وَمَحبوسَةٍand a confined herd فيin الحَيِّthe tribal encampment ضامِنَةِguaranteeing القِرىhospitality
وَمَحبوسَةٍ في الحَيِّ ضامِنَةِ القِرى
إِذاwhen اللَيلُthe night وافاهاcomes to them بِأَشعَثَwith a disheveled man ساغِبِhungry
إِذا اللَيلُ وافاها بِأَشعَثَ ساغِبِ
And camels kept in the camp, guaranteeing hospitality,
Imprisoned in life and guardian of villages
when night brings them a disheveled, hungry man.
When night comes upon her with a disheveled latecomer
مُعَقَّرَةٍrepeatedly slaughtered لاnot تُنكِرُfinds unfamiliar السَيفَthe sword وَسطَهاin their midst
مُعَقَّرَةٍ لا تُنكِرُ السَيفَ وَسطَها
إِذاwhen لَمnot يَكُنthere is فيهاin them مَعَسٌّmilk to draw لِحالِبِfor a milker
إِذا لَم يَكُن فيها مَعَسٌّ لِحالِبِ
Slaughtered time and again, they are no strangers to the sword in their midst,
With a spear-point in her midst which she does not deny
when they have no milk for a milker.
When there is no rest for the milker there
مَرازيحَgaunt camels فيin المَأوىthe shelter إِذاwhen هَبَّتِblows الصَباthe east wind
مَرازيحَ في المَأوى إِذا هَبَّتِ الصَبا
تُطيفُcircle أَوابيهاtheir reluctant she-camels بِأَكلَفَaround a dark-mottled bull ثالِبِold and tooth-worn
تُطيفُ أَوابيها بِأَكلَفَ ثالِبِ
Gaunt in their shelter when the east wind blows,
Winds in the dwelling when the dawn breezes blow
their reluctant females circle a dark-mottled, tooth-worn bull.
Making its corners whirl with twisting sands
إِذاwhen اِستَقبَلَتهاmeets them head-on الريحُthe wind لَمnot تَنفَتِلturn aside لَهاbefore it
إِذا اِستَقبَلَتها الريحُ لَم تَنفَتِل لَها
وَإِنand even if أَصبَحَتthey become by morning شُهبَhoary الذُرىthe hump-tops وَالغَوارِبِand the withers
وَإِن أَصبَحَت شُهبَ الذُرى وَالغَوارِبِ
When the wind meets them head-on, they do not turn aside before it,
When the wind faces it, it does not come untied
even if morning finds their hump-tops and withers hoary.
Though the stars of heaven and planets have risen
إِذاwhen ماfor emphasis الدَمُthe blood المُهراقُshed أَضلَعَoverburdens حَملُهُits burden
إِذا ما الدَمُ المُهراقُ أَضلَعَ حَملُهُ
وَنابَand falls upon us رَهَنّاهاwe pledge them بِأَغلىagainst the costliest النَوائِبِcalamities
وَنابَ رَهَنّاها بِأَغلى النَوائِبِ
When the burden of shed blood proves crushing,
When the spilt blood saddens the shoulders that bear it
and falls upon us, we pledge them against the costliest calamities.
And it pines for the dearest of those that mourn
إِذاwhen ماfor emphasis بَداappears بِالغَيبِin the distance مِنهاof them عِصابَةٌa band
إِذا ما بَدا بِالغَيبِ مِنها عِصابَةٌ
أَوَينَthey draw near لَهُto him مَشيَthe gait of النِساءِwomen اللَواغِبِweary
أَوَينَ لَهُ مَشيَ النِساءِ اللَواغِبِ
When a band of them appears far off,
When a band appears from it in the unseen
they come to him with the gait of weary women.
Moving with the walk of unrestrained women
يُطِفنَthey circle بِزَيّافٍaround a strutting bull كَأَنَّas though هَديرَهُhis bellowing
يُطِفنَ بِزَيّافٍ كَأَنَّ هَديرَهُ
إِذاwhen جاوَزَpasses beyond الحَيزومَthe chest تَرجيعُthe trilling of قاصِبِa reed-piper
إِذا جاوَزَ الحَيزومَ تَرجيعُ قاصِبِ
They circle a strutting bull, as though his bellowing,
Who circle about gaily as if the murmuring of them
once it passes his chest, were a reed-piper's trill.
When it passes over the pliable pouch were the humming of a picker
تَرُدُّbring back عَلىdespite الظِمءِthe thirst الطَويلِprolonged نِطافَهاtheir water
تَرُدُّ عَلى الظِمءِ الطَويلِ نِطافَها
إِذاwhen شَوَتِroasts الجَوزاءُal-Jawza, a constellation وُرقَgray الجَنادِبِthe grasshoppers
إِذا شَوَتِ الجَوزاءُ وُرقَ الجَنادِبِ
They bring back their water despite prolonged thirst,
They turn back the long thirst with their drinking-places
when al-Jawza roasts the gray grasshoppers.
When the locust sheds the leaves of the acacias
كَأَنَّas though لَهاهاtheir uvulae فيin بَلاعيمِthe gullets of جِنَّةٍjinn
كَأَنَّ لَهاها في بَلاعيمِ جِنَّةٍ
وَأَشداقَهاand their mouth-corners العُلياupper مَغارُthe dens of الثَعالِبِfoxes
وَأَشداقَها العُليا مَغارُ الثَعالِبِ
As though their uvulae were in the gullets of jinn,
It is as if it has long swaying branches in the gardens of paradise
and the upper corners of their mouths were foxes' dens.
And its upper gums are the dens of foxes
إِذاwhen لَمnot يَكُنremains إِلّاexcept القَتادُthe qatad thornbush تَجَزَّعَتcut into pieces
إِذا لَم يَكُن إِلّا القَتادُ تَجَزَّعَت
مَناجِلُهاtheir sickles أَصلَthe root of القَتادِthe qatad thornbush المُكالِبِclaw-thorned
مَناجِلُها أَصلَ القَتادِ المُكالِبِ
When nothing remains but qatad, they cut to pieces
When there is naught but the cutter, its sickles
the root of that claw-thorned shrub with their sickles.
At the thickets' base harvest the cutter
تُحَطِّمُهُshatter it تَحتَbeneath الجَليدِthe ice فُؤوسُهاtheir axes
تُحَطِّمُهُ تَحتَ الجَليدِ فُؤوسُها
إِذاwhen قَفَّعَcramps المَشتىwinter أَكُفَّthe hands of الحَواطِبِwomen gathering firewood
إِذا قَفَّعَ المَشتى أَكُفَّ الحَواطِبِ
Their axes shatter it beneath the ice,
It breaks them into pieces beneath the ice when
when winter cramps the hands of women gathering firewood.
The acacia trees don heavy winter clothes
كَأَنَّas though عَلَيهاupon them القَسطَلانِيَّQastalani cloth مُخمَلاًnapped
كَأَنَّ عَلَيها القَسطَلانِيَّ مُخمَلاً
إِذاwhen ماfor emphasis اِتَّقَتthey ward off شَفّانَهُits biting chill بِالمَناكِبِwith their shoulders
إِذا ما اِتَّقَت شَفّانَهُ بِالمَناكِبِ
As though they wear napped Qastalani cloth,
As if the fleece upon it were a soft model
when they ward off its biting chill with their shoulders.
When it covers its shoulders with the leading stars
شَفىsoothed النَفسَthe soul قَتلىthe slain مِنfrom سُلَيمٍSulaym وَعامِرٍand ʿAmir
شَفى النَفسَ قَتلى مِن سُلَيمٍ وَعامِرٍ
بِيَومٍon a day بَدَتappeared فيهِon it نُحوسُthe ill omens of الكَواكِبِthe stars
بِيَومٍ بَدَت فيهِ نُحوسُ الكَواكِبِ
The slain of Sulaym and ʿAmir soothed the soul,
It heals the soul's wounds from Sulaym and 'Āmir
on a day when the stars' ill omens appeared.
On the day evil planets appeared
تُطاعِنُهُمexchange spear-thrusts with them فِتيانُthe young men of تَغلِبَTaghlib بِالقَناwith spears
تُطاعِنُهُم فِتيانُ تَغلِبَ بِالقَنا
فَطارواso they took flight وَأَجلَواand withdrew عَنfrom وُجوهِthe faces of الحَبائِبِthe beloved women
فَطاروا وَأَجلَوا عَن وُجوهِ الحَبائِبِ
Taghlib's young men traded spear-thrusts with them,
The youths of Taghlib stab them with spears
so they took flight and left their beloved women's faces exposed.
So they fled and drew back from the faces of lovers
Sol 6.1