كان ظلاميا

English translation: was darkness

17:42 Dec 5, 2023
Arabic to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Arabic term or phrase: كان ظلاميا
Hi everyone,

I know ظلام means darkness, but is it working as an adjective here? So 'what I carried from my days in the military was dark?'

ذهبتْ أيّام المعسكر، لكنّ ما حملته معها كان ظلاميّا.

It's said by someone who had a very difficult time in the military.

Thank you.
Saliha18
Local time: 05:39
English translation:was darkness
Explanation:
-

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 دقائق (2023-12-05 17:50:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or: The camp days were gone, carrying with them darkness.

This construction effectively conveys the idea that the camp days have concluded, and they left behind a sense of darkness.






Selected response from:

Lamine Boukabour
Algeria
Local time: 05:39
Grading comment
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5yet the legacy they bore was shrouded in darkness
Rebecca Heathen
4was darkness
Lamine Boukabour
4it was a dreadful/ terrible/traumatic experience
Heba Abed
3It was obscurantist
TargamaT team


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
was darkness


Explanation:
-

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 دقائق (2023-12-05 17:50:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or: The camp days were gone, carrying with them darkness.

This construction effectively conveys the idea that the camp days have concluded, and they left behind a sense of darkness.








Lamine Boukabour
Algeria
Local time: 05:39
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic
PRO pts in category: 94
Grading comment
Thank you!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
it was a dreadful/ terrible/traumatic experience


Explanation:
it was a dreadful/ terrible/traumatic experience

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 mins (2023-12-05 17:53:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

it means that his life in the camp was not easy. It was such a terrible ordeal!

Heba Abed
Egypt
Local time: 07:39
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic
PRO pts in category: 45
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
It was obscurantist


Explanation:
It was obscurantist

TargamaT team
France
Local time: 06:39
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 86
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
yet the legacy they bore was shrouded in darkness


Explanation:
but the echoes they left behind are enshrouded in the profound mystery of the night/but the footprints they left behind are veiled in the profound enigma of night

Rebecca Heathen
United Kingdom
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 14
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search