وأكلفand a dusky bird منْسَرُهُits beak ذوpossessing شغاa hooked bend
وأكلف منْسَرُهُ ذو شغا
كعطفةِlike the bend of رأسthe tip of السنانthe spearhead الذّليقkeen-edged
كعطفةِ رأس السنان الذّليق
And a dusky bird, its beak hooked,
His graceful neck adorned with bells
Like the curved tip of a keen spearhead.
Like the nape of a delicate doe
لهit has مُقْلَةٌan eye كُحِلَتْlined with kohl بالنّجيعwith blood
له مُقْلَةٌ كُحِلَتْ بالنّجيع
تُصَرِّفُdirects إيماضَthe flashing of لحظٍa gaze صدوقunerring
تُصَرِّفُ إيماضَ لحظٍ صدوق
It has an eye lined with blood,
With kohl-lined eyes that glance coquettishly
Casting flashes of an unerring gaze.
Turning with each charming blink
كَأنّas though بجؤجؤهِon its breast مُهْرَقاًa parchment
كَأنّ بجؤجؤهِ مُهْرَقاً
مُوَشّىًadorned بِأَحرُفِwith letters of خَطٍّscript دقيقfine
مُوَشّىً بِأَحرُفِ خَطٍّ دقيق
As though upon its breast lay a parchment,
As if its pupil were embroidered
Adorned with letters in a delicate script.
With fine delicate script
يصيدُhunts بكفٍّwith a foot خطاطيفهاits hooks
يصيدُ بكفٍّ خطاطيفها
مركبةٌfitted فيin وظيفٍa shank وثيقsturdy
مركبةٌ في وظيفٍ وثيق
It hunts with a foot whose hooks
It catches butterflies in its palm
Are set in a sturdy shank.
Perched atop its duty steadfast
يباكرapproaches at dawn بالصيدon the hunt سربَa flock of القطاsandgrouse
يباكر بالصيد سربَ القطا
وبَينَهُماْand between the two كلّevery فجٍّravine عميقdeep
وبَينَهُماْ كلّ فجٍّ عميق
It hunts a flock of sandgrouse at daybreak,
Pouncing on the flock of grouse
And every deep ravine lies between them.
Over each deep ravine between them
ويُصْبحُand visits at dawn سربَthe flock of الحَمامِdoves الحِمامُdeath
ويُصْبحُ سربَ الحَمامِ الحِمامُ
ويَجْنَحُand swoops مثلَlike الجناحa wing الخفوقfluttering
ويَجْنَحُ مثلَ الجناح الخفوق
And death visits the flock of doves at dawn,
And the flock of doves take wing at dawn
And swoops like a fluttering wing.
Flapping like rustling wings
كأنَّas though عقاباًan eagle علىon أفقهits horizon
كأنَّ عقاباً على أفقه
ترودroams الوغىbattle يومon a day of ريحwind خريقviolent
ترود الوغى يوم ريح خريق
As though an eagle upon its horizon
As if a hawk above the horizon
Roamed the battlefield on a day of raging wind.
Swooping down on a windy day
ولمّاand when انجلىcleared اللَّيلُthe night واستوضَحَتْand became clear
ولمّا انجلى اللَّيلُ واستوضَحَتْ
لهto it غُرّةُthe bright brow of الصبحdawn فيat رأسthe summit of نيقa mountain peak
له غُرّةُ الصبح في رأس نيق
And when the night cleared and there appeared
When the night cleared and first light appeared
To it dawn's bright brow at a peak's summit,
Dawn's glow tipped its elegant head
فباتَso it remained ولاand no خوفَfear فيin نفسهits soul
فباتَ ولا خوفَ في نفسه
بِهِمَّتِهthrough its resolve حازَobtained بيْضَthe eggs of الأنوقthe vulture
بِهِمَّتِه حازَ بيْضَ الأنوق
So it remained, with no fear in its soul,
It slept without fear in its heart
By its resolve it won the vulture's eggs.
By its resolve it won precious eggs
وقلّبَand rolled والفتكُand slaughter فيin نفسهits mind
وقلّبَ والفتكُ في نفسه
حماليقeye-whites مثلَlike ائتلاقthe gleaming of البروقlightning flashes
حماليق مثلَ ائتلاق البروق
And, with slaughter in its mind, it rolled
And turned danger over in its thoughts
The whites of its eyes, like the flashing of lightning.
Like flashing sparks of lightning
وقدand already نَفَضَshook off الطلَّthe dew عنfrom منكبيهits two shoulders
وقد نَفَضَ الطلَّ عن منكبيه
بمثلwith the like of انتفاضِthe shaking of الطمرِّthe fleet steed العتيقthoroughbred
بمثل انتفاضِ الطمرِّ العتيق
And it had shaken the dew from its shoulders,
Dew rolled off its shoulders
With a shake like that of a fleet, thoroughbred steed.
Like crumbling ancient ruins
ترىyou see ريشَهُits feathers فوْقَover أرجائهِits sides
ترى ريشَهُ فوْقَ أرجائهِ
طِراقاًin layers كمثلjust like حبابthe bubbles of الرّحيقpure wine
طِراقاً كمثل حباب الرّحيق
You see its feathers across its sides,
Its feathers above its limbs
In layers, like the bubbles of pure wine.
Are like misty drops of perfume
رَأىit saw مَاwhat رَأىit saw وبريقand the gleam of الشعاعِsunlight
رَأى مَا رَأى وبريق الشعاعِ
يكحلُlines with kohl أجفانَهُits eyelids بالشروقwith the sunrise
يكحلُ أجفانَهُ بالشروق
It saw what it saw, while the gleam of sunlight
It saw what it saw, and the rays of light
Lined its eyelids with the sunrise.
Lined its eyes with the rising sun
وأيْقَنَand became certain بالسوءِof doom منwhoever صيدهits quarry
وأيْقَنَ بالسوءِ من صيده
فَدلَّso it pointed علىto سَبجٍjet بالعَقيقwith carnelian
فَدلَّ على سَبجٍ بالعَقيق
And its quarry was certain of doom,
And sensed the danger to its catch
So with carnelian it pointed to jet.
So it showed the ruby nest
وحَلَّقand soared وانقضَّand swooped down منfrom جَوِّهِits sky
وحَلَّق وانقضَّ من جَوِّهِ
كماjust as صُوّبَتْwas hurled downward حجرُthe stone of المنجَنيقthe catapult
كما صُوّبَتْ حجرُ المنجَنيق
And it soared, then plunged from its sky,
And swooped from the air
Like a catapult's stone hurled downward.
As a catapulted stone
فَتَحسَبُهso you would think it عِندَwhen إِقعاصِهاstriking them dead at once
فَتَحسَبُه عِندَ إِقعاصِها
يَشُقُّcleaves حيازيمَهاtheir chests عَنto reveal شَقيقred anemones
يَشُقُّ حيازيمَها عَن شَقيق
So, as it strikes them dead, you would think
You'd think as it pounced
It was cleaving their chests to reveal red anemones.
It tore its ribs from their mooring
Sol 6.1