طَيلَسانٌ لِاِبنِ حَربٍ جاءَني

طَيلَسانٌ لِاِبنِ حَربٍ جاءَني

خِلعَةً في يَومِ نَحسِ مُستَمِر

خِلعَةً في يَومِ نَحسِ مُستَمِر

A ṭaylasān cloak from Ibn Harb came to me—

A mantle of Ibn Harb's came to me,

his robe of honor, on a day of unrelenting ill omen.

as a robe of honor, on a day of unrelenting ill fortune.

فَإِذا ما صِحتُ فيهِ صَيحَةً

فَإِذا ما صِحتُ فيهِ صَيحَةً

تَرَكَتهُ كَهَشيمِ المُحتَضَر

تَرَكَتهُ كَهَشيمِ المُحتَضَر

Whenever I cried out into it a single cry,

So whenever I give a shout in it,

I left it like the enclosure-keeper’s shattered brushwood.

that shout leaves it like a dying man's crumbled brushwood.

وَإِذا ما الريحُ هَبَّت نَحوَهُ

وَإِذا ما الريحُ هَبَّت نَحوَهُ

طَيَّرَتهُ كَالجَرادِ المُنتَشِر

طَيَّرَتهُ كَالجَرادِ المُنتَشِر

And whenever the wind blew toward it,

And whenever the wind blows toward it,

it sent it flying like locusts scattered abroad.

it sends it flying like scattered locusts.

مُهطِعُ الداعي إِلى الرافي إِذا

مُهطِعُ الداعي إِلى الرافي إِذا

ما رَآهُ قالَ ذا شَيءٌ نُكُر

ما رَآهُ قالَ ذا شَيءٌ نُكُر

The caller, rushing headlong to the darner, when

The caller hastens to the darner; when

he sees it, says: “This is a monstrous thing!”

he sees it, he says, 'This is an appalling thing.'

وَإِذا رَفّاؤُهُ حاوَلَ أَن

وَإِذا رَفّاؤُهُ حاوَلَ أَن

يَتَلافاهُ تَعاطى فَعَقَر

يَتَلافاهُ تَعاطى فَعَقَر

And whenever its darner tried to

And whenever its darner tries to

save it, he took it on—and hamstrung it.

mend it, he sets to work—and hamstrings it.