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Surah 104

Not all of the surahs are particularly poetic. Abu Lahab (111), a short tirade against a personal enemy, has very little by way of poetic style (my translation here). Nevertheless, some of the surahs are very highly sculpted. The following translation of surah 104 (al-Humaza - the Backbiter) attempts to mimic as closely as possible the Arabic rhyme-scheme and so takes liberties with the precise meaning of individual words. The rhythm is more difficult for me to notice in its current written form, especially with the vowels added, so I've not attempted to replicate that. In the original oral delivery I'd imagine that rhythmic patterns were far more marked. (More conventional trans. here and another by me here.)

In the name of God passionate, compassionate:

Woe to every bitcher and snitcher
hoarding his wealth, noticing any short-fall
thinking it has made him immortal!

No. He'll be thrown into destruction.
And what's it like, destruction?

A fire by God set burning,
over their hearts licking,
around them turning,
like pillars towering.

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