للّهto God (in praise) شمسٌa sun كانَwas أولهاits beginning السّهاSuhā (Alcor)
للّه شمسٌ كانَ أولها السّها
كَحَلَlined with kohl الظلامُthe darkness بنورهاwith its light أجفانيmy eyelids
كَحَلَ الظلامُ بنورها أجفاني
To God be praise for a sun whose beginning was Suhā!
Allah has a sun whose dawn was spears
Darkness painted my eyelids with its light as kohl.
Darkness lined my eyelids with its light
جادَgave generously الزّنادُthe fire-striker بِعُشْوَةٍwith a faint flame فتَخيّرتso it chose
جادَ الزّنادُ بِعُشْوَةٍ فتَخيّرت
قَصَرَlogs of الجفيفةِdry brushwood بعدafter طولa length of زمانِtime
قَصَرَ الجفيفةِ بعد طول زمانِ
The fire-striker bestowed a faint flame, and it chose
The flints sparked with a fire-stick so I chose
The logs of dry brushwood after a long delay.
The barren plain after a long time
شعواءُraging باتتْit spent the night تَرْمَحُkicking at الريحthe wind التيthat
شعواءُ باتتْ تَرْمَحُ الريح التي
أمْسَتْhad begun at dusk تجاذبهاtugging against it شليلa trailing mantle of دخانِsmoke
أمْسَتْ تجاذبها شليل دخانِ
Raging, it spent the night kicking at the wind that
Shuwwa spent the night piercing the wind that
Had begun at dusk to tug at its trailing mantle of smoke.
In the evening Shalil's smoke pulled it here and there
وكأنّماand as though فيin الجوّthe air منهاfrom it رايةٌa banner
وكأنّما في الجوّ منها رايةٌ
حمراءُred تخفقfluttering أوor فؤادthe heart of جبانِa coward
حمراءُ تخفق أو فؤاد جبانِ
And as though from it, in the air, there were a banner,
As if in the air from it there was a banner
Red and fluttering—or a coward's heart.
Red fluttering or a cowardly heart
أقبلتهاI faced it with منfrom وجهthe face of أدهمa black steed غُرَّةًa white forehead-blaze
أقبلتها من وجه أدهم غُرَّةً
فأرتْكand so it showed you كيفhow تَقَابَلَfaced each other القمرانِthe two moons
فأرتْك كيف تَقَابَلَ القمرانِ
I faced it with the white blaze on a black steed's face,
I met it from the face of a ruddy dark night
And it showed you how the two moons faced each other.
So I saw how the two moons opposed
فيin ظلّthe shade of منسدلtrailing الدجىdarkness جارتْstrayed بهthrough it
في ظلّ منسدل الدجى جارتْ به
عينيmy eye التيwhich هُدِيَتْwas guided بأذنby the ear of حصانيmy horse
عيني التي هُدِيَتْ بأذن حصاني
In the shade of trailing darkness, through which strayed
In the shadow of the darkness that fell my eyes raced with it
My eye, guided by my horse's ear.
That were given to the ear of my steed
للّهto God (in praise) واصفةٌa describer مُعَرَّسَthe encampment of سادةٍnoblemen
للّه واصفةٌ مُعَرَّسَ سادةٍ
وهناًlate at night لعينكto your eye باضطرابwith the quivering of لسانِa tongue
وهناً لعينك باضطراب لسانِ
To God be praise for one that describes noblemen's encampment,
By Allah a chief describing noble riders
Late at night, to your eye, with a flickering tongue.
And delight to your eye in the confusion of my tongue
نزلواthey camped بأوطانin the haunts of الوحوشthe beasts وماand did not نباdrive away
نزلوا بأوطان الوحوش وما نبا
بهمُwith them زمانُهُمُtheir times عنfrom الأوطانِthe homelands
بهمُ زمانُهُمُ عن الأوطانِ
They camped in the haunts of beasts, though never driven
They descended in the lands of wild beasts and time
From their homelands by the times they lived in.
Did not decrease their longing for homelands
خطّافةswift-snatching الحركاتin movement ذاتpossessing مساعرfire-stoking sticks
خطّافة الحركات ذات مساعر
حملتit bore جفونَthe lids of مراجلٍcauldrons وجفانِand bowls
حملت جفونَ مراجلٍ وجفانِ
Darting in its movements, furnished with fire-stoking sticks,
Having passionate gestures with embers
It bore the lids of cauldrons and serving bowls.
That carried the bellows and eyelids
كالبحرlike the sea أعلاهاits surface اللهيبُthe flame وقعرهاand its bed
كالبحر أعلاها اللهيبُ وقعرها
جمرٌembers كمثلlike سبائكingots of العقيانِpure gold
جمرٌ كمثل سبائك العقيانِ
Like the sea, its surface was flame, and its bed
Allah made its top fire and its bottom
Embers like ingots of pure gold.
Embers like the ingots of blacksmiths
تَشويit scorches اللطاةَthe forehead علىupon سواحلthe shores of لجهاits deep waters
تَشوي اللطاةَ على سواحل لجها
للطارقينfor night visitors شواءةa roaster اللحمانِof meats
للطارقين شواءة اللحمانِ
It scorches the brow along the shores of its deep waters,
Broiling the plump ones on the shores of its intensity
A roaster of meats for visitors arriving by night.
Roasting the seekers like cooked meat
منfrom كلّevery منسكبone overflowing with السماحةgenerosity يلتظيblazes
من كلّ منسكب السماحة يلتظي
فيin كفّهhis palm اليمنىthe right شواظُa smokeless flame يمانيYemeni (blade)
في كفّه اليمنى شواظُ يماني
From each man overflowing with generosity, there blazes
From every poured generosity he wraps
In his right hand the flame of a Yemeni blade.
In his right hand the flames of Yaman
وإذاand when ابنson of آوىĀwā (part of 'jackal') مدّstretched out ذاتthe eye bearing رُنُوِّهِhis gaze
وإذا ابن آوى مدّ ذات رُنُوِّهِ
كَحَلَتْهُit kohled him بابنwith a son of حَنِيّةٍa bow مرنانِresounding
كَحَلَتْهُ بابن حَنِيّةٍ مرنانِ
And when a jackal stretches out its gazing eye,
And when the son of Awa took shelter he stretched
It kohls his eye with the son of a twanging bow.
His softness so the son of Haniyy caressed him
متوسّدينpillowing their heads بهاbeside it عبابَthe billows of دروعهمtheir coats of mail
متوسّدين بها عبابَ دروعهم
إنّindeed الدروعcoats of mail وسائدُpillows of الشُجعانِthe brave
إنّ الدروع وسائدُ الشُجعانِ
Pillowing their heads beside it on the billows of their mail—
Using them as pillows the bosses of their coats of mail
Indeed, coats of mail are the pillows of the brave.
Indeed coats of mail are the pillows of the brave
يتنازعونَthey trade حديثَaccounts of كلّevery كريهةٍdreadful battle
يتنازعونَ حديثَ كلّ كريهةٍ
بِكْرٍmaiden تَصَالواthey braved حرّهاits heat وعوانِand renewed
بِكْرٍ تَصَالوا حرّها وعوانِ
They trade tales of every dreadful battle,
They compete in talk of every frightening battle
Maiden or renewed, whose heat they have braved.
They had with every virgin its heat and helplessness
صرعواthey felled الأوابدَwild beasts فيin الفدافدthe open plains بالقناwith lances
صرعوا الأوابدَ في الفدافد بالقنا
وخواضبand the red-legged الظلمانmale ostriches فيin الغيطانِthe lowlands
وخواضب الظلمان في الغيطانِ
They felled wild beasts on the open plains with lances,
They felled the giants in deadly fights with spears
And red-legged male ostriches in the lowlands.
And the darkness's adorers in the valleys
منof كلّevery وحشيّwild creature يُسابقُraces ظِلَّهُits shadow
من كلّ وحشيّ يُسابقُ ظِلَّهُ
حتىuntil أتاهcame upon it مسابقُone outstripping اللحظانِglances
حتى أتاه مسابقُ اللحظانِ
Each wild creature racing its own shadow,
Of every beast its shadow raced it
Until a racer faster than glances overtook it.
Until the racing of glances overtook it
صِيدٌproud nobles إذاwhen شهدواthey attended النديّthe assembly همىrained down الندىbounty (literally dew)
صِيدٌ إذا شهدوا النديّ همى الندى
فيهin it ونيطand was bound الحسنbeauty بالإحسانِto beneficence
فيه ونيط الحسن بالإحسانِ
Proud nobles: when they attend the assembly, bounty rains
Prey, when they witnessed hunting wished for hunting
There, and beauty is bound to beneficence.
And beauty was bound to kindness through it
منof كلّevery صَبٍّpassionate lover بالحروبِof wars حياتُهُhis life
من كلّ صَبٍّ بالحروبِ حياتُهُ
مشغُوفَةٌpassionately enamored بمنيّةِwith the death of الأقرانِpeer opponents
مشغُوفَةٌ بمنيّةِ الأقرانِ
Each a passionate lover of wars, whose life
The life of every youth in wars
Is enamored of the death of rival champions.
Is passionate for the death of peers
فيon متنthe back of كلّevery أقبّlean-bellied steed تحسبُyou think أنّهthat it
في متن كلّ أقبّ تحسبُ أنّه
برقٌlightning يصرِّفهhe steers it بوَحْيby the subtle signal of عنانِa rein
برقٌ يصرِّفه بوَحْي عنانِ
On the back of each lean steed, which you would think
In the back of every horse you'd think
A flash of lightning he steers by a rein's whispered command.
It was lightning held back by the tug of reins
وإذاand when تَضَرّمَتِblazed up الكريهةthe dreadful battle واتقىand guarded against
وإذا تَضَرّمَتِ الكريهة واتقى
لفحاتِهاits searing blasts الفرسانthe horsemen بالفرسانِwith horsemen
لفحاتِها الفرسان بالفرسانِ
And when dreadful battle blazes, and horsemen ward off
And when the battle intensified and the horsemen
Its searing blasts with horsemen,
Avoided its blasts with horsemen
وثنىand turned الجريحُthe wounded man عنانهhis rein فكأنّماso it was as though
وثنى الجريحُ عنانه فكأنّما
خُلِعَتْwere bestowed عليهupon him معاطفthe cloaks of النشوانِthe drunkard
خُلِعَتْ عليه معاطف النشوانِ
And the wounded man turns his rein, as though
And the wounded pulled his reins so it was as if
The cloaks of a drunkard had been bestowed upon him,
Coats of brocade had been stripped off him
وعلىand over الجماجمthe skulls فيin الأكفthe hands صوارمٌsharp swords
وعلى الجماجم في الأكف صوارمٌ
ففراشهاso their skull-splinters بالضربunder the blows ذوpossessing طيرانِflight
ففراشها بالضرب ذو طيرانِ
And over skulls are sharp swords held in hands,
And over the skulls in the palms swords
So their skull-splinters take flight beneath the blows.
So their saddlebags from the blows took flight
قدّواthey slit الدروعَthe coats of mail بقضبهمwith their blades فكأنّماso it was as though
قدّوا الدروعَ بقضبهم فكأنّما
صَبّواthey poured بهاwith them خُلُجاًstreams علىover غدرانِpools
صَبّوا بها خُلُجاً على غدرانِ
They slit the coats of mail with their blades, as though
They straightened the coats of mail with their spear shafts so it was as if
With them they poured streams over pools.
They had poured smooth water over armor
وَأرَوْكَand they showed you أنّthat منof المياهwaters مَناصِلاًsword blades
وَأرَوْكَ أنّ من المياه مَناصِلاً
طُبِعَتْwere forged مضاربهاtheir striking edges منfrom النيرانِfires
طُبِعَتْ مضاربها من النيرانِ
And they showed you that there are blades of water
And they saw that from the waters dividing strokes
Whose striking edges were forged from flames.
Whose strokes were created from fire
Sol 6.1