Original Poem
دان علي أيدي العفاة و شاسح عن كل يد في الندي والضريب كالبدر أفرط في العلو و ضوءه للعصبةالسارين جد قريب
Translation (English)
Humble to the hands of the needy and distant
From every hand in generosity and hardship
Like the moon, excessive in height and its light
To the group of travelers very near
Historical Context
- Literary Form
- Classical Arabic poetry
- When Written
- Classical era
- Background
- This poem uses metaphor and simile to convey themes of generosity and the contrast between apparent distance and actual closeness. Such themes are common in classical Arabic poetry, often reflecting social values and philosophical ideas.
Sources: https://tafsir.app/iraab-aldarweesh/9/20, https://shamela.ws/book/17669/122, https://almerja.com/reading.php?idm=137811, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_poetry
Detailed Explanation
This poem reflects on the duality of generosity and distance. The first two lines describe a person who is humble and accessible to those in need, yet distant from others in terms of generosity and hardship. The metaphor of the moon in the last two lines illustrates this duality further. The moon is high and distant, yet its light reaches those who travel at night, symbolizing how someone can be both elevated and approachable. This reflects the classical Arabic poetic tradition of using nature to explore human virtues.
Themes
Literary Devices
Word Dictionary
| Word | Meaning | Translation | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| دان | قريب | close | daan |
| علي | على | on | 'alaa |
| أيدي | أيدي | hands | ayadi |
| العفاة | المحتاجين | the needy | al-'afaah |
| و | و | and | wa |
| شاسح | بعيد | far | shaasiH |
| عن | من | from | 'an |
| كل | كل | every | kull |
| يد | يد | hand | yad |
| في | في | in | fi |
| الندي | الكرم | generosity | al-nadi |
| والضريب | الصعوبة | difficulty | wa-al-dhareeb |
| كالبدر | مثل القمر | like the moon | kal-badr |
| أفرط | زاد | excessive | afrat |
| العلو | الارتفاع | height | al-uluww |
| ضوءه | نوره | its light | daw'uhu |
| للعصبةالسارين | للمسافرين | to the travelers | lil-usbat al-saarin |
| جد | جدا | very | jidd |
| قريب | قريب | near | qareeb |
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