أَطَلَّ صَليبُ الدَلوِ بَينَ نُجومِهِ

أَطَلَّ صَليبُ الدَلوِ بَينَ نُجومِهِ

يَكُفُّ رِجالاً عَن عِبادَتِها الصُلبا

يَكُفُّ رِجالاً عَن عِبادَتِها الصُلبا

The Bucket’s cross appeared among its stars,

The bucket's cross appeared amidst its stars

Keeping men from their worship of crosses.

It stopped men from worshipping their rigidity

فَرَبُّكُمُ اللَهُ الَّذي خَلَقَ السُهى

فَرَبُّكُمُ اللَهُ الَّذي خَلَقَ السُهى

وَأَبدى الثُرَيّا وَالسِماكَينِ وَالقَلبا

وَأَبدى الثُرَيّا وَالسِماكَينِ وَالقَلبا

For your Lord is God, who created Suhā

So your Lord is Allah who created the planets

And displayed the Pleiades, the two Simāk stars, and the Heart;

And initiated Pleiades, Orion and the Heart

وَأَنحَلَ بَدرَ التَمِّ بَعدَ كَمالِهِ

وَأَنحَلَ بَدرَ التَمِّ بَعدَ كَمالِهِ

كَأَنَّ بِهِ الظَلماءَ قاصِمَةٌ قُلبا

كَأَنَّ بِهِ الظَلماءَ قاصِمَةٌ قُلبا

And made the full moon wane after it reached perfection,

And the full moon declined after its perfection

As though the darkness upon it were snapping a bracelet;

As if the darkness was breaking its heart

وَأَدنى رِشاءً لِلعِراقي وَلمَ يَكُن

وَأَدنى رِشاءً لِلعِراقي وَلمَ يَكُن

شَريعاً إِذا نَصَّ البَيانُ وَلا خِلبا

شَريعاً إِذا نَصَّ البَيانُ وَلا خِلبا

And brought a rope near the Bucket’s crossbars, though it was not

And brought rain closer to Iraq but it wasn't

Of flax, to speak plainly, nor of palm fiber;

Lawful when eloquence specified nor a dress

وَصَوَّرَ لَيثَ الشُهبِ في مُستَقَرِّهِ

وَصَوَّرَ لَيثَ الشُهبِ في مُستَقَرِّهِ

وَلَو شاءَ أَمسى فَوقَ غَبرائِهِ كَلبا

وَلَو شاءَ أَمسى فَوقَ غَبرائِهِ كَلبا

And fashioned the Lion of the stars in its abode.

And pictured the shooting star in its orbit

And if He wished, it would become a dog upon His dusty earth,

If He wished it would become a dog over its ashes

وَأَلقى عَلى الأَرضِ الفَراقِدَ فَاِرتَعَت

وَأَلقى عَلى الأَرضِ الفَراقِدَ فَاِرتَعَت

مَعَ الفَرقَدِ الوَحشيِّ تَرتَقِبُ الأَلبا

مَعَ الفَرقَدِ الوَحشيِّ تَرتَقِبُ الأَلبا

And He would cast the Farqad stars to earth, so they would graze

And cast on earth the laid down beasts so they grazed

With the wild calf, watching for the hostile band;

With the wild laid down beast watching for food

وَأَهبَطَ مِنها الثَورَ يَكرُبُ جاهِداً

وَأَهبَطَ مِنها الثَورَ يَكرُبُ جاهِداً

فَتَعلَق ظَلفَيهِ الشَوابِكُ وَالهُلبا

فَتَعلَق ظَلفَيهِ الشَوابِكُ وَالهُلبا

And He would bring the Bull down from among them, straining at the plough,

And brought down from it the bull bellowing strenuously

So tangled plants and hulbā growth would cling to its two hooves;

So its dewlaps and jowls clung to the fetters

وَأَضحَت نَعامُ الجَوِّ بَعدَ سُموِّها

وَأَضحَت نَعامُ الجَوِّ بَعدَ سُموِّها

سُدىً في نَعامِ الدَوِّ لا تَأمَنَ الغُلبا

سُدىً في نَعامِ الدَوِّ لا تَأمَنَ الغُلبا

And the sky’s Ostriches, after their exaltation, would become

And the ostriches of the air after their loftiness

Untended among desert ostriches, unsafe from thick-necked lions;

Became in vain among the ostriches of the livestock not safe from defeat

وَأَنزَلَ حوتاً في السَماءِ فَضَمَّهُ

وَأَنزَلَ حوتاً في السَماءِ فَضَمَّهُ

إِلى النونِ في خَضراءَ فَاِعتَرَفَ السُلبا

إِلى النونِ في خَضراءَ فَاِعتَرَفَ السُلبا

And He would lower a Fish that was in the sky, joining it

And sent down a whale in the sky so He added

To the fish in a green sea; then it would acknowledge its loss;

It to the fish in the greenness so it admitted being captured

وَأَسكَنَ في سُكٍّ مِنَ التُربِ ضَيِّقٍ

وَأَسكَنَ في سُكٍّ مِنَ التُربِ ضَيِّقٍ

نُجومَ دُجىً في شَبوَةٍ أَبَت الثَلبا

نُجومَ دُجىً في شَبوَةٍ أَبَت الثَلبا

And He would lodge in a narrow earthen hole

And inhabited in a narrow hole of dust

The stars of night, within a scorpion that would brook no insult.

The stars of darkness in a burrow that refused holes