أَتَصرِفُwill you turn aside عَنaway from لَيلىLayla بِناwith us أَمor تَزورُهاvisit her
أَتَصرِفُ عَن لَيلى بِنا أَم تَزورُها
وَماand why صُرمُforsaking لَيلىLayla بَعدَafter ماthat ماتَdied زيرُهاher lover
وَما صُرمُ لَيلى بَعدَ ما ماتَ زيرُها
Will you turn us away from Layla, or visit her?
Do you turn away from Layla or do you visit her?
And why forsake Layla now that her lover has died?
And Layla's fate is not altered after her companion died
فَإِنfor if يَكُit be واراهُhid him التُرابُthe earth فَرُبَّماthen many a time
فَإِن يَكُ واراهُ التُرابُ فَرُبَّما
تَجَرَّعَhe swallowed مِنّيfrom me غَصَّةًa choking gulp لاnot يُحيرُهاhe brings it back
تَجَرَّعَ مِنّي غَصَّةً لا يُحيرُها
For if the earth has hidden him, many a time
So if the dust covers him, perhaps
He swallowed from me a choking gulp he could not return.
She will take a draught of grief from me that will not confuse her
أَلاtake heed لِيَلُمlet him blame مَنwhoever ضَنَّwas stingy بِالمالِwith wealth نَفسَهُhimself
أَلا لِيَلُم مَن ضَنَّ بِالمالِ نَفسَهُ
إِذاwhen ضِبرِمٌDibrim بانَتdeparted بِلَيلٍby night خُدورُهاher curtained litters
إِذا ضِبرِمٌ بانَت بِلَيلٍ خُدورُها
Ah, let whoever begrudged his money blame himself,
Oh, blame the one who was stingy with himself
When Dibrim's curtained litters depart by night.
When the cooking pot appeared at night, boiling
أَلاtake heed رُبَّماoften إِنif حالَinterposed لُقمانَLuqman دونَهاbefore her
أَلا رُبَّما إِن حالَ لُقمانَ دونَها
تَرَبَّعَspent spring بَينَbetween الأَروَتَينِal-Arwatayn أَميرُهاher chief
تَرَبَّعَ بَينَ الأَروَتَينِ أَميرُها
Ah, often, even if Luqman barred access to her,
Oh, perhaps if poverty befell Luqman
Her chief spent spring between al-Arwatayn,
Her master sat cross-legged between the millstones
مُقابَلَةَfacing الثاياتِthe cairns ثاياتِcairns of ضابِئٍDabiʾ
مُقابَلَةَ الثاياتِ ثاياتِ ضابِئٍ
مَراتِعَpastures مِنهاof it لاnot تُعَدُّare counted شُهورُهاtheir months
مَراتِعَ مِنها لا تُعَدُّ شُهورُها
Facing the cairns—the cairns of Dabiʾ—
Opposite the permanent encampments of wandering Dhabyan
In pastures there whose months cannot be counted,
Whose pastures cannot be counted for months
بِصَحراءَon a desert plain مِكماءٍrich in truffles تُرَدُّare brought back جُناتُهاits gatherers
بِصَحراءَ مِكماءٍ تُرَدُّ جُناتُها
إِلَيهاto it الجَنىthe harvest فيin ثَوبِthe garment of مَنwhoever يَستَثيرُهاdigs it up
إِلَيها الجَنى في ثَوبِ مَن يَستَثيرُها
On a truffle-rich desert plain, its gatherers are brought back
In a barren, waterless desert whose gardens
To it, with the harvest in the garment of whoever digs it up.
Are restored to it, in the garb of one who excites them
إِذاwhen هِيَshe حَلَّتsettled فيin خُزاعَةَKhuzaʿa وَاِنتَوَتand moved away
إِذا هِيَ حَلَّت في خُزاعَةَ وَاِنتَوَت
بِهاwith her نِيَّةٌa course of travel زَوراءُwinding عَمَّنfrom whoever يَزورُهاvisits her
بِها نِيَّةٌ زَوراءُ عَمَّن يَزورُها
When she settled among Khuzaʿa and was carried away
When they alight in Khuza'ah, harbouring
By a winding journey, far from whoever would visit her,
An evil intention towards whoever visits them
فَرُبَّfor many a رَبيعٍspring بِالبَلاليقِat al-Balaliq قَدalready رَعَتshe grazed
فَرُبَّ رَبيعٍ بِالبَلاليقِ قَد رَعَت
بِمَستَنِّalong the course of أَغياثٍrainfalls بِعاقٍtorrential ذُكورُهاtheir male showers
بِمَستَنِّ أَغياثٍ بِعاقٍ ذُكورُها
For many a spring at al-Balaliq she had grazed,
Thus many a springtime they grazed
Where rains course, their male showers pouring in torrents.
With bellowing camels, led by their masculine leaders
تَحَدَّرَdescended قَبلَbefore النَجمِthe Pleiades مِمّاfrom what أَمامَهُprecedes it
تَحَدَّرَ قَبلَ النَجمِ مِمّا أَمامَهُ
مِنَfrom الدَلوِthe Bucket constellation وَالأَشراطِand the Signs stars يَجريflows غَديرُهاits rain-pool
مِنَ الدَلوِ وَالأَشراطِ يَجري غَديرُها
Descending before the Pleiades, from the stars preceding it,
Flowing down before the star, ahead of
From the Bucket and the Signs, its rain-pool flows.
The bucket and pulleys, running its torrent
وَرَحلٍand many a saddle حَمَلناwe carried خَلفَbehind رَحلٍa saddle وَناقَةٍand a she-camel
وَرَحلٍ حَمَلنا خَلفَ رَحلٍ وَناقَةٍ
تَرَكناwe left بِعَطشىat ʿAtsha لاnot يُزَجّىis driven on حَسيرُهاits exhausted beast
تَرَكنا بِعَطشى لا يُزَجّى حَسيرُها
And many a saddle we carried behind another saddle, and a she-camel
And a convoy we followed, and a convoy and she-camel
We left at ʿAtsha, too spent to be driven on.
We left thirsty, her guide unable to give her water
تَرَكناwe left عَلَيهاupon her الذِئبَthe wolf يَلطُمُstrikes عَينَهُits eye
تَرَكنا عَلَيها الذِئبَ يَلطُمُ عَينَهُ
نَهاراًby day بِزَوراءِin a winding tract of الفَلاةِthe wilderness نُسورُهاits vultures
نَهاراً بِزَوراءِ الفَلاةِ نُسورُها
We left the wolf over her, its eye being struck
We left her to the wolf, gnawing her eye
By day, in the desert's winding reaches, by its vultures.
By day in the empty wilderness, its lightning flashes
وَلَمّاand when بَلَغناwe reached الجَهدَutmost strain مِنfrom ماجِداتِهاits noble she-camels
وَلَمّا بَلَغنا الجَهدَ مِن ماجِداتِها
وَبَيَّنَand became evident مِنfrom أَنسابِهِنَّtheir pedigrees شَجيرُهاits alien stock
وَبَيَّنَ مِن أَنسابِهِنَّ شَجيرُها
And when we had wrung the utmost effort from its noble she-camels,
And when we reached the limit of their glory
And the alien strain in their pedigrees had become clear,
And its lineage was made clear
تَجَرَّدَbroke clear مِنهاfrom them كُلُّevery صَهباءَtawny she-camel حُرَّةٍpurebred
تَجَرَّدَ مِنها كُلُّ صَهباءَ حُرَّةٍ
لِعَوهَجَto ʿAwhaj أَوor لِلداعِرِيَّto al-Daʿiri عَصيرُهاher lineage
لِعَوهَجَ أَو لِلداعِرِيَّ عَصيرُها
Every tawny, purebred she-camel broke away from them,
Every free, noble lady among them
Her lineage going back to ʿAwhaj or al-Daʿiri.
Stripped herself for unkemptness or for the vow of pilgrim sanctity
مَشىwalked on بَعدَماafter لاno مُخَّmarrow فيهاin her بِآدِهاwith her strength
مَشى بَعدَما لا مُخَّ فيها بِآدِها
نَجابَةُnoble breeding جَدَّيهاher two grandsires بِهاwithin her وَضَريرُهاand her endurance
نَجابَةُ جَدَّيها بِها وَضَريرُها
After no marrow remained in her, she walked on through her strength—
She walked on, with no brains left in her head,
Her two grandsires' nobility within her, and her endurance.
Her ancestry and her blindness guiding her
Sol 6.1