I first translated the Jabberwocky in 2010. This is a rewrite of that version.

This is the first and only Arabic translation of Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem Jabberwocky (Through the Looking-Glass, 1871). The structure of Arabic, with its fluid interplay of consonant and vowel, makes it ideal to render the Jabberwocky. It was fun inventing Arabic words to incarnate the spirit of the original. The secondary inspiration for this translation came from Al-As̥maˁī’s 8th century nonsense poem S̥awtu S̥afīru l-Bulbuli (The Bulbul’s Song), which is full of expressive alliteration within individual words and across verses. The title of the Arabic version is الملحمة الجبروقية al-malḥama al-Jabarwaqīyah.

 

 

العربية Arabic

Arabic transliteration

Original English

جراذلُ الوابي ضحى

تدربحت تدربُحا

مُفرفرٌ تَنَحنَحا

وبُربُرٌ تَفَحفَحا

jarādhilu l-wābi ḍuḥā

tadarbaḥat tadarbuḥā

mufarfirun tanaḥnaḥā

wa burburun tafaḥfaḥā

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

اِحذرَرِ الجبروقا

 وفكّه المُطَرطِقا!

واحذر طُييرَ الجُبجُبِ

وغنضباً مُزندقا

iḥdhariri l-jabarwaqā

wa fakkahū l-muṭarṭiqā!

w-aḥdhar ṭuyayri l-jubjubi

wa ghanḍaban muzandiqā!

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

قُلّد سيفَ الفَنصلى

 يريدُ صيدَ العَنضلى

في فيّ نخلِ الطُمطُمِ

متكئً مستأملا

qullida sayfa l-fanṣalā

yurīdu ṣayda l-ˁanḍalā

fī fayyi nakhli ṭ-ṭumṭumi

muttaˀikan mustaˀmilā

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

وبينما تأملا

جَبَروقٌ تحنقلا!

عيناه جمرٌ غلغلا

في الغابِ يسعى بَربَلا!

wa baynamā taˀammalā

jabarwaqan taḥanqalā

ˁaynāhu jamrun ghalghalā

fil-ghābi yasˁā barbalā!

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

قطع قطا ضرب ضرا

أسقطه مُجَندلاً!

برأسِه تقهقرا

مُبختِراً مُهرولاً

qaṭaˁ qaṭā ḍarab ḍarā

asqaṭahū mujandalā!

bi raˀsihi taqahqarā

mubakhtiran muharwilā

One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

يا من قتلتَ الجروقا!

وُليلدي المنبثقا!

أراهُ يوماً عبقرا

أقولها مُضرحِقا!

yā man qatalta l-jarwaqā

wulaylidī l-munbathiqā!

arāhū yawman ˁabqarā

aqūluhā muḍarḥiqā!

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

جراذل الوابي ضحى

تدربحت تدربُحا

مُفرفرٌ تَنَحنَحا

وبُربُرٌ تَفَحفَحا

jarādhilu l-wābi ḍuḥā

tadarbaḥat tadarbuḥā

mufarfirun tanaḥnaḥā

wa burburun tafaḥfaḥā

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

 

3 Responses to The Jabberwocky in Arabic, Version 2

  1. susheela says:

    Dear Wael
    Am enjoying your translation of Jabberwocky.
    I am a singer/composer currently working on musical version of this poem, initially in English but also in ‘translation’. Could we discuss it?
    If you would like to see some of my work please google ‘Susheela Raman’. I have worked mostly in English and various Indian languages but have also sung in French, Greek, and Syriac!
    Best regards
    Susheela Raman

  2. wael says:

    Sounds great! Let us know how it comes out.

  3. Hello- As editor of the Knight Letter, the magazine of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, I find this of great interest. Would you be so kind as to drop me an email so we can further discuss it?
    Many thanks.

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