The Dog Days of Summer
This poem receives close syntactic and thematic analysis in Liebhaber, 2011a: 25-28.
| The Dog Days of Summer | Translation |
|---|---|
| 1) śmīmet enṭərōr // teh bālī ksē | Would that God might give us rain // in the canyon of Śmīmet Neṭrōr |
| 2) yšeṭṭem ḥarḳ // we-ryīḥ we-lhēb | It has struggled against the drought, // the wind and fire for long enough. |
| 3) w-ḫeyr yemyōl // law menh eysēr | Let goodness return, // certainly it’s much better. |
| 4) wet nhā beh // tetrūb be-bhēl | While we are there, // words turned to dust, |
| 5) tē hrūm ketlūl // yḥōm śǧēr | The tough last grasses [of the rainy season] have dwindled [to nothing] // and want trees |
| 6) hel ḳāṭā hlā // tē beh leḫrēǧ | In the spots of shade [they wait] // until [the dry season] has departed. |
| 7) ʿār heh ḏ-hānōh // ʾamūd yezlēl | It is [the dry season] that bears down hard, // throwing itself onto the roof beams |
| 8) ksōh mbārekt // l-ād hīs meḳḫeyr | It finds the cow Mbārakt // with no one there to hobble her. |
| 9) reyt ḥamr el-ʿayn // šedhūḳ nīǧēr | If only there were a brave young man // to spot her from the wādī’s edge! |
| 10) w-fām eḫḫərūǧ // neḳḏīs w-shēr | He pulls her leg, // saves her and stayed up all night [with her] |
| 11) we-mġōren klōṯ // we-wzōm ḫbēr | Afterwards he spoke to me // and gave the news. |
| 12) līferḥen tēn // w-lezimh bśēr | He makes us happy // and gives it as a gift, |
| 13) seh źeywəlet lā // hel kel zhēd | This is not just idle talk either, // but like [the talk] of all those who are knowledgeable. |
| 14) her tēlī hǧisk // ḥōm ḳalb yhēd | Afterwards, I thought awhile // and wanted my heart to quiet down |
| 15) eṣōdeḳ hnēf // w-ʿāṣer shēr | It trusts itself // and stayed up all night |
| 16) ḫā heh ḏ-ġeyṣāb // w-nefs ḳhēr | As though someone had stolen something // and got away with it. |
| 17) ḏōme heh ǧḥīd lā // maḫḫəṭeyṭ we-nzēl | There is nothing deplorable about it, it’s written and revealed by God |
| 18) w-ber tǧēr lūk // we-tkūn ḏ-hābēr | It has happened to you before // and you know how things happen |
| 19) hīs wet eḳbēt // w-rēseh ydēr | It is just one thing following the next, // and troubles keep on coming back |
| 20) ḏīme ʿeds bsīt // l-sēhel ṣbēr | It is such a simple thing, // so stay patient. |
| 21) ewźōnek errab // źōfī w-ḏe-kṯēr | May God reward you, // whether a tribal dependent or more! |
| 22) we-yhanʾem lūk // be-ġyūǧ we-nśēr | May God favor you, // your men and dispersed [herds]. |