أَلَهيdistracted الكَرَوَّسَal-Karawwas عَنfrom إيرادِtaking to water حَدرَتِهِhis herd
أَلَهي الكَرَوَّسَ عَن إيرادِ حَدرَتِهِ
تَلَهُّسُlicking up التَمرِdates يَوماًone day وَهيَwhile they were ضُلّالُastray
تَلَهُّسُ التَمرِ يَوماً وَهيَ ضُلّالُ
Al-Karawwas was distracted from taking his herd to water
The riding camels are playing truant from gathering their bounty,
By licking up dates one day, while they wandered astray.
The dates have been distracted for a day while lost,
وَاللَهُand God يَعلَمُknows لَوif كانَتthey had been مُصَرَّبَةًwith milk accumulated in their udders
وَاللَهُ يَعلَمُ لَو كانَت مُصَرَّبَةً
ماnot غابَstayed away عَنهاfrom them قَوِيُّstrong الكَعبِof ankle عَسّالُloping
ما غابَ عَنها قَوِيُّ الكَعبِ عَسّالُ
And God knows: had their milk been left to accumulate,
And Allah knows that had they ripened,
A strong-ankled, loping one would not have stayed away from them,
The strong-ankled would not have passed them by,
حَتّىuntil يُصاوِلَhe grapples مِنهاfrom among them بازِلاًa mature she-camel جَرَسَتshe browsed
حَتّى يُصاوِلَ مِنها بازِلاً جَرَسَت
مِنduring لَيلِهاher night كُلَّevery راقيrising high الساقِthe stem طُوّالِvery tall
مِن لَيلِها كُلَّ راقي الساقِ طُوّالِ
Until he grappled with a mature she-camel among them, which had browsed
Until one gathers a shred of them with halting ankles
During her night on every tall, high-stemmed tree.
-All night long- any tall-legged would have done.
لَمdid not تَختَلِجهُdraw it into القِصارُthe short ones الدُنُّthe squat ones فيin شَبَهٍresemblance
لَم تَختَلِجهُ القِصارُ الدُنُّ في شَبَهٍ
وَلَمand did not يُقَدنَget led لِفَأسِto the axe of العاضِدِthe tree-feller الخاليthe idle one
وَلَم يُقَدنَ لِفَأسِ العاضِدِ الخالي
The short, squat ones bore no resemblance to it,
The inferior, base byways did not disturb him, frail as he was,
Nor had they been led to the idle tree-feller’s axe.
Nor was he led by the bare-armed smiting with axes.
Sol 6.1