وَقانِصٍ مُحتَقَرٍ ذَميمِ

وَقانِصٍ مُحتَقَرٍ ذَميمِ

كَدرِيِّ لَونٍ أَغبَرٍ قَتيمِ

كَدرِيِّ لَونٍ أَغبَرٍ قَتيمِ

And a despised, ugly hunter,

With a repulsive, despicable physique

And a hunter, despised and loathsome,

murky in color, dust-gray and dusky,

Of a muddy, dusty, wretched hue

Dingy in hue, dust-colored and gloomy,

مُشتَبِكِ الأَعجازِ بِالحَيزومِ

مُشتَبِكِ الأَعجازِ بِالحَيزومِ

وَمُخرِجِ اللَحظَةِ بِالخَيشومِ

وَمُخرِجِ اللَحظَةِ بِالخَيشومِ

its hindquarters tangled with its breast,

With a spine entangled with its neck

His hindquarters entangled with his chest,

and casting its glance through its snout;

And breath exhaled through its snout

Who projects his glance from his snout,

أَضيَقُ أَرضاً مِن مَقامِ الميمِ

أَضيَقُ أَرضاً مِن مَقامِ الميمِ

أَو نُقطَةٍ بَينَ جَناحِ الجيمِ

أَو نُقطَةٍ بَينَ جَناحِ الجيمِ

occupying less space than the letter mīm,

Narrower than the space for a mim letter

Narrower in territory than the loop of the letter 'Mim',

or a dot within the wing of jīm.

Or a dot between the wings of a jim

Or a dot nestled within the wing of the letter 'Jim',

لَيسَ بِقِعديدٍ وَلا قَيّومِ

لَيسَ بِقِعديدٍ وَلا قَيّومِ

وَلا عَنِ الحيلَةِ بِالسَؤومِ

وَلا عَنِ الحيلَةِ بِالسَؤومِ

It is neither a sitter nor a stander,

Neither muscular nor straight

He is neither a sitter nor a stander,

nor weary of pursuing stratagems.

Nor cunning in mischief

Nor does he ever grow weary of his wiles,

لا يَخلِطُ الهَيمَةَ بِالتَنويمِ

لا يَخلِطُ الهَيمَةَ بِالتَنويمِ

مُنخَفِضٌ في كَنَفِ التَشويمِ

مُنخَفِضٌ في كَنَفِ التَشويمِ

It does not mingle thirst with sleep’s lull,

Does not mix anxiety with slumber

He does not confuse his wandering with slumber,

lying low in the shelter of dark markings,

Depressed under the shade of gloom

Crouching low in the shelter of ill-omened concealment,

بَينَ نِتاجَي حَبَشٍ وَرومِ

بَينَ نِتاجَي حَبَشٍ وَرومِ

في ظُلَلِ الذَروَةِ وَالعُلجومِ

في ظُلَلِ الذَروَةِ وَالعُلجومِ

between the two broods of Abyssinians and Romans,

Between the offspring of Abyssinia and Rome

Of a lineage between the Abyssinian and the Roman,

in the shadows of the hump’s crest and the hulking camel.

In the shadows of peaks and tangled bushes

Amidst the shadows of the crest and deep darkness,

كَأَنَّما دَبَّتهُ في السيمِ

كَأَنَّما دَبَّتهُ في السيمِ

في عَقلِ ناشٍ دَبَّةُ الخُرطومِ

في عَقلِ ناشٍ دَبَّةُ الخُرطومِ

As though its creeping among the grazing beasts

As if its mind crept through the filth

As though his creeping upon the flesh,

were wine creeping into a tipsy man’s mind,

Or a slumber rising in drowsiness

In the mind of a youth, were the creeping of old wine,

أَو نَعسَةٌ تَنهَضُ في نَؤومِ

أَو نَعسَةٌ تَنهَضُ في نَؤومِ

أَشجَعُ مِن ذي لُبَدٍ هَضيمِ

أَشجَعُ مِن ذي لُبَدٍ هَضيمِ

or a drowsy spell rising in a heavy sleeper.

Braver than one with a digestive stomach

Or a slumber rising within a heavy sleeper,

Braver than a hollow-bellied, maned lion,

Until it climbed atop the heights of glory

Braver than the maned lion, the ravager,

حَتّى اِعتَلى عالِيَةَ التَميمِ

حَتّى اِعتَلى عالِيَةَ التَميمِ

بُؤساً لَهُ مِن هالِكٍ مَعدومِ

بُؤساً لَهُ مِن هالِكٍ مَعدومِ

until it climbed the well-formed one’s upper reaches.

Wretched is he, a lost and doomed one

Until he ascended the high place of the amulet,

Woe to it—a doomed, obliterated creature!

Misery be upon him for a destroyer that is virtually naught!