وَلَيلَتَنا عِندَ العَويرِ بِقُطقُطٍ

وَلَيلَتَنا عِندَ العَويرِ بِقُطقُطٍ

وَثانِيَةً أُخرى بِمَولى اِبنِ أَقعَسا

وَثانِيَةً أُخرى بِمَولى اِبنِ أَقعَسا

And our night with al-ʿUwayr at Qutqut,

At Al-Awair we camped, with cries of spotted owl,

And another, a second night, with Ibn Aqʿas’s retainer.

Then yet another night with Ibn Aqassa's boy

نَزَلنا بِلا غُسٍّ وَلا عاتِمِ القِرى

نَزَلنا بِلا غُسٍّ وَلا عاتِمِ القِرى

وَلا هَدَنَتهُ الخَمرُ عَنّا فَيَنعُسا

وَلا هَدَنَتهُ الخَمرُ عَنّا فَيَنعُسا

We lodged with one neither mean nor slow to offer guests their fare,

We stayed awake, no tent, no gloom of settled home

Nor had wine lulled him into neglecting us and dozing.

Wine stirred us not to drowsiness and sleepy pose

فَجاءَ بِها بَعدَ الكَرى فارِسِيَّةً

فَجاءَ بِها بَعدَ الكَرى فارِسِيَّةً

مُشَعشَعَةً أَحيَت عِظاماً وَأَنفُسا

مُشَعشَعَةً أَحيَت عِظاماً وَأَنفُسا

So he brought it after slumber—a Persian wine,

Then after war's travail, he brought a Persian cup

Mixed with water, it revived bones and souls.

That cheered up bones and souls in shining radiance

كَأَنّي كَرَرتُ الكَأسَ ساعَةَ كَرِّها

كَأَنّي كَرَرتُ الكَأسَ ساعَةَ كَرِّها

عَلى ناشِصٍ شَمَّت حُواراً مُلَبَّسا

عَلى ناشِصٍ شَمَّت حُواراً مُلَبَّسا

It was as though, when the cup came round, I passed it again

As though I tipped the cup repeatedly in hate

To a restive she-camel that had sniffed a calf clad in hide.

On tick-infested hound who barked through muzzle straps

فَأَصبَحَ مِنها الوائِلِيُّ كَأَنَّهُ

فَأَصبَحَ مِنها الوائِلِيُّ كَأَنَّهُ

سَقيمٌ تَمَشّى داؤُهُ حينَ أَسلَسا

سَقيمٌ تَمَشّى داؤُهُ حينَ أَسلَسا

So by morning, under its influence, the Waʾili seemed

Next morn Al-Waili was as if diseased, when he

A sick man whose illness spread through him as he weakened.

Walked feebly as his sickness stalked him with smooth gait