وَمَعينُand the spring ماءِwater البِشرِof gladness أَبرَقَgleamed هَشَّةًwith welcoming joy
وَمَعينُ ماءِ البِشرِ أَبرَقَ هَشَّةً
فَكَرَعتُso I drank مِنfrom صَفَحاتِهِhis features فيat مَشرَبِa watering place
فَكَرَعتُ مِن صَفَحاتِهِ في مَشرَبِ
And the spring of gladness's waters gleamed in welcome;
The wellspring of mankind's water sparkled softly,
So I drank from his features at a watering place.
So I drank from its pages in my drinking-trough
مُتَهَلِّلٌbeaming يَندىgrows dewy حَياءًwith modesty وَجهَهُhis face
مُتَهَلِّلٌ يَندى حَياءً وَجهَهُ
فَتراهُso you see him بَينَbetween مُفَضَّضٍsilvered وَمُذَهَّبِand gilded
فَتراهُ بَينَ مُفَضَّضٍ وَمُذَهَّبِ
Beaming, his face grows dewy with modesty,
Gleaming modestly, its face dewy with shyness
So you see him between silver and gold.
You’d see it amid embroidered cloths and gold-plated wares
أَضنىhe weakened الحُسامَthe sword حَسادَةًwith envy فَفِرِندُهُso its watered-steel pattern
أَضنى الحُسامَ حَسادَةً فَفِرِندُهُ
دَمعٌtears تَرَقرَقَshimmered فَوقَهُupon it لَمdid not يَسكُبِspill
دَمعٌ تَرَقرَقَ فَوقَهُ لَم يَسكُبِ
He made the sword waste away with envy; its watered pattern
The swords were envious and very eager for it
Is tears that shimmered upon it, never shed.
A teardrop trembled over it but did not spill
خَيَّمتُI pitched camp مِنهُwith him بَينَbetween طَودٍa mountain باذِخٍtowering
خَيَّمتُ مِنهُ بَينَ طَودٍ باذِخٍ
نالَreached السِماكَal-Simāk وَبَينَand between وادٍa valley مُعشِبِgrass-grown
نالَ السِماكَ وَبَينَ وادٍ مُعشِبِ
I camped with him between a towering mountain
I camped near it between a lofty mountain
That reached al-Simāk, and a grassy valley.
It reached the summits and between a meadow
تَهفوflutters بِهِin it نارُthe fire القِرىof hospitality فَكَأَنَّهاso it is as though
تَهفو بِهِ نارُ القِرى فَكَأَنَّها
مَهماwhenever عَشاapproached by night ضَيفٌa guest لِسانُthe tongue المُعرِبِof the eloquent speaker
مَهما عَشا ضَيفٌ لِسانُ المُعرِبِ
The fire of hospitality flutters there, as though it were—
The fires of the villages blaze for it, as though
Whenever a guest approaches by night—the tongue of an eloquent speaker.
However long a guest lived, the tongue of the Arab was eloquent
حَمراءُred نازَعَتِstruggled with الرِياحَthe winds رِداءَهاits cloak
حَمراءُ نازَعَتِ الرِياحَ رِداءَها
وَهناًin the night وَزاحَمَتِand jostled السَماءَthe sky بِمَنكِبِwith a shoulder
وَهناً وَزاحَمَتِ السَماءَ بِمَنكِبِ
Red, it struggled with the winds over its cloak
A red mountain disputed the winds her cloak
In the night, and jostled the sky with its shoulder.
Bending over and crowding the sky with her shoulder
ضَرَبَتraised سَماءًa sky مِنof دُخانٍsmoke فَوقَهاabove itself
ضَرَبَت سَماءً مِن دُخانٍ فَوقَها
لَمnot يُدرَwas distinguished فيهاwithin it شُعلَةٌa flame مِنfrom كَوكَبِa star
لَم يُدرَ فيها شُعلَةٌ مِن كَوكَبِ
It raised a sky of smoke above itself,
She struck a firmament of smoke above her
Where a flame could not be distinguished from a star.
In which no shining star was visible
وَتَنَفَّسَتand it breathed عَنout كُلِّevery نَفحَةِbreath جَمرَةٍof an ember
وَتَنَفَّسَت عَن كُلِّ نَفحَةِ جَمرَةٍ
باتَتspent the night لَهاfor it ريحُthe wind الجَنوبِof the south بِمَرقَبِat a lookout
باتَت لَها ريحُ الجَنوبِ بِمَرقَبِ
And it breathed out each ember's breath,
And breathed out with every spark’s breath
For which the south wind kept watch all night.
The south wind kept watch for her
قَدalready أُلهِبَتwas kindled فَتَذَهَّبَتso it turned golden فَكَأَنَّهاso it is as though
قَد أُلهِبَت فَتَذَهَّبَت فَكَأَنَّها
لِسُكونِbecause of the stillness شَرِّof the mischief شِرارِهاof its sparks لَمdid not تَلهَبِblaze
لِسُكونِ شَرِّ شِرارِها لَم تَلهَبِ
It had been kindled and turned golden, and seemed
She was set ablaze and turned to ashes, as though
Never to have blazed, so still was its sparks' mischief.
To still the evil of her burning sparks, she did not ignite
تَذكوburns brightly وَراءَbehind رَمادِهاits ashes فَكَأَنَّهاso it is as though
تَذكو وَراءَ رَمادِها فَكَأَنَّها
شَقراءُa chestnut mare تَمرَحُfrolics فيin عَجاجٍa dust cloud أَكهَبِdark gray
شَقراءُ تَمرَحُ في عَجاجٍ أَكهَبِ
It glows behind its ashes, as though it were
She smolders behind her ashes, as though
A chestnut mare frolicking in a dark-gray cloud of dust.
A blond disporting herself in a bleached thicket
وَاللَيلُand night قَدalready وَلّىturned away يُقَلِّصُdraws up بُردَهُits cloak
وَاللَيلُ قَد وَلّى يُقَلِّصُ بُردَهُ
كَدّاًwith effort وَيَسحَبُand drags ذَيلَهُits train فيin المَغرِبِthe west
كَدّاً وَيَسحَبُ ذَيلَهُ في المَغرِبِ
And night had turned away, drawing up its cloak
And the night has turned away, shrinking its chill
With effort, and dragging its train into the west.
Relentlessly, dragging its hem into the sunset
وَكَأَنَّماand as though نَجمُthe star cluster الثُرَيّاof the Pleiades سَحرَةًat daybreak
وَكَأَنَّما نَجمُ الثُرَيّا سَحرَةً
كَفٌّa hand تُمَسِّحُwipes عَنfrom مَعاطِفِthe flanks أَشهَبِof a gray steed
كَفٌّ تُمَسِّحُ عَن مَعاطِفِ أَشهَبِ
And at daybreak the Pleiades' star cluster seemed to be
As though the Pleiades' star in the dark before dawn
A hand wiping clean the flanks of a gray steed.
Were a hand wiping cloaks of gray hair
Sol 6.1