أَنعَتُ كَلباً مُرهَفاً خَميصا

أَنعَتُ كَلباً مُرهَفاً خَميصا

ذا شِيَةٍ ما عَدِمَت وَبيصا

ذا شِيَةٍ ما عَدِمَت وَبيصا

I describe a slender, lean-bellied dog,

I describe a slender dog, lean of flank,

With a coat marking that has never lacked a gleam.

Possessing a coat that never lacks a glistening sheen,

تَخالُ في أَجفانِهِ فُصوصا

تَخالُ في أَجفانِهِ فُصوصا

أُدِّبَ حَتّى أَحكَمَ التَقنيصا

أُدِّبَ حَتّى أَحكَمَ التَقنيصا

You would think gemstones lay within his eyelids.

You would imagine gemstones set within his eyelids,

He was trained until he mastered hunting,

Trained until he mastered the art of the hunt,

وَعَرَفَ الإيحاءَ وَالتَعويصا

وَعَرَفَ الإيحاءَ وَالتَعويصا

بورِكَ كَلباً نَهِماً حَريصا

بورِكَ كَلباً نَهِماً حَريصا

And understood signals and cryptic commands.

And comprehended the subtle signal and the difficult command,

Blessed be he—a ravenous, eager dog!

Blessed is such a dog, voracious and keen,

هَتَّكَ عَن حُجبِ الظِبا قَميصا

هَتَّكَ عَن حُجبِ الظِبا قَميصا

فَمَحَّصَت آرائَها تَمحيصا

فَمَحَّصَت آرائَها تَمحيصا

He tore away the tunic that veiled the gazelles,

He tore away the veil from the gazelles' concealment,

So they thoroughly sifted their stratagems,

Causing them to desperately scrutinize their escape,

حَتّى تَرى غالِيَها رَخيصا

حَتّى تَرى غالِيَها رَخيصا

تَمنَحُهُ الطَورَينِ وَالشُخوصا

تَمنَحُهُ الطَورَينِ وَالشُخوصا

Until you see their most precious made cheap.

Until you see the most precious among them rendered cheap,

They yield him both turns and their bodies.

Yielding to him their shifting states and fleeing forms,

أَضحى بِهِ مالاً لَهُ مَخصوصا

أَضحى بِهِ مالاً لَهُ مَخصوصا

لَم يَرَ مِن عَيشٍ لَهُ تَنغيصا

لَم يَرَ مِن عَيشٍ لَهُ تَنغيصا

Through him, it became wealth reserved for him alone;

Through him, they became wealth exclusively his,

He knew no bitterness in his life.

Leaving him to find no vexation in his livelihood.