Oct 31, 2022 11:54
1 yr ago
18 viewers *
Arabic term
ماتت شاحبة كالشحم
Arabic to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
Hi everyone,
This is from a Sudanese text I'm working on.
I understand شحم to mean 'fat' or 'grease', but I'm not sure how it works in this context. The scene is where a woman dies from losing all her blood.
ولكن ظلّت تنزف إلى أن إزرق لسانها وأبيضت عينيها تماماً وماتت شاحبة كالشحم.
She died pale, like grease/fat? As pale as grease?
Thanks for your help!
This is from a Sudanese text I'm working on.
I understand شحم to mean 'fat' or 'grease', but I'm not sure how it works in this context. The scene is where a woman dies from losing all her blood.
ولكن ظلّت تنزف إلى أن إزرق لسانها وأبيضت عينيها تماماً وماتت شاحبة كالشحم.
She died pale, like grease/fat? As pale as grease?
Thanks for your help!
Proposed translations
(English)
5 +2 | passed away/died as pale as a ghost | Abd Alrahman Almidani |
4 | She died as pale as fat/grease | Lamine Boukabour |
2 | She died White as fats | adel almergawy |
Proposed translations
+2
1 hr
Selected
passed away/died as pale as a ghost
The point here is to describe how she lost her color. Therefore, I would not translate it literally, and I would instead resort to an English expression that illustrates that. I thought of using "as pale as death" but it would be a tautology.
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks!"
1 hr
She died as pale as fat/grease
I think the intended meaning here is the color of her body when she died. This color is similar to the color of grease.
23 hrs
She died White as fats
pale
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