وَبارِقَةٍand many a lightning cloud تَمَخَّضُlabors in childbirth بِالمناياwith deaths
وَبارِقَةٍ تَمَخَّضُ بِالمنايا
صَخُوبِclamorous الرّعْدِthe thunder دامِيَةِbloodstained الظِّلالِthe shadows
صَخُوبِ الرّعْدِ دامِيَةِ الظِّلالِ
And many a lightning cloud, in labor with death,
And lightning that gives birth to death
clamorous with thunder, its shadows bloodstained,
With the roar of thunder, gloomy shadows
تُشيبُturns gray ذَوائِبَthe forelocks of الأَيامِthe days رُعْباًwith terror
تُشيبُ ذَوائِبَ الأَيامِ رُعْباً
وَيَنْفُضُand shakes loose رَوْعُهاits terror لِمَمَthe tresses of اللَّياليthe nights
وَيَنْفُضُ رَوْعُها لِمَمَ اللَّيالي
turns the days' forelocks gray with terror,
That make the days gray with fear
and its dread shakes the nights' tresses loose.
And its horror shakes the darkness of nights
إِذَاwhen خَطَرَتْstirred رِياحُthe winds of النَّصْرِvictory فيهاwithin it
إِذَا خَطَرَتْ رِياحُ النَّصْرِ فيها
تَلَقَّتْهاreceived them خَياشِيمُthe nostrils of العَواليthe lofty lances
تَلَقَّتْها خَياشِيمُ العَوالي
When victory's winds stir within it,
When the winds of victory blow through it
the nostrils of the lofty lances receive them.
The heights receive it with open mouths
وَقَدْand already شَامَتْwatched for rain مَخيَلَتَهاits rain-cloud سُيوفٌswords
وَقَدْ شَامَتْ مَخيَلَتَها سُيوفٌ
تَلَمَّظُlicking their lips فيin دمٍblood سَرِبِfreely flowing العَزاليthe spouts
تَلَمَّظُ في دمٍ سَرِبِ العَزالي
And swords have watched its rain-cloud,
And it imagines swords in its mind's eye
licking their lips in blood from gushing spouts.
Glinting in blood, quenching thirsts
فَكمْso many أَجَلٍa lifespan طَوَيْناهُwe folded it away قَصيرٍshort
فَكمْ أَجَلٍ طَوَيْناهُ قَصيرٍ
وَآمَالٍand hopes نَشَرْناهَاwe spread them out طِوالِlong
وَآمَالٍ نَشَرْناهَا طِوالِ
So many short lifespans we folded away,
So many brief lifetimes we have lived
and long hopes we spread out,
And hopes we have harbored so long
بِيَوْمٍon a day خَاضَplunged through جانِحَتَيْهِits two flanks عَمْروٌAmr
بِيَوْمٍ خَاضَ جانِحَتَيْهِ عَمْروٌ
لَقَىa castaway حَرْبٍof a war تُلَقَّحُis impregnated عَنafter حِيالِbarrenness
لَقَى حَرْبٍ تُلَقَّحُ عَن حِيالِ
on a day through whose two flanks Amr plunged,
On a day when Amr plunged his wings
a castaway of a war made pregnant after barrenness.
Into battle, finding glory
وَلمَّاand when جَرَّتِdragged الظَّلْماءُthe darkness ذَيْلاًa train
وَلمَّا جَرَّتِ الظَّلْماءُ ذَيْلاً
يُوارِيconceals مَسْلَكَthe course of الأَسَلِthe spears النِّهالِsated with drink
يُوارِي مَسْلَكَ الأَسَلِ النِّهالِ
And when darkness dragged its train,
And when the dark night drew its train
hiding the course of the blood-sated spears,
Concealing the path of the rising saplings
وَلاحَand shone كَجِلْدَةlike the hide of النَّمِرِthe leopard الثُّرَيّاthe Pleiades
وَلاحَ كَجِلْدَة النَّمِرِ الثُّرَيّا
بِلَيْلٍin a night مِثْلِlike ناظرَةِthe eye of الغزالِthe gazelle
بِلَيْلٍ مِثْلِ ناظرَةِ الغزالِ
and the Pleiades shone like a leopard's hide,
There appeared like the coat of a leopard
in a night like a gazelle's eye,
In a night with the gaze of a doe
تَوَلَّىhe withdrew وَالظَّلامُand the darkness لَهُfor him خَفيرٌa guard
تَوَلَّى وَالظَّلامُ لَهُ خَفيرٌ
عَلىon مُتَمَطِّرٍa galloping steed خَذِمِfleet النِّعالِthe horseshoes
عَلى مُتَمَطِّرٍ خَذِمِ النِّعالِ
he withdrew, with darkness for his guard,
He turned away and the darkness was his guard
on a galloping steed, fleet-shod.
Over one treading with worn-out sandals
وَباتَand he spent the night كَأَنَّas though خَافِيَةَa covert feather of النُّعَامَىthe south wind
وَباتَ كَأَنَّ خَافِيَةَ النُّعَامَى
تَنوءُbears up بِهِwith him وَقادِمَةَand a primary feather of الشّمالِthe north wind
تَنوءُ بِهِ وَقادِمَةَ الشّمالِ
And he spent the night as though the south wind's covert feather
And he spent the night as if the ostrich's hiding place
bore him up, and the north wind's primary feather too.
Swayed under him, approached by the north wind
Sol 6.1