وطالعٍand one rising منfrom مشرِقِthe eastern horizon of القَباءthe robe
وطالعٍ من مشرِقِ القَباء
فيin ليلةٍa night منfrom صُدْغهhis temple-lock لَيلاءِpitch-dark
في ليلةٍ من صُدْغه لَيلاءِ
And one rising from the eastern horizon of his robe,
Rising from the horizon in the dark night
In a pitch-dark night formed by his temple-lock,
On a pitch-black evening
مثْلَlike طلوعthe rising of البدرthe full moon فيin الظَلماءthe darkness
مثْلَ طلوع البدر في الظَلماء
ينظُرُhe gazes منfrom صادقةٍa true eye دعجاءdeep-black
ينظُرُ من صادقةٍ دعجاء
Like the full moon rising in darkness,
Like the rising of the full moon in blackest dark
Gazing from a true, deep-black eye,
Looking from an enclosed tent, black
كشَقّةٍlike a slit فيin شَعْرةٍa hair سوداءblack
كشَقّةٍ في شَعْرةٍ سوداء
لَقيتُهI met him فيamong غِلْمةٍyoung lads أكفاءequals
لَقيتُه في غِلْمةٍ أكفاء
Like a slit in a black hair.
As a patch on a black hair
I met him among lads who were his peers;
I met him in a brave company of lads
تَلاعَبواthey played together فيin عَرْصةٍa courtyard فَيْحاءspacious
تَلاعَبوا في عَرْصةٍ فَيْحاء
فثارَthen he sprang up مثْلَlike الظبيةِthe gazelle الأدْماءwhite, tinged with brown
فثارَ مثْلَ الظبيةِ الأدْماء
They played together in a spacious courtyard.
Playing in an open space
He sprang up like a white, brown-tinged gazelle,
He burst out like a roe deer, red
عاطِفَfolding back فَضْلِthe surplus of الذَّيلthe hem ذيwith الإرخاءloose hanging
عاطِفَ فَضْلِ الذَّيل ذي الإرخاء
ومُبدِياًعنand uncovering وجْنةٍa cheek حمراءred
ومُبدِياًعن وجْنةٍ حمراء
Folding back the excess of his loosely hanging hem,
With slackened dangling tail
And uncovering a red cheek.
Revealing a red cheek
فخاضَthen he plunged فيinto فَنٍّan art منَof الرماءshooting
فخاضَ في فَنٍّ منَ الرماء
إصماؤهhis killing shot يكونُis فيin الإشْواءhitting a nonvital part
إصماؤه يكونُ في الإشْواء
Then he plunged into an art of shooting:
He charged into a style of shooting
His killing shot consists in striking a nonvital part.
His silence being amidst the shouts
مُنْفَتِلاًtwisting about بقامةٍwith a figure مَيْلاءswaying
مُنْفَتِلاً بقامةٍ مَيْلاء
وعابِثاًand playing بكُرَةٍwith a ball شَعْراءhairy
وعابِثاً بكُرَةٍ شَعْراء
Twisting about with a swaying figure,
With a bending, leaning figure
And playing with a hairy ball,
And playing with a blond ball
عَجيبةٍmarvelous تُضرَبُis struck فيin الهواءthe air
عَجيبةٍ تُضرَبُ في الهواء
بصَولَجَانٍwith a mallet صادقِunerring الإيماءthe gesture
بصَولَجَانٍ صادقِ الإيماء
A marvelous one, struck in the air,
Wondrous, struck high in the air
With a mallet unerring in its gestures,
With truthful arrows
يُصانُis kept safe للإغرازِfor insertion فيinto الغِشاءthe sheath
يُصانُ للإغرازِ في الغِشاء
لمnot يُبْرَbe whittled منfrom أيكتِهits thicket الخضراءgreen
لم يُبْرَ من أيكتِه الخضراء
Kept safe for thrusting into its sheath.
Guarded for piercing the veil
It was not whittled from its green thicket,
His fresh green was not worn out
كلاّno ولمand not يَعْرَbe stripped منof اللّحاءthe bark
كلاّ ولم يَعْرَ من اللّحاء
فَيَنْثَنيso it would turn يَبْساًdry بلاwithout انثناءbending
فَيَنْثَني يَبْساً بلا انثناء
No, nor stripped of its bark,
No, and his sharpness was not blunted
So as to turn dry and unbending.
He does not droop brittle without bending
بلْrather هوit رَطبٌmoist and supple كلسانِlike a tongue of الماءwater
بلْ هو رَطبٌ كلسانِ الماء
أنعَمُthe softer of ساقَىْthe two stems of بانةٍa bān tree غَنّاءleafy
أنعَمُ ساقَىْ بانةٍ غَنّاء
Rather, it is supple, like a tongue of water,
But he is juicy like the tongue of water
The softer of a leafy bān tree's two stems.
Best waterer of a singing water skin
يختلسُit snatches الخَطْفةَthe swift snatch فيin وَحاءhaste
يختلسُ الخَطْفةَ في وَحاء
مثْلَlike اختلاسِthe swift snatching العينِof the eye للإغضاءfor closing its lids
مثْلَ اختلاسِ العينِ للإغضاء
It snatches a quick stroke in haste,
Stealing a swig in the valley
Like the eye's swiftly stolen blink,
Like the stealing of the closing eye
أوor مثْلَlike نَصْبِthe pricking up of الأُدْنِthe ear للإصغاءto listen
أو مثْلَ نَصْبِ الأُدْنِ للإصغاء
فَمَرَّthen he continued فيin ضَرْبٍstriking لَهاat it وِلاءin succession
فَمَرَّ في ضَرْبٍ لَها وِلاء
Or the ear's pricking up to listen.
Or like the erecting of the ear for listening
Then he went on striking it in succession,
So he passed in a style loyal to it
يَقْسِمُhe divides طَرْفَthe gaze of المُقلةِthe eye الخَوصاءnarrow and deep-set
يَقْسِمُ طَرْفَ المُقلةِ الخَوصاء
فيin اللِّعْبِplay بينbetween الأرضِthe earth والسّماءand the sky
في اللِّعْبِ بين الأرضِ والسّماء
Dividing the gaze of his narrow eye,
Dividing the gaze of the lively black eye
At play between the earth and sky.
In play between earth and sky
تَخْبِطُstrike رِجْلاهhis two feet علىon العراءthe bare ground
تَخْبِطُ رِجْلاه على العراء
مَعwith الصّوابِaccuracy خبَطْةَthe stumbling stroke of العَشْواءa night-blind she-camel
مَع الصّوابِ خبَطْةَ العَشْواء
His two feet strike the bare ground,
His legs tapping the bare ground
With sure aim, like a night-blind she-camel's stumbling.
With the randomness of blindness
يَسرِقُhe steals منfrom شمائلthe ways of الظباءgazelles
يَسرِقُ من شمائل الظباء
نَقْراًa tapping يُواليهِhe repeats it in succession علىin أنحاءvarious ways
نَقْراً يُواليهِ على أنحاء
He steals from the ways of gazelles
He steals from the forms of gazelles
Taps he repeats in varied ways,
Pecking which he loyally follows
أبطَؤُهاthe slowest of them يَخطِفُsnatches عينَthe eye of الرائيthe beholder
أبطَؤُها يَخطِفُ عينَ الرائي
ويُتْبِعُand he follows up الأعدادَthe numbers بالإحصاءwith counting
ويُتْبِعُ الأعدادَ بالإحصاء
The slowest of which snatches the beholder's eye.
The slowest he grabs attracts the onlooker’s eye
And he follows the numbers with a tally,
And he counts the numbers in counting
كسَوقِكَlike your driving الأذْوادsmall camel-herds بالحُداءwith camel-driving song
كسَوقِكَ الأذْواد بالحُداء
يَستقبلُhe meets الدَّفعةَthe thrust منfrom تِلقاءthe front
يَستقبلُ الدَّفعةَ من تِلقاء
Like your driving small camel-herds with song.
Like your driving the camels with prodding
He meets the thrust from the front,
He meets the shock from the front
ورُبماand sometimes آثَرَhe prefers فيin الأثناءthe intervening moments
ورُبما آثَرَ في الأثناء
أنto يَتلقّىreceive الرَمْيَthe shot منfrom وراءbehind
أن يَتلقّى الرَمْيَ من وراء
And sometimes, in the midst of it, he prefers
And sometimes he prefers meanwhile
To receive the shot from behind.
To receive the shooting from behind
فنظْمُهُso his pattern مُستَحسَنُpleasing in الإقواءinconsistent rhyme vowels
فنظْمُهُ مُستَحسَنُ الإقواء
يَهتَزُّhe sways مثْلَlike الصَّعدةِthe straight lance السّمراءdusky
يَهتَزُّ مثْلَ الصَّعدةِ السّمراء
So his pattern is pleasing in its uneven rhyme.
So his build is of excellent strength
He sways like a dusky lance,
Shaking like the red-brown snake
وقَدُّهand his figure منfrom شِدةِthe intensity of الْتواءtwisting
وقَدُّه من شِدةِ الْتواء
كالغُصْنِlike a branch تحتَbeneath العاصفِthe gale الهَوجاءraging
كالغُصْنِ تحتَ العاصفِ الهَوجاء
And his figure, from its violent twisting,
His knotting is from the intensity of twisting
Is like a branch beneath a raging gale.
Like a branch beneath the raging wind
تَراهُyou see him منfrom تَمَدُّthe stretching of الأَعضاءthe limbs
تَراهُ من تَمَدُّ الأَعضاء
كأنّهas though he كوَكِبُa star of الجَوزاءOrion
كأنّه كوَكِبُ الجَوزاء
You see him, with his limbs stretched out,
You see him as the limbs extend
As though he were a star of Orion.
As if he were the star Sirius
لهhe has خُطاًsteps قليلةُfew in الاِخطاءerrors
له خُطاً قليلةُ الاِخطاء
حكيمةُjudicious in الإسراعِquickening والإبطاءand slowing
حكيمةُ الإسراعِ والإبطاء
His steps seldom go wrong,
He has a line of few errors
Judicious in quickening and slowing.
Wise in acceleration and deceleration
لوif لمnot يكنْthere were مَسٌa touch منَof الإعياءfatigue
لو لم يكنْ مَسٌ منَ الإعياء
لَوَصَلَhe would join الصّباحَthe morning بالمَساءto the evening
لَوَصَلَ الصّباحَ بالمَساء
Were it not for a touch of fatigue,
Had he not been touched by tiredness
He would join morning to evening.
He would have joined morning with evening
مُستَغْرَبُremarkably rare الإخطاءmissing the mark كالعَنْقاءlike the mythical ʿAnqāʾ bird
مُستَغْرَبُ الإخطاء كالعَنْقاء
وزائدُand surpassing العودthe repetition علىbeyond الإبداءthe first attempt
وزائدُ العود على الإبداء
His errors are as unheard-of as the ʿAnqāʾ,
Strange in his error like the ostrich
And his repeat performance surpasses his first.
Exceeding in repetition
يالكwhat a thing you are منof مركوضةkicked about ملساءsmooth
يالك من مركوضة ملساء
رافعةraising لخصلةa tuft دهماءjet-black
رافعة لخصلة دهماء
What a smooth, kicked-about thing you are,
Oh you smooth galloper
Raising a jet-black tuft
Raising a red forelock
منfrom ذنَبٍa tail فيon جَبْهةٍa brow شَهْباءgray-white
من ذنَبٍ في جَبْهةٍ شَهْباء
تُطيعُit obeys مَولاهاits master بلاwithout استعْصاءresistance
تُطيعُ مَولاها بلا استعْصاء
From a tail upon a gray-white brow!
Of a tail on a dusty forehead
It obeys its master without resistance,
She obeys her master without resistance
وهوْلَهاand he, toward it مُواصِلُpersists in الجَفاءharshness
وهوْلَها مُواصِلُ الجَفاء
مُبَدِّلُexchanging الإدناءbringing near بالإقصاءfor sending far away
مُبَدِّلُ الإدناء بالإقصاء
And he persists in harshness toward it,
And he is uncompromising in his aloofness
Exchanging nearness for distance.
Changing lowliness for rejection
يُوسعُهاhe showers it with ركْلاًkicks بلاwithout اتّقاءholding back
يُوسعُها ركْلاً بلا اتّقاء
وكلّماand whenever عادتْit returns عنfrom اسِتعْلاءrising aloft
وكلّما عادتْ عن اسِتعْلاء
He showers it with kicks, without holding back,
He widens her with kicks without restraint
And whenever it returns from on high,
And whenever she straightens up in exaltedness
قَبّلتِit kisses الرِجْلَthe foot بلاwithout إباءrefusal
قَبّلتِ الرِجْلَ بلا إباء
وجازتِand it repays الجَفاءharshness بالوفاءwith fidelity
وجازتِ الجَفاء بالوفاء
It kisses the foot without refusal,
She kisses the foot without refusal
And repays harshness with fidelity.
And repays aloofness with loyalty
خُذْهاtake it وإنْeven though لمnot تُهْدَbe gifted منfrom صَنعْاءSana'a
خُذْها وإنْ لم تُهْدَ من صَنعْاء
حَبيكةًa woven piece كالوَشْيِlike brocade منfrom إهْدائيmy gift-giving
حَبيكةً كالوَشْيِ من إهْدائي
Take it, though it was not sent as a gift from Sana'a,
Take her even if not from Sana'a
A woven piece like brocade, a gift from me,
A gift of mine like the musk bag
واصفةًdescribing للُعْبةٍa game عَجْماءforeign; non-Arab
واصفةً للُعْبةٍ عَجْماء
ولَفْظُهاand its diction للعَربِbelongs to the Arabs العَرْباءof pure Arab stock
ولَفْظُها للعَربِ العَرْباء
Describing a foreign game,
Describing an exotic amusement
While its diction belongs to the pure Arabs.
Her utterance to the eloquent Arabs
Sol 6.1