Original Poem
ودع هريرة إن الركب مرتحل وهل تطبيق وداعا أيها الرجل غراء غرعاء مصقول عوارضها تمشي الهويتا كما يمشي الوجي الوحل كأن مشيتها من بيت جارتها مر السحابة لا رأيت ولا عجل أبلغ يزيد بني شيبان مألكة أبا ثبيت أما تنفك تأتكل ألست منتهيا عن نحن أثلتنا ولست ضائرها ما أطت الإبل كناطح صخرة يوما ليوهنها فلم يضرها وأوهي قرنه الوعل سائل بني أسد عنا فقد علموا أن سوف يأتيك من أنبائنا شكل واسأل قشيرا و عبدالله كلهم واسأل رائعة عنا كيف تفتعل إنا نقاتلهم حتي نقتلهم عند اللقاء و هم جاروا و هم جهلوا قالوا الطراد فقلنا تلك عادتنا أو ان لون فإنا معشر نزل لقد زعمتم بأن لا نقاتلكم إنا لأمثالكم يا قومنا قتل
Translation (English)
Say goodbye to Huraira, the caravan is leaving
Can you handle the goodbye, man?
A beautiful young woman with shiny teeth
She walks smoothly like a nobleman in mud
Her walk from her neighbor's house
Is like a cloud passing, not slow or fast
Tell Yazid of the Banu Shayban a message
O Aba Thabit, won't you stop consuming?
Aren't you stopping from our roots?
And you don't harm them while the camels groan
Like someone hitting a rock to weaken it
But it doesn't harm it, and the ibex's horn weakens
Ask the Banu Asad about us, they know
That news of us will reach you in some form
And ask Qushayr and Abdullah, all of them
And ask the wonderful one about us, how do you behave?
We fight them until we kill them
At the meeting, they overstepped and were ignorant
They said the chase, and we said that's our way
Or if they change, we are a people who descend
You claimed we won't fight you
We are killers for people like you, our people
About the Poet
Al-A'sha (Pre-Islamic)
Al-A'sha was a prominent pre-Islamic Arab poet known for his eloquent and expressive poetry. He lived during the 6th century and was part of the Jahiliyyah period, which is characterized by its rich oral poetic tradition.
Historical Context
- Literary Form
- Classical Arabic poetry
- When Written
- 6th century
- Background
- This poem is part of the pre-Islamic tradition, often reflecting themes of love, valor, and tribal pride. It captures the essence of Bedouin life and the poet's personal experiences and observations.
Sources: https://www.aldiwan.net/poem21969.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_poetry
Detailed Explanation
This poem by Al-A'sha is a vivid depiction of farewells, valor, and tribal pride, characteristic of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry. The opening lines set a melancholic tone as the poet bids farewell to Huraira, capturing the inevitability of departure and the emotional weight of goodbyes. The imagery of a graceful woman walking like a nobleman through mud evokes a sense of elegance and resilience.
The poet uses metaphors to convey strength and futility, comparing a futile effort to weaken a rock with the strength of an ibex's horn. This imagery highlights the resilience and enduring nature of the subjects, whether it be the woman or the tribe. The poem also reflects on the poet's tribe's strength and reputation, as he calls upon other tribes to acknowledge their prowess and history.
Emotionally, the poem transitions from the sadness of parting to a tone of defiance and pride. The speaker's tone shifts from reflective to assertive as he speaks of the tribe's readiness to fight and defend their honor. The poem's structure, with its rhythmic meter and rhyme, enhances the emotional impact and underscores the themes of resilience and valor.
Al-A'sha employs literary devices such as metaphor, simile, and repetition to create vivid imagery and emphasize the poem's themes. The use of traditional Arabic poetic forms, with its strict meter and rhyme, reflects the cultural and historical context of the time.
Overall, the poem captures the essence of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, with its focus on themes of love, valor, and tribal identity. It serves as a testament to the rich oral tradition of the era and the enduring legacy of poets like Al-A'sha in shaping Arabic literary heritage.
Themes
Literary Devices
Word Dictionary
| Word | Meaning | Translation | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| ودع | ترك | leave | wadda' |
| هريرة | اسم امرأة | name of a woman | Huraira |
| إن | إذا | if | inna |
| الركب | القافلة | caravan | ar-rakb |
| مرتحل | مغادر | departing | murtaḥil |
| وهل | و | and | wa-hal |
| تطبيق | تحمل | endure | tatbiq |
| وداعا | الوداع | farewell | wada'an |
| أيها | يا | O | ayyuha |
| الرجل | ذكر | male | ar-rajul |
| غراء | جميلة | fair | gharaa' |
| غرعاء | شابة | charming | ghur'aa' |
| مصقول | لامع | polished | masqul |
| عوارضها | أسنانها | teeth | awaariḍuha |
| تمشي | تسير | walks | tamshi |
| الهويتا | بهدوء | gracefully | al-hawita |
| كما | مثل | like | kama |
| يمشي | يسير | walks | yamshi |
| الوجي | الرجل النبيل | nobleman | al-waji |
| الوحل | الطين | mud | al-waḥl |
| كأن | كما لو | as if | ka'anna |
| مشيتها | خطوتها | her walk | mashiyatuha |
| من | من | from | min |
| بيت | منزل | house | bayt |
| جارتها | المرأة المجاورة | the woman next door | jaaratuha |
| مر | مرور | passing | mar |
| السحابة | الغيمة | cloud | as-saḥaba |
| لا | لا | not | la |
| رأيت | شاهدت | saw | ra'ayt |
| ولا | ولا | nor | wala |
| عجل | سريع | hurried | ʿajal |
| أبلغ | أوصل | inform | abligh |
| يزيد | اسم شخص | name of a person | Yazid |
| بني | أبناء | sons | bani |
| شيبان | اسم قبيلة | name of a tribe | Shayban |
| مألكة | رسالة | message | ma'laka |
| أبا | يا أبا | O Aba | Aba |
| ثبيت | اسم شخص | name of a person | Thabit |
| أما | ألا | will you not | amma |
| تنفك | تتوقف | cease | tanfik |
| تأتكل | تأكل | consume | ta'takul |
| ألست | ألا | are you not | alasta |
| منتهيا | متوقفا | stopping | muntahiya |
| عن | عن | from | ʿan |
| نحن | نحن | we | naḥnu |
| أثلتنا | جذورنا | our roots | athlatuna |
| ولست | ولست | and you are not | walasta |
| ضائرها | مؤذيها | harming them | ḍa'iruha |
| ما | ما | as long as | ma |
| أطت | أنين | groan | aṭat |
| الإبل | الجمال | camels | al-ibil |
| كناطح | كضارب | like one who butts | kanaṭiḥ |
| صخرة | حجر | rock | ṣakhra |
| يوما | يوما | one day | yawman |
| ليوهنها | ليضعفها | to weaken it | liyuhinha |
| فلم | لكن لم | but it did not | falam |
| يضرها | يؤذيها | harm it | yuḍirha |
| وأوهي | وأضعف | and weakened | wa-awha |
| قرنه | قرنه | its horn | qarna |
| الوعل | الوعل | the ibex | al-wa'l |
| سائل | اسأل | ask | sa'il |
| أسد | اسم قبيلة | name of a tribe | Asad |
| عنا | حولنا | about us | ʿanna |
| فقد | لأن | for | faqad |
| علموا | عرفوا | they know | ʿalimu |
| أن | أن | that | an |
| سوف | سوف | will | sawfa |
| يأتيك | يصلك | comes to you | ya'tika |
| أنبائنا | أخبارنا | our news | anba'ina |
| شكل | نوع | form | shakl |
| واسأل | واسأل | and ask | wa-as'al |
| قشيرا | اسم قبيلة | name of a tribe | Qushayr |
| و | و | and | wa |
| عبدالله | اسم شخص | name of a person | Abdullah |
| كلهم | جميعهم | all of them | kulluhum |
| رائعة | مذهلة | amazing | ra'i'a |
| كيف | كيف | how | kayfa |
| تفتعل | تتصرف | act | tafta'il |
| إنا | نحن | we | inna |
| نقاتلهم | نحاربهم | we fight them | nuqatiluhum |
| حتي | حتى | until | ḥatta |
| نقتلهم | نقتلهم | we kill them | naqtuluhum |
| عند | عند | at | ʿinda |
| اللقاء | الاجتماع | the meeting | al-liqa' |
| هم | هم | they | hum |
| جاروا | تجاوزوا | transgressed | jaru |
| جهلوا | جهلوا | were ignorant | jahilu |
| قالوا | قالوا | they said | qalu |
| الطراد | المطاردة | the pursuit | aṭ-ṭirad |
| فقلنا | فقلنا | and we said | faqulna |
| تلك | تلك | that | tilka |
| عادتنا | عادتنا | our habit | ʿadatuna |
| أو | أو | or | aw |
| ان | إذا | if | in |
| لون | تغيروا | change color | lawwan |
| فإنا | فإننا | for we | fa-inna |
| معشر | قوم | people | maʿshar |
| نزل | نزل | descend | nazal |
| لقد | لقد | indeed | laqad |
| زعمتم | ادعيتم | you claimed | zaʿamtum |
| بأن | بأن | that | bi-an |
| نقاتلكم | نحاربكم | we fight you | nuqatilukum |
| لأمثالكم | لأمثالكم | for your kind | li-amthalikum |
| يا | يا | O | ya |
| قومنا | قومنا | our people | qawmuna |
| قتل | قاتل | killer | qatl |
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