لم يَرحلوا إلاّ وفوقَ رحالِهم

لم يَرحلوا إلاّ وفوقَ رحالِهم

غيمٌ حكى غبشَ الصَّباح المُعتلي

غيمٌ حكى غبشَ الصَّباح المُعتلي

They did not depart but over their saddles hung

They did not depart without, above their saddles,

a cloud that mimicked the rising dimness of dawn.

A cloud that mirrored the dimness of the rising dawn.

وعلى هوادجهم مُجاجاتُ النّدى

وعلى هوادجهم مُجاجاتُ النّدى

فكأنّها مُطرت بدُرٌ مُرسلِ

فكأنّها مُطرت بدُرٌ مُرسلِ

And upon their howdahs lay the droplets of dew,

And on their litters lay droplets of dew,

as though they had been showered with streaming pearls.

As though they had been showered with pearls let fall.

لمّا تحرّكتِ الرّكابُ تناثرت

لمّا تحرّكتِ الرّكابُ تناثرت

من فوقهم في الأرض بينَ الأرحلِ

من فوقهم في الأرض بينَ الأرحلِ

When the caravan mounts stirred, those drops scattered

When the riding camels moved, the droplets scattered

down from above them to the ground among the saddles.

From above them onto the ground between the saddles.

فبكيتُ لو عرفوا دُموعي بينها

فبكيتُ لو عرفوا دُموعي بينها

لكنّها اختلطت بشكلٍ مُشكِلِ

لكنّها اختلطت بشكلٍ مُشكِلِ

Then I wept—if only they could discern my tears among them;

So I wept—if only they had recognized my tears among them!

but they mingled, alike in form and impossible to tell apart.

But they mingled with their confusingly similar counterparts.