ مْراسِ بأمراس with ropes bi-amraas
ك تَّانٍ كتان flax kataan
إ لی إلى to ila
صُمَِّ جنْ دلِ صم جندل solid rocks sum jandal
قدْ قد and qad
أ غْ تدِي أغتدي I set out aghtadi
وال طَّیْرُ والطير while the birds wa-at-tayru
فِي في in fi
وُكُناتِها وكناتها their nests wukunaatiha
بِمُنْ جرِدٍ بمنجر with a swift horse bimunjarid
قیْدِ قيد captures qayd
الأ وابِدِ الأوابد wild beasts al-awabid
ھیْ ك هيك captures hayk
ی لِ يل swift yil
مِ كرٍَّ مكر forward mikr
مِ فرٍَّ مفر backward mifr
مُقْبِلٍ مقبل coming muqbil
مُدْبِرٍ مدبر going mudbir
معًا معا together ma'an
كجُل مُودِ كجل مود torrent kajul mood
صخْرٍ صخر rocks sakhr
ح طَّهُ حطه washed hatthahu
ال سَّیْل السيل flood as-sayl
علِ على above ala
کُ میْتٍ كميت dark horse kumayt
ی زِلَُّ يزل slips yazillu
الل بْدُ اللبد saddle al-labdu
عنْ عن from an
حالِ حال back haal
متْنِهِ متنه back matnihi
ك ما كما like kama
زل تِ زلت slips zallat
ال صَّفْ واءُ الصفاء smoothness as-safwaa
بِالمُ ت ن زَّلِ بالمتنزل polished stone bil-mutanzal

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