Mother's Day and Mehat

Mother's Day.

The temptation of the hose.

Stuck in the bushes

Susu got a manicure and pedicure for Mother's Day.

Rollerskating to the conference. Not an easy two miles.

At the Mehat conference. Another graduate student actually had a kid!

Suraya's stock expression of disagreement.

Suraya playing in the dirt.

Post paint. The color is a reddish-brown. Unfortunately, the lighting is giving it the look of orange, which is not the case in real life.

The nice weather has permitted us to get out and about. Other than that, life just ambles along. Our painters finished 2 weeks ago. They did a fantastic job; we had a lot of difficult spots to hit (ceiling beams running across) and they did a great job blending the colors (the beams were different than the walls). We used a combination of textures: Metallic, Suede, Flat and semi-gloss. We are really happy. I need to take more pics, but I will post a few.

Mother's Day was nice; we went to breakfast, then Sean cleaned the house for me while I took Susu to get her first manicure/pedicure (of course, this will not be a regular thing). I presentd a paper at Mehat over the weekend on Mutanabbi (translation below).

With the spring boom in the real estate market, it seems we are getting more neighbors. This is exciting as we eagerly await new faces (especially, little faces).

In academic news, Sean was awarded a summer fellowship. We were very happy to receive the news. The only stipulation: he has to write (which he loves). It looks like I will continue to work as a private tutor, and I hope to enroll the kids in camp.

Here's my translation of Mutanabbi's elegy for Khawla bt. Abi Hayja'. It needs lots of work. It is a paper I submitted three years ago--I really need to get back to it and fine tune the translation (probably even rework large swathes). I am sharing it since if there any form of poetry I like, its elegy. there is a great arabic website that has the whole diwan of Mutanabbi available, as well as commentaries. I will edit this post when I find it.

1. O sister of thy best brother, O daughter of thy best father; kinship to these two signifies the most honorable lineage.

يـا أخَـتَ خَـيرِ أخ يـا بِنتَ خَيرِ أبِ
كِنايــةً بِهِمـا عـن أشـرَفِ النَسَـبِ

2. Your destiny is more venerable than being called “deceased.” And the one who describes you has named you to all of the Arabs.

أُجِــلَ قَــدّرَكِ أن تُســمَي مُؤَبنـةً
ومَــن يَصِفـك فقـد سَـماكِ للعَـرَبِ

3. The one who sways [to and fro] in grief has no control over his speech, nor his tears [which flow uncontrollably]; while they two are gripped in throes of anguish.

لا يَملــكُ الطَـرب المَحـزُونُ مَنطِقَـهُ
ودَمعَــهُ وهُمـا فـي قَبضـةٍ الطـرَبِ

4. O death, you betrayer, how many have you brought to naught ? And how many a clamoring army has been silenced [on your account]?

غَـدَرتَ يـا مَـوتُ كـم أفنَيتَ من عَدَدٍ بِمَـن أصَبـتَ وكـم أسـكَت مِن لَجَبِ


5. And how many a time did you chaperon her brother on military campaigns? And how many a time did you request [lives]; he wasn't met with avarice and you didn’t conceal [anything].



وَكَــمْ صَحـبت أخاهـا فـي مُنازَلـة وَكَـمْ سَـألتَ فلـم يبْخَـلْ ولـم تَخـبِ ٍ

6. The news cut across Jazīra, until it reached me; I was devastated, [yet] I clung to (my) hopes that it was untrue.

طَـوَى الجَـزِيرةَ حَـتَّى جـاءَني خَبَرٌ
فَــزعتُ فيـهِ بِآمـالي إلـى الكَـذِبِ

7. Until [alas], the truth [of the news] didn’t allow me [any] hope; I choked on my tears until they nearly drown me.

حَـتَّى إذا لـم يَـدَعْ لـي صِدقُـهُ أمَـل
شَـرِقتُ بِـالدَمعِ حَـتَّى كـادَ يشرَقُ بي

8. Speech (lit. tongues) stuttered in the mouths; the messengers on horseback halted in the streets, and the pens ceased to write in the books.

تعــثَّرَتْ بِــهِ فـي الأفـواهِ ألْسُـنُها
والـبُردُ فـي الطُرْقِ والأقلامُ في الكُتبِ
9. As if the armies of the deceased one [Khawla], did not occupy Diyār Bakr; and [as if] she hadn’t given and hadn’t provided [to those in need].

كــأنَّ فَعْلَــةَ لــم تَمـلأْ مَواكِبُهـا
دِيــارَ بَكـرٍ ولـم تَخـلَعْ ولـم تَهَـب



10. And [as if] she hadn’t restored life after turning around [the lives of the people]; and [as if] she hadn’t given succor to poor, clothed the naked, and fed the hungry in times of devastation and [economic] poverty.

ولــم تَــرُدّ حَيــاةً بَعــدَ توليَـةٍ
ولـم تُغِـثْ داعِيـاً بِـالوَيلِ والحَـرَبِ
11. I behold the night in Iraq long in passing since we heard the news; [so] how must the night tarry for the most virile of all the young men in ßalab?

أرَى العِـراقَ طَـوِيلَ اللَيـلِ مُـذْ نُعِيَتْ
فكَـيفَ لَيـلُ فَتَـى الفِتيـان فـي حَلَبِ
12. [Does] he think that my heart is not ablaze [in sorrow]? And that the tears beneath my eyelids are not flowing?

يَظُــن أن فُــؤاَدِي غَــيرُ مُلتَهِـبٍ وأن دَمــعَ جُــفوني غَـيرُ مُنسـكبِ
13. Indeed, yes! I swear by the sanctity of the protector of the sanctuary of greatness; and by those who seek (implied: the needy) and by lofty character.

بَــلَى وحُرمـةِ مَـن كـانت مُراعِيَـةً
لحرُمــةِ المَجــدِ والقُصــادِ والأدَبِ


14. And the one who passed without bequeathing her noble character; even though when she passed, she (lit: her hand) had material wealth to bequeath.



ومَـن مَضَـت غَـير مَـوروث خَلائِقُها
وإن مَضَــتْ يَدُهـا مَورُوثـةَ النَشـبِ
15.And her concern was with all things great and noble; while her peers [frittered] in mindless distraction and mundane pastimes.

16. Her brilliant smile shines in salutation; But no one except God knows what is behind her lips (lit: her spittle).
وهَمُّهــا فـي العُـلَى والمَجـدِ ناشِـئةً وهَــمٌّ أترابِهـا فـي الَلهْـوِ والَلعـبِ



يَعلَمْــنَ حِـينَ تُحيَّـا حُسـنَ مَبسـمِها ولًيسَ يَعلَـــمُ إلا اللـــهُ بِالشَــنَب

17. The part in her hair makes for bliss in hearts of fragrances; And sorrow is in the hearts of soldier helmets (made of iron), and Yemeni shields (made of camel leather).

مَسَــرَّة فـي قُلـوبِ الطِيـبِ مَفرِقُهـا
وحَسـرةٌ فـي قُلـوبِ البَيْـض واليَلَبِ

18. If it [=the helmet] saw beneath it[self] the head of the wearer; it would see the veil higher than it[self] in rank.

إذا رَأَى ورَآهــــا رأَسَ لابِسِـــهِ رَأى المَقـانِعَ أعـلَى مِنـهُ فـي الرُّتَبِ

19. And in spite of the fact that you were created female; you were [created] noble, manly in intellect and judgment.

وإنْ تَكُـنْ خُـلِقَتْ أُنثَـى لَقـد خـلِقَتْ
كَرِيمـةً غَـيرَ أُنثَـى العَقـلِ والحَسَـبِ

20. Even if she is derived from the tribe of Taghlib—rich in ancestry;
For verily, in wine there is something that is not in grapes (implied: wine is better than its origin, as Khawla is better than her tribe).

وإنْ تكُـنْ تَغلِـبُ الغَلبـاءُ عُنصُرَهـا
فـإنَّ فـي الخَـمرِ مَعنًى لَيسَ في العِنَبِ
21. Would that the rising of the two suns (implied: the one that brings day from night; i.e.: the celestial body), disappear, in return for the sun (implied: Khawla) that
has vanished?

فلَيــتَ طالِعــةَ الشَمسَــينِ غائبـةٌ
ولَيــتَ غائِبـةَ الشمْسَـينِ لـم تغِـبِ


22. And would that the sun that brings day from night, sacrifice itself for the sun who fell and didn’t return.
ولَيــتَ عَيـنَ الَّتـي آبَ النَهـارُ بِهـا
فِـداءُ عَيـنِ الَّتـي زالَـتْ ولـم تَؤُبِ