Qasidah Banat Su’ad This is the English translation of the famous Qasidah of Zuhair Bin Abi Sulma known with three different names, i.e. Qasidah Banat Su’ad ( Su’ad has Departed), Qasidah Burdah (Qasidah of the Outer Garment of the Prophet that he gave to the poet as a reward for this Qasidah) and Qasidah Lamiyyah (the Qasidah of the letter Laam, for every couplet of this Qasidah ends with this letter). I pray that Allah may accept and approve my humble effort of rendering it into English and I request every reader of the Qasidah and its translation to pray for my forgiveness. (Note) The first 15 couplets out of 60 couplets are about the beloved girl of the poet, next 25 couplets are about the she ‐camel that could have taken the poet to his beloved one but ultimately brought him to the Prophet. The last 20 couplets are in the praise of the Prophet and his companions. Dr. Abdur Rahim Ashraf Baluch
ﱠ Su’ad has departed, so this day my heart is in pain Tied after her is my heart, not freed rather in chains.
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And Su’ad, in the very morning they departed, didn’t but she Looked more beautiful with her black stained deer like eyes **
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** Her cheeks covered by her dark hair start shining whenever she smiles And they look like look like cups that have been filled with world’s finest wine ** The wine has been added with cold water from purest springs From clear springs of the rocky mountains from the North. ** The winds take away all the straw from its surface. And abundantly add To it more pure water, white clouds that come from the side of Sariyah. ** ﱠ ﱡ Her friendship is a great honor only if she kept her Promises or would that the advice achieves her approval. ** But her friendship is fraught with agonizing pain, passion, Breaking promises and changing her mind now and then. ** ﱠ She is never found in one state of mind, but keeps changing constantly, Like a goblin who quickly changes her color by changing her dress ** ﱠ And she doesn’t keep the promise which she pretends to have made, But like the sieves that keep the water just for few moments. ﱠ ** ﱠ Her vows and her promises she made, should not beguile you For all hopes and all dreams regarding her are just delusions
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She looks awesomely pretty from the front and plump at the rump She is of such a height that is neither very short nor unworthy tall
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The promises of Urqub are good parables for her promises Everybody knows that her promises are but white lies.
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** I wish and I hope to win her love in the nearest future But I don’t think that we may achieve this wish from her.
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Su’ad has reached to a distant land where could only be reached By healthy she-camels of noble breed, that run with quick speed.
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** Only by she-camels with great stamina that know no languor That run between high speed of a steed and haste of a mule. ** She-camels of the breed that spread musk whenever they sweat That can go on unknown tracks with signs erased and marks effaced. ** ﱠ ﱠ That can see the unseen with their farsighted white eyes of a wild bull If they expect any danger, they carefully look for a place safe-N-secure ** ﱠ Those that have long and strong necks and strong muscular legs Those highbred animals, that exceed others in their characteristics. ** ﱠ ﱠ Forerunner, with widened cheeks, wild with masculine characteristics Wide are her shoulders, which gradually incline towards the front. ** ﱢ Her skin is like the hardened but lean leather of a shield, so that Her shoulders are hardly hurt by the branches of acacia trees ﱠ ** ﱡ She has combined all better qualities she inherited from her ancestors Such as the swift running, long back, long neck and easiness of pace. ** ﱠ The ticks start moving on her skin but soon they roll down Since her back is smooth and her filled belly sides are slippery. ** ﱡ She withdraws herself as a wild animal from herd fellows and then comes back Her elbows are made of twisted muscles coming down from her chest muscles. ** ﱠ She is unblemished and beautiful, for her eyes, her neck, Her nose and her cheeks have no scars of branding with iron ** ﱢ Her tail moves like a stick of palm branch with thick hair on it On her udder which hasn’t been polluted by her shit and urine ** ﱠ Her both auburn ears seem like erect rocks to him who observes her As she clearly is of highbred family with somewhat flattened cheeks ** ﱠ ﱡ She walks on her slender but stiff legs smoothly when treading the earth
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** As if her legs smell out the odor of a wild mushroom whenever she sweats Maybe they touched this poisonous plant when wandering in the pastures. ﱠ ** ﱠ On a day when the chameleon spent it suffering from fr om headache As if the chameleon had a day of boredom due to the heat of the Sun ** The cameleer said to his people: “take mid day nap”, while The grasshoppers started jumping upon the pebbles here and there. ** She passed the intensity of the day laying her long neck on her bent front legs And when she stood up, other camels that have lost their mothers stood up too. ﱠ ** ﱠ ﱠ When they announced the death of her young baby she started crying Her both sides of her belly became soft and there was no one to tie her ** ﱠ ﱠ She moves forward her chest with the help of her front legs while Her chemise is torn from her collarbone and it is in tatters. ** ﱠ The slanderers are trying in his presence to malign me and they say Certainly you, O the son of Abi Sulma (Zuhair, the poet), are to be killed ** ﱠ ﱢ And every close friend whom I used to trust too much said to me “I am sorry I can’t help you, for I am too busy to be with you. ﱠ ﱠ ** ﱡ I said to them: “Leave me alone, you may lose your fathers, Let me go to him, For whatever the Most Merciful has destined is undoubtedly going to happen” ** Every son of a female even though he may live a long peaceful life One day, certainly, he is to be carried on the coffin to his tomb. ** ﷲ ﷲ I have been told that the Messenger of Allah has threatened me But it is the forgiveness of the Messenger of Allah that one can expect. ** ﷲ ﷲ I came to the Messenger of Allah to apologize to him And apology is always accepted by the Messenger of Allah. ** Please wait! You may be guided by the One Who has given given you the Great Blessing In the form of the Qur’an that contains admonitions and much, much more. ** ﱠ Don’t understand me wrong because of the words of the slanderers For I did nothing wrong, it is only rumors that have been spread against me. ** I am standing where if the elephant stood, and I am listening and seeing if the elephant has listened ﷲ ** ﱠ He would have started trembling, except if he had from the Messenger,
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Until I put my right hand in the palm and did not take it away From the palm of him who speaks so gently and his words are the words ** ﱢ ﱠ It is because he is the most honorable one in my eyes to whom I am talking now Though they said to me: “You are accused and are going to be questioned about it” ** ﱠ He is from a family of brave lions who strenuously work to protect their domain The domain that is invincible, can’t be reached, it is between thick layers of jungles. ** At war this lion chooses for fight a brave lion as his rival and then both Of them turn the battle field into a ground filled with pieces of flesh. ** ﱡ ﱠ If he leaps upon someone who is not his equal, he doesn’t fight him But he leaves him not until he is captured and tied with chains. ** ﱠ ﱢ Birds of prey keep themselves hidden from him due to his fear And other wild animals never venture to approach his valley. ﱢ ﱠ ** ﱠ Every day in his valley there is a brave and bold warrior Lying in front of him in tattered clothes, ready to be punished ﷲ ** ﱠ The Messenger is like a sword whose brightness guides the warriors One of the swords of God, that has been unsheathed against His enemies. ** ﱠ ﱠ He was among some young men of Quresh, when one of them said After they had embraced Islam in Makkah: “Leave the city and migrate” ** ﱢ They left the city, it is true but they left it with dignity and they showed No cowardice when they met their enemy, as they were united for a cause. ** They are high ranking champions, who wear like their normal clothes, Whenever there is a call for a battle, Armors of Prophet David’s design. ** ﱠ ﱠ Full white armors that are covered by twisted square knots Like the square knots of the desert plant with twisted thorns ** ﱠ ﱡ ﱠ ﱡ They walk like the beautiful white camels and they protect themselves With decisive blows, whenever they face black warriors with their spears ** They never become happy when their javelins have injured others And they never complain and whine when they are injured in the battles ** Spears of their enemies always find their chests ready to be stabbed As they never try to escape the death with turning their backs to them.
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