انْظُرْ إليْهِ وفي التحريك تَسكينُ

انْظُرْ إليْهِ وفي التحريك تَسكينُ

كأنّما التَقَمَتْ عنه التّنانينُ

كأنّما التَقَمَتْ عنه التّنانينُ

Look at him: in movement there is stillness.

Behold him, and in movement find repose

As though dragons had swallowed on his behalf.

As if serpents have swallowed all his woes

يا لَيتَ شِعري إذا أومى إلى فَمِهِ

يا لَيتَ شِعري إذا أومى إلى فَمِهِ

أحَلْقُهُ لَهَواتٌ أم مَيادين

أحَلْقُهُ لَهَواتٌ أم مَيادين

Oh, if only I knew, when he gestures toward his mouth:

Oh, if only I knew, as he hints with his mouth

Is his throat made of gullets, or open fields?

Do scenes fly, or are there battles he chose?

كأنّها وخبيثُ الزّاد يُضرِمُها

كأنّها وخبيثُ الزّاد يُضرِمُها

جهنّمٌ قُذِفَتْ فيها الشياطين

جهنّمٌ قُذِفَتْ فيها الشياطين

As though it—while vile fare sets it ablaze—

As if, and the wicked food kindles them,

Were Hell, into which devils had been hurled.

Hell was cast therein, with demons disposed

تَبَارَكَ اللّهُ ما أمضَى أسنّتَهُ

تَبَارَكَ اللّهُ ما أمضَى أسنّتَهُ

كأنّما كلُّ فَكٍّ منه طاحون

كأنّما كلُّ فَكٍّ منه طاحون

Blessed be God! How sharp his spearheads are!

Blessed is God, decisive are his tongues

As though each of his jaws were a mill.

As if each jaw were a grinding mill hews

كأنّ بَيْتَ سِلاحٍ فيهِ مُخْتَزَنٌ

كأنّ بَيْتَ سِلاحٍ فيهِ مُخْتَزَنٌ

مِمّا أعَدّتْهُ للرُّسْلِ الفَراعِين

مِمّا أعَدّتْهُ للرُّسْلِ الفَراعِين

As though an armory were stored within him,

As if a house of weapons lies in store

From what the pharaohs prepared for the messengers.

From what the noble messengers had composed

أينَ الأسِنّةُ أم أينَ الصّوارِمُ أم

أينَ الأسِنّةُ أم أينَ الصّوارِمُ أم

أينَ الخناجِرُ أم أين السكاكين

أينَ الخناجِرُ أم أين السكاكين

Where are the spearheads, or where the sharp swords, or

Where are the tongues, or where are the swords? Or

Where are the daggers, or where the knives?

Where are the daggers? Or where the knives exposed?

كأنّما الحَمَلُ المَشوِيُّ في يدِهِ

كأنّما الحَمَلُ المَشوِيُّ في يدِهِ

ذو النّونِ في الماء لمّا عَضَّهُ النّون

ذو النّونِ في الماء لمّا عَضَّهُ النّون

As though the roasted lamb in his hand were

As if the roasted camel in his hand

Dhu al-Nun in the water when the fish bit him.

Is Jonah, when the whale had him enclosed

لَفّ الجِداءَ بأيديها وأرجُلِهَا

لَفّ الجِداءَ بأيديها وأرجُلِهَا

كأنّما افتَرَسَتْهُنّ السّراحين

كأنّما افتَرَسَتْهُنّ السّراحين

He gobbled up the kid goats, forelegs and hindlegs and all,

Wrapped her gown around her hands and feet

As though wolves had preyed upon them.

As if lions had preyed on her reposed

وغادَرَ البَطَّ من مَثْنى وواحِدَةٍ

وغادَرَ البَطَّ من مَثْنى وواحِدَةٍ

كأنّما اخْتَطَفَتْهُنّ الشّواهين

كأنّما اخْتَطَفَتْهُنّ الشّواهين

And he left the ducks, in pairs and singly,

And he left the duck, in pairs and singles

As though peregrine falcons had snatched them away.

As if hawks had snatched them newly enclosed

يُخَفِّضُ الوَزَّ من قَرْنٍ إلى قَدَمٍ

يُخَفِّضُ الوَزَّ من قَرْنٍ إلى قَدَمٍ

وللبَلاعِيمِ تَطْريبٌ وتلحِين

وللبَلاعِيمِ تَطْريبٌ وتلحِين

He brings the geese low, from crown to foot,

He sways his neck from horn to feet

And the gullets ring with trilling and melody.

As demons chant and sing their odes

كأنّ في فكّهِ أيْتامَ أرْمَلَةٍ

كأنّ في فكّهِ أيْتامَ أرْمَلَةٍ

أو باكياتٍ عليهِنّ التَّبابين

أو باكياتٍ عليهِنّ التَّبابين

As though a widow's orphans were in his jaw,

As if in his jaws lay widows' orphans

Or weeping women with short drawers on.

Or weeping women on whom fate imposed

كأنّما يَنْتَقي العَظمَ الصّليبَ لَهُ

كأنّما يَنْتَقي العَظمَ الصّليبَ لَهُ

من تحتِ كلّ رَحىً فِهْرٌ وهاوون

من تحتِ كلّ رَحىً فِهْرٌ وهاوون

As though the hard bone's marrow were extracted for him

As if he picks bones clean for his cross

By a pounding stone and mortar beneath each millstone.

From beneath each mill, active and disposed

كأنّما كُلُّ ركْنٍ من طَبائِعِهِ

كأنّما كُلُّ ركْنٍ من طَبائِعِهِ

نارٌ وفي كلّ عضْوٍ منه كانون

نارٌ وفي كلّ عضْوٍ منه كانون

As though every element of his constitution

As if each trait of his nature

Were fire, and in every limb of his a brazier.

Is fire, and in each organ lies an explosive force

كأنّما في الحَشا من خَمْلِ مِعْدتِهِ

كأنّما في الحَشا من خَمْلِ مِعْدتِهِ

قَرَنْفُلٌ وجَواريشٌ وكَمّون

قَرَنْفُلٌ وجَواريشٌ وكَمّون

As though in his belly, amid his stomach's downy lining,

As if in his gut from digestion’s toil

Were cloves, digestive electuaries, and cumin.

Lie cloves, peppers and cumin finely composed

قوموا بِنا فلقد رِيعَتْ خواطِرُنَا

قوموا بِنا فلقد رِيعَتْ خواطِرُنَا

وجاذَبَتْنَا الأعِنّاتِ البراذينُ

وجاذَبَتْنَا الأعِنّاتِ البراذينُ

Rise with us, for our thoughts have been alarmed,

Rise, for our minds have been tempted

And the packhorses have wrestled with us over the reins.

And provoked by the alluring soft odes

نصحتكم فخُذُوا من شِدْقِهِ وَزَراً

نصحتكم فخُذُوا من شِدْقِهِ وَزَراً

أوْ لا فأنتُمْ سَوِيقٌ فيه مطحون

أوْ لا فأنتُمْ سَوِيقٌ فيه مطحون

I have advised you: take refuge from his maw,

I advise you, so take from his sweetness weight

Or else you are parched-grain meal, ground within it.

Or else you'll be ground flour he composed

فَليسَ تُرْوِيهِ أمواهُ الفُراتِ ولا

فَليسَ تُرْوِيهِ أمواهُ الفُراتِ ولا

يَقوتُه فُلْكُ نوحٍ وهو مشحون

يَقوتُه فُلْكُ نوحٍ وهو مشحون

For the waters of the Euphrates cannot quench his thirst, nor

For neither can Euphrates’ waters quench his thirst

Can Noah's ark sustain him, laden as it is.

Nor Noah's ark, though filled and overloaded

فمِثْلُ رَقّادَةٍ في كفّهِ وَسَطٌ

فمِثْلُ رَقّادَةٍ في كفّهِ وَسَطٌ

ونحنُ مَقْدونُسٌ فيه وطَرخُون

ونحنُ مَقْدونُسٌ فيه وطَرخُون

For the like of Raqqada is a platter in his palm,

To him, like a pendant in his palm's center

And we are parsley and tarragon in it.

While we are grapes in which he squeezed and composed