ونوبيّةٍand a Nubian beast فيin الخَلْقِphysical form منهاof her خلائِقٌcreatures
ونوبيّةٍ في الخَلْقِ منها خلائِقٌ
متىwhen ماemphatic particle تَرقّascends العينُthe eye فيهاover her تَسَهّلِdescends to level ground
متى ما تَرقّ العينُ فيها تَسَهّلِ
A Nubian giraffe—in her form are manifold traits;
And a Nubian beast, with many creatures' traits in her form,
wherever the eye climbs over her, the way grows easy.
whenever the eye climbs over her, it descends to level ground.
إذاwhen ماemphatic particle اسمُهاher name ألقاهُhe casts it فيinto السمعthe ear ذاكرٌone mentioning it
إذا ما اسمُها ألقاهُ في السمع ذاكرٌ
رأىsaw الطرفُthe eye منهfrom it ماwhat عناهْhe meant it بمقولِin speech
رأى الطرفُ منه ما عناهْ بمقولِ
Whenever one who speaks of her casts her name upon the ear,
Whenever someone casts her name into the ear,
the eye sees in her what the speaker meant by his words.
the eye sees through it what he meant in words.
لهاshe has فخذاthe two thighs of قَرْمٍa breeding male camel وأظلافُand cloven hooves of قَرْهبٍan old bull
لها فخذا قَرْمٍ وأظلافُ قَرْهبٍ
وناظِرَناand our eye (likely intended: two eyes) رِئمٍa white gazelle وهامةُand the head of أَيّلِa stag
وناظِرَنا رِئمٍ وهامةُ أَيّلِ
She has the thighs of a noble camel and the hooves of a massive old bull,
She has a breeding camel's two thighs and an old bull's cloven hooves,
the two eyes of a gazelle and the head of a stag.
and a white gazelle's two eyes and a stag's head.
مُبَطَّنَةُinwardly lined الأخلاقِin character كبراًwith pride وعزّةًand dignity
مُبَطَّنَةُ الأخلاقِ كبراً وعزّةً
فمهماso however much تَجُدْshe gives freely بالمشيِof walking فيin المشيِwalking تَبخلِshe is miserly
فمهما تَجُدْ بالمشيِ في المشيِ تَبخلِ
Her nature is inwardly endowed with pride and dignity;
Her character is lined with pride and dignity,
whatever walking she grants, in walking she remains sparing.
so however freely she offers to walk, she is miserly in her stride.
وكمand many a حَوْلهاaround her منof سائسٍanimal keeper حافظٍguarding لهاfor her
وكم حَوْلها من سائسٍ حافظٍ لها
يُكرّمهاhe honors her عنaway from خُطّةِthe lot of المتبذّلِthe lowly drudge
يُكرّمها عن خُطّةِ المتبذّلِ
How many handlers stand around her, guarding her,
And many a keeper around her watches over her,
protecting her from the lot of one put to common use.
honoring her and sparing her a menial's lot.
ترىyou see ظِلْفَa cloven hoof of رِجْلٍa hind leg يَلتقيmeets إنif تنقّلَتْshe moves
ترى ظِلْفَ رِجْلٍ يَلتقي إن تنقّلَتْ
بظلفِwith a cloven hoof of يدٍa foreleg منهاof hers عزيزِreluctant in التنقّلِmovement
بظلفِ يدٍ منها عزيزِ التنقّلِ
You see a hind hoof, whenever she moves, come together
You see a hind leg's hoof meet, whenever she moves,
with a forehoof of hers—so stately is her progress.
a foreleg's hoof of hers, reluctant to shift.
كأنّas though الخطوطَthe lines البيضَwhite والصّفْرَand yellow أشبهتْresembled
كأنّ الخطوطَ البيضَ والصّفْرَ أشبهتْ
علىon جسمهاher body ترصيعَan inlay of عاجٍivory بِصَندلِwith sandalwood
على جسمها ترصيعَ عاجٍ بِصَندلِ
As though the white and golden markings resembled,
As though the white and yellow lines resembled,
upon her body, an inlay of ivory and sandalwood.
on her body, ivory inlaid with sandalwood.
ودائمةُand ever الإقْعاءِsquatting on the haunches فيin أصْلِthe origin of خَلْقهاher build
ودائمةُ الإقْعاءِ في أصْلِ خَلْقها
إذاwhen قابلتْfaces أدبارهاher hindquarters عينthe eye of مُقْبلِsomeone approaching
إذا قابلتْ أدبارها عين مُقْبلِ
By her native build she seems forever crouching
And in her inborn shape she seems forever squatting,
whenever an approaching eye faces her hindquarters.
when her hindquarters face the eye of one approaching.
تَلفّتُshe looks around أحياناًat times بعينٍwith an eye كحيلةٍkohl-dark
تَلفّتُ أحياناً بعينٍ كحيلةٍ
وجيدٍand a neck علىabove طولthe height of اللواءِthe banner مظلّلِcasting shade
وجيدٍ على طول اللواءِ مظلّلِ
At times she turns with a kohl-dark eye,
At times she looks around with a kohl-dark eye,
and a neck as long as a banner, shadowed.
and a neck that overshadows a tall banner,
وعرفٍand a mane دقيقِfine الشّعْرِthe hair تحسبُyou think نبتَهُits growth
وعرفٍ دقيقِ الشّعْرِ تحسبُ نبتَهُ
إذاwhen الرّيحُthe wind هَزّتْهُshakes it ذوائبthe tassels of سُنْبُلِears of grain
إذا الرّيحُ هَزّتْهُ ذوائب سُنْبُلِ
And a mane of fine hair—you would think its growth,
and a fine-haired mane whose growth you would take,
when the wind shakes it, the tassels of ripened grain.
when the wind shakes it, for tassels atop ears of grain.
تَنَفّسُshe breathes كبراًproudly منthrough يراعٍa reed مُثَقَّبٍperforated
تَنَفّسُ كبراً من يراعٍ مُثَقَّبٍ
فتعطيso she gives جَنوباًa south wind منهfrom it عنin return for أخْدِtaking in (reading uncertain) شمألِa north wind
فتعطي جَنوباً منه عن أخْدِ شمألِ
She breathes proudly through a hollow reed,
She breathes proudly through a perforated reed,
giving forth a south wind through it for every north wind she draws.
sending a south wind from it in return for drawing in a north wind.
وتنفضُand she shakes رأساًa head فيin الزّمامthe halter كأنّماas though
وتنفضُ رأساً في الزّمام كأنّما
تريكَshe shows you لهof it فيin الجوّthe air نفضةَa shake of أجْدَلِa falcon
تريكَ له في الجوّ نفضةَ أجْدَلِ
She tosses her head against the halter as though
And she tosses her head in the halter, as though
showing you there in the air the fierce toss of a hawk.
showing you in its tossing aloft the shake of a falcon.
إذاwhen طلعrises النطحُal-Nath (a star) اسجادتْdeemed good (reading uncertain) نطاحَهُbutting it
إذا طلع النطحُ اسجادتْ نطاحَهُ
برأسٍwith a head لهbelonging to it هادٍa neck علىabove السُّحبِthe clouds مُعْتَلِrising high
برأسٍ له هادٍ على السُّحبِ مُعْتَلِ
When a horned challenger appears, she meets his charge masterfully,
When al-Nath rises, she finds it good to butt against it,
with a head whose neck towers above the clouds.
with a head whose neck towers above the clouds,
وقرنينand two horns أوْفَتْrises high منهماfrom both of them كلّevery عقدةٍknob
وقرنين أوْفَتْ منهما كلّ عقدةٍ
كَرُمّانتيlike the two pomegranate finials of بابِthe door of الخباءِthe tent المُقَفَّلِlocked
كَرُمّانتي بابِ الخباءِ المُقَفَّلِ
And two horns, each rounded knob of them rising high,
and two horns, each knob of which rises high,
like twin pomegranates at the door of a fastened tent.
like the two pomegranate finials on a locked tent-door.
إِذاwhen قُمِّعاboth are capped بِالتبرِwith gold زَادَتْshe grows تَعَزُّزاًin pride
إِذا قُمِّعا بِالتبرِ زَادَتْ تَعَزُّزاً
علىabove كلّevery خودٍa lovely maiden ذاتِpossessing تاجٍa crown مُكلَّلِadorned
على كلّ خودٍ ذاتِ تاجٍ مُكلَّلِ
When they are capped with pure gold, she grows prouder still
When both are capped with gold, she grows still prouder
than every tender maiden wearing a wreathed crown.
than every lovely maiden with an ornamented crown.
وَتَحسَبهاand you fancy her منfrom نَفسِهاher own self إِنif تَبخترَتْshe struts
وَتَحسَبها من نَفسِها إِن تَبخترَتْ
تُزَفّshe is led in procession إلىto بعلٍa husband عروساًas a bride وتَنجليand she unveils herself
تُزَفّ إلى بعلٍ عروساً وتَنجلي
From her very bearing when she struts, you would think her
And from her own bearing, when she struts, you fancy her
a bride borne to her husband, unveiling herself.
being led as a bride to a husband, unveiling herself.
وكمand many a منشدٍreciter of قولَthe words of امرئِImru' القيسِal-Qays حَوْلهاaround her
وكم منشدٍ قولَ امرئِ القيسِ حَوْلها
أفاطمَO Fatima مهلاًgently بعضَsome of هذاthis التدلُّلِcoyness
أفاطمَ مهلاً بعضَ هذا التدلُّلِ
And how many around her recite the verse of Imru’ al-Qays:
And many around her recite Imru' al-Qays's words:
“O Fatim, gently—enough of this coy disdain!”
O Fatima, gently—less of this coyness!
Sol 6.1