وَمُفِيقِينَand sober men مِنَfrom اللَّهْdiversion (اللهو, continued)
وَمُفِيقِينَ مِنَ اللَّهْ
وِcompletion of اللهو: diversion نَشاوَىintoxicated مِنْwith مِراحِexuberance
وِ نَشاوَى مِنْ مِراحِ
And sober from idle
Awakened by God's grace,
play, yet drunk with exuberance.
Revived by gentle breezes,
أَلِفُواthey were accustomed to الجِدَّearnestness وَلَمْand did not يَنْbeginning of ينتهجوا: follow
أَلِفُوا الجِدَّ وَلَمْ يَنْ
تَهِجُواcompletion of ينتهجوا: follow طُرْقَpaths المِزاحِjesting
تَهِجُوا طُرْقَ المِزاحِ
They were accustomed to earnestness, and did not
They embraced duty and shunned
follow the paths of jest.
The ways of jest and amusement.
فَهُمُfor they are الأُسْدُthe lions عَلىupon جُرْsleek-coated steeds (جرد, continued)
فَهُمُ الأُسْدُ عَلى جُرْ
دٍcompletion of جرد: sleek-coated steeds عِتاقٍhighbred كَالسِّراحِlike wolves
دٍ عِتاقٍ كَالسِّراحِ
For they are lions astride sleek
They are lions poised to pounce,
highbred steeds, like wolves.
Free souls roaming the wild.
يَمْتَطيmounts أَبْطالُهُمْtheir champions مِنْfrom among
يَمْتَطي أَبْطالُهُمْ مِنْ
هُنَّthem (feminine pronoun) أَثْباجَbroad backs الرِّياحِthe winds
هُنَّ أَثْباجَ الرِّياحِ
Their champions mount from among
Their heroes ride the backs
them the broad backs of the winds.
Of raging winds unfurled.
سَحَبُواthey dragged أَذْيالَtrailing skirts نَقْعٍa dust-cloud
سَحَبُوا أَذْيالَ نَقْعٍ
لَيْلُهُits night وَحْفُdense الجَناحِthe wing
لَيْلُهُ وَحْفُ الجَناحِ
They dragged the trailing skirts of a dust-cloud,
They dragged the trains of darkness,
whose night is thick-winged,
Its gloom their cloaking veil.
بِوجوهٍwith faces تُجْتَلَىare beheld مِنْfrom
بِوجوهٍ تُجْتَلَى مِنْ
هَاthem (the faces) تَباشِيرُfirst gleams الصَّباحِmorning
هَا تَباشِيرُ الصَّباحِ
With faces from which can be seen
With faces lit by the first
the first gleams of morning.
Rays of dawn's smiling hail.
وَرَدُواthey came to المَوْتَdeath ظِماءًthirsty
وَرَدُوا المَوْتَ ظِماءً
تَحْتَbeneath أَظْلالِshadows الرِّماحِthe spears
تَحْتَ أَظْلالِ الرِّماحِ
They came thirsty to death,
To death, thirsty, they returned
beneath the shadows of spears.
Beneath the spears' shadows pale.
وَالضُّبَيْبِيَّاتُand the Ḍubaybiyyāt خُوصٌnarrow-eyed
وَالضُّبَيْبِيَّاتُ خُوصٌ
وَبِهاand upon them نُجْلُgaping الجِراحِwounds
وَبِها نُجْلُ الجِراحِ
And the Ḍubaybiyyāt are narrow-eyed,
Bandages and wounds they bore,
with gaping wounds upon them.
The marks of wounds that flail.
فَشَفَتْso quenched غُلَّتَهُمْtheir burning thirst بِالدْwith the (بالدم, continued)
فَشَفَتْ غُلَّتَهُمْ بِالدْ
دَمِblood (completes بالدم) أَطْرافُtips الصِّفاحِthe broad swords
دَمِ أَطْرافُ الصِّفاحِ
So their burning thirst was quenched with
Their throats by blood were healed,
blood by the tips of broad swords.
The blood that swords exhale.
وَأَفادَand yielded البَأْسُvalor نُعْمَىbounty
وَأَفادَ البَأْسُ نُعْمَى
أَتْلَفُوهاthey spent it all بِالسَّماحِthrough generosity
أَتْلَفُوها بِالسَّماحِ
And valor brought them bounty,
Valour brought them fortune's boons
which they lavished in generosity.
Won with open-handed hail.
Sol 6.1