صَدَقَت مُعَيَّةُ نَفسُهُ فَتَرَحَّلا

صَدَقَت مُعَيَّةُ نَفسُهُ فَتَرَحَّلا

وَرَأى اليَقينَ وَلَم يَجِد مُتَعَلَّلا

وَرَأى اليَقينَ وَلَم يَجِد مُتَعَلَّلا

Muʿayya’s soul told him the truth, and he departed.

Mu'ayyah's soul was truthful, so it set out,

He saw certainty and found no excuse to linger.

And saw the certainty, finding no excuses.

وَقَضى لُبانَتَهُ مُعَيَّةُ مِنكُمُ

وَقَضى لُبانَتَهُ مُعَيَّةُ مِنكُمُ

وَرَأى عَزيمَةَ أَمرِهِ أَن يَفعَلا

وَرَأى عَزيمَةَ أَمرِهِ أَن يَفعَلا

Muʿayya had finished his business with you,

Mu'ayyah fulfilled his duty to you,

and saw that his settled course was to act.

And saw that his affair was resolute.

وَرَأى أَبا حَسّانَ دونَ عَطائِهِ

وَرَأى أَبا حَسّانَ دونَ عَطائِهِ

فَتَبَيَّنَتهُ العَينَ أَسمَرَ مُقفَلا

فَتَبَيَّنَتهُ العَينَ أَسمَرَ مُقفَلا

And he saw Abu Hassan barring the way to his gift,

He saw Abu Hassaan with little to give,

so his eye discerned him: dusky and locked shut.

So his eyes discerned him, a closed, dark-skinned man.

فَشَرى حَريبَتَهُ بِكُلِّ طُوالَةٍ

فَشَرى حَريبَتَهُ بِكُلِّ طُوالَةٍ

دَهماءَ سابِغَةٍ تُوَفّي المِكيَلا

دَهماءَ سابِغَةٍ تُوَفّي المِكيَلا

So he traded his wealth for tall she-camels,

He bought his she-camel fully grown,

dark, full-bodied, filling the measure to the brim.

A dusky smooth rider that fills the bushel.

وَغَدا مِنَ الأَرضِ الَّتي لَم يَرضَها

وَغَدا مِنَ الأَرضِ الَّتي لَم يَرضَها

وَاِختارَ وَرثاناً عَلَيها مَنزِلا

وَاِختارَ وَرثاناً عَلَيها مَنزِلا

At dawn he left the land that did not please him,

He left in the morning, from land he disliked,

and chose Warthan instead as a dwelling.

And chose Wurthan as a place to settle.

فَطَوى الجِبالَ عَلى رَحالَةِ بازِلٍ

فَطَوى الجِبالَ عَلى رَحالَةِ بازِلٍ

لا يَشتَكي أَبَداً بِخُفٍّ جَندَلا

لا يَشتَكي أَبَداً بِخُفٍّ جَندَلا

He folded up the mountains on a full-grown camel’s saddle,

He crossed mountains on his traveling she-camel,

never complaining of stones against her padded foot.

Never complaining of her worn-out sandals.

تَغتالُ كُلَّ تَنوفَةٍ عَرَضَت لَها

تَغتالُ كُلَّ تَنوفَةٍ عَرَضَت لَها

بِتَقاذُفٍ يَدَعُ الجَديلَ مُوَصَّلا

بِتَقاذُفٍ يَدَعُ الجَديلَ مُوَصَّلا

She devours every trackless waste that lies before her,

She attacks every long-necked ostrich she faces,

with bounding strides that leave the braided rein spliced together.

With a tossing that leaves the ostrich sprawling.

بِجَنوبِ لينَةَ ما تَزالُ بِراكِبٍ

بِجَنوبِ لينَةَ ما تَزالُ بِراكِبٍ

تُذري مَناسِمُها بِهِنَّ الحَنظَلا

تُذري مَناسِمُها بِهِنَّ الحَنظَلا

South of Linah, she never ceases to carry a rider,

With her gentle, smooth sides that still bear a rider,

her foot-pads scattering colocynth in those parts.

She scatters her hairpins, bending flexibly.

تَدَعُ الفِراخَ الزُغبَ في آثارِها

تَدَعُ الفِراخَ الزُغبَ في آثارِها

مِن بَينِ مَكسورِ الجَناحِ وَأَقزَلا

مِن بَينِ مَكسورِ الجَناحِ وَأَقزَلا

She leaves downy chicks in her tracks,

She leaves the young ostriches in her tracks,

some with broken wings and others lame.

Between broken wings and plucked, naked bodies.

نُحُّ الحَناجِرِ ما يَكادُ يُقيمُها

نُحُّ الحَناجِرِ ما يَكادُ يُقيمُها

تَدَعُ القَعودَ مِنَ التَصَرُّفِ أَجزَلا

تَدَعُ القَعودَ مِنَ التَصَرُّفِ أَجزَلا

Hoarse-throated, he can scarcely hold them steady;

She strains her throat until she can barely stand,

their moving about leaves the young riding-camel broken-backed.

Leaving the sitting ostrich unable to move.

آلى إِذا بَلَغَت مَدافِعَ تَلعَةً

آلى إِذا بَلَغَت مَدافِعَ تَلعَةً

وَعَلا لِيُبلِغها المَكانَ الأَطوَلا

وَعَلا لِيُبلِغها المَكانَ الأَطوَلا

He swore when they reached a valley’s outflows,

When she reaches the shooting-grounds of Tal'ah,

and climbed to bring them to the highest ground.

She rises up to take her to the furthest place.

وَكَأَنَّهُنَّ أَشاءُ يَثرِبَ حَولَها

وَكَأَنَّهُنَّ أَشاءُ يَثرِبَ حَولَها

جُرفٌ أَضَرَّ بِهِنَّ نِهيٌ بُهَّلا

جُرفٌ أَضَرَّ بِهِنَّ نِهيٌ بُهَّلا

And they seem like the palms of Yathrib, around which

It is as though they are the outskirts of Yathrib around her,

lies a bank, with a pool close by, as they stand unbound.

A forbidden, ruined land that she roams unrestrained.

وَكَأَنَّ جِزيَةَ تاجِرٍ وُهِبَت لَهُ

وَكَأَنَّ جِزيَةَ تاجِرٍ وُهِبَت لَهُ

يَوماً إِذا اِستَقبَلنَ غَيثاً مُبقِلا

يَوماً إِذا اِستَقبَلنَ غَيثاً مُبقِلا

And they seem like a merchant’s tribute bestowed on him,

It is as though the tribute of a merchant was granted to him

one day, when they come upon rain-fed, grassy pasture.

One day when they met a pouring rain.

وَتَرى أَوابِيَها بِكُلِّ قَرارَةٍ

وَتَرى أَوابِيَها بِكُلِّ قَرارَةٍ

يَكرُفنَ شِقشِقَةً وَناباً أَعصَلا

يَكرُفنَ شِقشِقَةً وَناباً أَعصَلا

And you see the reluctant females among them in every hollow,

You can see her molars, with every settlement,

sniffing a throat-sac and a crooked fang.

Crunching and gnashing, unbroken by the years.

وَإِذا سَمِعنَ هَديرَ أَكلَفَ مُحنِقٍ

وَإِذا سَمِعنَ هَديرَ أَكلَفَ مُحنِقٍ

عَدَلَت سَوالِفُها إِذا ما جَلجَلا

عَدَلَت سَوالِفُها إِذا ما جَلجَلا

And when they hear a dark-faced, raging male’s roar,

When they hear the snort of an angry bull-camel,

their necks turn aside whenever he bellows.

Her front teeth protrude if he brays loudly.

فَالعَبدُ قَد أَعنَتنَ أَسفَلَ ساقِهِ

فَالعَبدُ قَد أَعنَتنَ أَسفَلَ ساقِهِ

وَعَدَلنَ رُكبَتَهُ سِواها مَعدِلا

وَعَدَلنَ رُكبَتَهُ سِواها مَعدِلا

The slave—they have injured the lower part of his leg,

The slave's legs gave way beneath him

and displaced his knee from its proper place.

And straightened his knee, realigning it.

فَتَرَكنَهُ حَلَقَ الأَديمِ مُكَسِّراً

فَتَرَكنَهُ حَلَقَ الأَديمِ مُكَسِّراً

كَالمِسحِ أُلقِيَ ما يُحَرِّكُ مَفصِلا

كَالمِسحِ أُلقِيَ ما يُحَرِّكُ مَفصِلا

So they leave him bare-skinned and huddled up,

She left him with his neck skin torn,

like haircloth thrown down, not moving a joint.

Like a relaxed body unable to move its joints.

دَسِمَ الثِيابِ كَأَنَّ فَروَةَ رَأسِهِ

دَسِمَ الثِيابِ كَأَنَّ فَروَةَ رَأسِهِ

زُرِعَت فَأَنبَتَ جانِباها فُلفُلا

زُرِعَت فَأَنبَتَ جانِباها فُلفُلا

His clothes are greasy; it is as though his scalp

His clothes are thick, as though the hair on his head

had been sown, and its two sides sprouted peppercorns.

Had been planted and sprouted violets around it.

لا يَسمَعُ الحَبَشِيُّ وَسطَ عِراكِها

لا يَسمَعُ الحَبَشِيُّ وَسطَ عِراكِها

صَوتاً إِذا ما العَبدُ أَورَدَ مَنهَلا

صَوتاً إِذا ما العَبدُ أَورَدَ مَنهَلا

The Abyssinian does not hear amid their jostling

The Abyssinian in the midst of the commotion

a sound, when the slave brings them to a watering place,

Hears no sound when the slave approaches the water-hole,

إِلّا تَجاوُبَهُنَّ حَولَ سَوادِهِ

إِلّا تَجاوُبَهُنَّ حَولَ سَوادِهِ

بِحَناجِرٍ نُحٍّ وَصَوتٍ أَهدَلا

بِحَناجِرٍ نُحٍّ وَصَوتٍ أَهدَلا

except their answering cries around his black form,

Except their echoing around his blackness

with hoarse throats and a deep voice.

With straining throats and muffled voices.

وَلَقَد تَرى الحَبَشِيَّ وَهوَ يَصُكُّها

وَلَقَد تَرى الحَبَشِيَّ وَهوَ يَصُكُّها

أَشِراً إِذا ما نالَ يَوماً مَأكَلا

أَشِراً إِذا ما نالَ يَوماً مَأكَلا

Indeed, you see the Abyssinian as he strikes them,

You can see the Abyssinian hitting her

swaggering when, one day, he gets a meal.

Fiercely when she finds a place with food.

يَرمَدُّ مِن حَذَرِ الخِلاطِ كَما اِزدَهَت

يَرمَدُّ مِن حَذَرِ الخِلاطِ كَما اِزدَهَت

ريحٌ يَمانِيَةٌ ظَليماً مُجفِلا

ريحٌ يَمانِيَةٌ ظَليماً مُجفِلا

He scurries for fear of the melee, just as

Blinking from fear of the mixed herd, as though

a Yemeni wind drives a startled male ostrich.

A hot Yemeni wind had blinded him.

لا خَيرَ في طولِ الإِقامَةِ لِلفَتى

لا خَيرَ في طولِ الإِقامَةِ لِلفَتى

إِلّا إِذا ما لَم يَجِد مُتَحَوَّلا

إِلّا إِذا ما لَم يَجِد مُتَحَوَّلا

No good comes to a young man from a long stay,

No good comes from a young man staying long

except when he finds no other place to go.

Unless he is unable to move on.