وعازب باكره القرّ الفُرطْ

وعازب باكره القرّ الفُرطْ

تَخايلَ النبتُ به الجعدُ القططْ

تَخايلَ النبتُ به الجعدُ القططْ

And a distant pasture, visited early by fierce cold,

The youth left early, the empty house

The curly, tightly crimped growth flaunted itself there.

Seemed to dream of vegetation and curled locks

نوّارُهُ مثل الذبال قد سلط

نوّارُهُ مثل الذبال قد سلط

كأنما الوشي عليه قد بُسِطْ

كأنما الوشي عليه قد بُسِطْ

Its blossoms were like wicks already fed with oil,

Its lights like ropes let down

As though embroidered cloth had been spread over it.

As if a canopy were spread over it

قال له الغيث من الرواد مِطْ

قال له الغيث من الرواد مِطْ

للطير فيه أنف اليوم لَغَطْ

للطير فيه أنف اليوم لَغَطْ

The rain told it, “Withdraw from the pasture-scouts.”

The rain said to it, of the visitors: "Enough!"

At day's beginning, the birds there raise a clamor:

For the birds in it today, a refuge

رطانة الزطّ إذا لاقين زطْ

رطانة الزطّ إذا لاقين زطْ

من كل عفراء بدفّيها رقطْ

من كل عفراء بدفّيها رقطْ

The Zutt's foreign chatter when they meet Zutt.

The chirping of sparrows when they meet

From every dust-colored bird, speckled on its flanks,

From every hen with her chicks following

وبذناباها وبالجيد نُقَطْ

وبذناباها وبالجيد نُقَطْ

وبالجناحين وبالرأس خططْ

وبالجناحين وبالرأس خططْ

And dots on its tail and neck,

With their tails and necks dotted

And stripes on both wings and head,

And wings and heads marked

كأن ديباجاً عليها لم يُخَطْ

كأن ديباجاً عليها لم يُخَطْ

أوفيت والميسان من نوم يغطْ

أوفيت والميسان من نوم يغطْ

As though unsewn silk brocade lay upon it.

As if embroidered cloth had not been cut for them

I climbed high while the sleepyhead snored in his sleep,

I passed the night in sleep that covers

والليل بالصبح ملوث مختلط

والليل بالصبح ملوث مختلط

بصادق اللحظ قطاميّ سَلِطْ

بصادق اللحظ قطاميّ سَلِطْ

And night was tinged with dawn and mingled with it,

And the night mixed with dawn

With a keen-eyed, fierce falcon,

With the truthful glances of the guardian of the night

أقنى رحيب الشبر محبوك سَبِطْ

أقنى رحيب الشبر محبوك سَبِطْ

ما يَلْقَ بالمخلب من مسك يُعِطْ

ما يَلْقَ بالمخلب من مسك يُعِطْ

Hook-beaked, broad of span, firmly knit and sleek.

I sniffed the spacious air, interwoven, extended

Whatever hide he meets with his talon, he rends.

Not meeting with musk it gives

حتى إذا حُدَّ مقاط فَنَشطْ

حتى إذا حُدَّ مقاط فَنَشطْ

وخُرّطَ الموت عليها إذ خُرِطْ

وخُرّطَ الموت عليها إذ خُرِطْ

Until, when his tether was severed, he sprang into action,

Until when the time of milking was determined

And death was loosed upon them when he was loosed,

And the udder milked when it was milked

ومرّ يهوي كالحسام الممتعطْ

ومرّ يهوي كالحسام الممتعطْ

قَذَفْنَ ذرفا كعثانين الشُمُطْ

قَذَفْنَ ذرفا كعثانين الشُمُطْ

And he swept down like an unsheathed sword.

He came rushing down like a sharpened sword

They shed tufts of down like the beards of gray-haired men.

We shed tears like the sprinkling of the Pleiades

يصكّها صكّاً داركاً ويَحُطْ

يصكّها صكّاً داركاً ويَحُطْ

أما رأيت النار بالحفاء قطْ

أما رأيت النار بالحفاء قطْ

He strikes them, blow upon blow, and swoops down.

Beating them strongly and heavily

Have you never seen fire among the rushes?

Haven't you seen the fire stick to the flames?

فاز امرؤ حالف صقراً واغتبطْ

فاز امرؤ حالف صقراً واغتبطْ

A man who allied himself with a falcon prospered and rejoiced.

A man allied with a falcon won and rejoiced