لَمّاwhen أَتانيreached me عَنabout طُفَيلٍṬufayl وَرَهطِهِand his kinsmen
لَمّا أَتاني عَن طُفَيلٍ وَرَهطِهِ
هُدُوءًin the still of night فَباتَتso it remained overnight غُلَّةٌa burning thirst فيin الحَيازِمِthe breast
هُدُوءً فَباتَت غُلَّةٌ في الحَيازِمِ
When word reached me of Ṭufayl and his kinsmen,
When the news of Tufayl and his company came to me
In the still of night, a burning thirst lodged in my breast till dawn.
Calmly, so a lump settled in my throat,
دَرىhe thrust forward (reading uncertain) بِاليَسارىwith the left hand جَنَّةًa shield عَبقَرِيَّةًof ‘Abqar
دَرى بِاليَسارى جَنَّةً عَبقَرِيَّةً
مُسَطَّعَةَband-marked الأَعناقِthe necks بُلقَblack-and-white القَوادِمِthe primary flight feathers
مُسَطَّعَةَ الأَعناقِ بُلقَ القَوادِمِ
In his left hand he thrust forth an ‘Abqarī shield,
I knew on the left a lofty garden
Bearing figures with band-marked necks and pied flight feathers.
With craning necks and the arriving caravan's provisions,
نَشيلٌa light blade مِنَamong البيضِthe gleaming blades الصَوارِمِthe keen-cutting ones بَعدَماafter
نَشيلٌ مِنَ البيضِ الصَوارِمِ بَعدَما
تَفَضَّضَshattered away عَنfrom سيلانِهِits tang كُلُّevery قائِمِhilt
تَفَضَّضَ عَن سيلانِهِ كُلُّ قائِمِ
A light blade among the bright, cleaving swords, after
A white sword after the flowing of every erect object,
Every hilt had shattered away from its tang.
Like the hem of a loincloth, it seduces the eye insistently,
كَميشُtightly girt الإِزارِthe waistcloth يَكحَلُlines with kohl العَينَthe eye إِثمِداًantimony
كَميشُ الإِزارِ يَكحَلُ العَينَ إِثمِداً
سُراهُhis night travel وَيُضحيand he greets the morning مُسفِراًradiant غَيرَnot واجِمِdowncast
سُراهُ وَيُضحي مُسفِراً غَيرَ واجِمِ
His waistcloth tucked up, his eye is kohled as with antimony
Dressing it at night and undressing it at dawn unveiled.
By his night travel; he greets the morning radiant, not downcast.
Partial English translation: 7 of 8 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1