أَجِدَّكَare you in earnest? شاقَتكَstirred your longing الرُسومُthe campsite traces الدَوارِسُthe weathered ones
أَجِدَّكَ شاقَتكَ الرُسومُ الدَوارِسُ
بِجَنبَيon both sides of قَساًQasā قَدalready غَيَّرَتهاaltered them الرَوامِسُthe burying winds
بِجَنبَي قَساً قَد غَيَّرَتها الرَوامِسُ
Truly, have the weathered campsite traces stirred your longing,
on either side of Qasā, altered by the burying winds?
فَلَمso did not يَبقَremain مِنهاof them غَيرُother than نُؤيٍa protective trench نَباهُraised it
فَلَم يَبقَ مِنها غَيرُ نُؤيٍ نَباهُ
مِنagainst السَيلِfloodwater العَذارىthe maidens العَوانِسُthe mature unmarried women
مِن السَيلِ العَذارى العَوانِسُ
Nothing remains of them but a trench, raised
against floodwater by grown, unmarried maidens,
وَمَوقِدُand a hearth نيرانٍfires كَأَنَّas though رُسومَهاtheir traces
وَمَوقِدُ نيرانٍ كَأَنَّ رُسومَها
بِحَولَينِafter two years بِالقاعِon the plain الجَديدِthe bare one الطَيالِسُmantles
بِحَولَينِ بِالقاعِ الجَديدِ الطَيالِسُ
and a firepit whose traces seem,
after two years, like mantles on the bare plain.
لَيالِيَnights إِذwhen سَلمىSalmā بِهاin it لَكَto you جارَةٌa neighbor
لَيالِيَ إِذ سَلمى بِها لَكَ جارَةٌ
وَإِذand when لَمhad not يُخَبِّرforetell بِالفِراقِof separation العَواطِسُthe sneezing gazelles
وَإِذ لَم يُخَبِّر بِالفِراقِ العَواطِسُ
Those nights when Salmā was your neighbor there,
and sneezing gazelles had not foretold separation;
لَيالِيَnights سَلمىSalmā دُرَّةٌa pearl عِندَin the keeping of غائِصٍa diver
لَيالِيَ سَلمى دُرَّةٌ عِندَ غائِصٍ
تُضيءُlights up لَكَfor you الظَلماءَthe darkness وَاللَيلُand the night دامِسُpitch-black
تُضيءُ لَكَ الظَلماءَ وَاللَيلُ دامِسُ
those nights when Salmā was a pearl in a diver's keeping,
lighting the darkness for you while the night was pitch-black.
تَناوَلَهاhe took it فيin لُجَّةِthe depths of البَحرِthe sea بَعدَماafter
تَناوَلَها في لُجَّةِ البَحرِ بَعدَما
رَأىhe saw المَوتَdeath ثُمَّthen اِحتالَdevised a way حوتٌa great fish مُغامِسُdeep-diving
رَأى المَوتَ ثُمَّ اِحتالَ حوتٌ مُغامِسُ
He took it from the ocean's depths, after
facing death, then devising a way—a deep-diving fish.
فَجاءَso he came بِهاwith it يُعطيgives المُنىhopes مِنfrom وَرائِهاbeyond it
فَجاءَ بِها يُعطي المُنى مِن وَرائِها
وَيَأبىand he refuses فَيُغليهاso he raises its price عَلىfor مِنwhoever يُماكِسُhaggles
وَيَأبى فَيُغليها عَلى مِن يُماكِسُ
He brought it back, holding out hopes of what it might yield,
yet refused, raising its price for whoever haggled.
إِذاwhenever صَدَّturned away عَنهاfrom it تاجِرٌa merchant جاءَcame تاجِرٌa merchant
إِذا صَدَّ عَنها تاجِرٌ جاءَ تاجِرٌ
مِنَfrom العُجمِthe non-Arabs مَخشِيٌّfeared for عَليهِfor him النَقارِسُthe expert physicians
مِنَ العُجمِ مَخشِيٌّ عَليهِ النَقارِسُ
Whenever one merchant turned away from it, another came,
a foreigner for whom the expert physicians feared.
يَسومونَهُthey offer him خُلدَeverlastingness of الحَياةِlife وَدونَهاand before it
يَسومونَهُ خُلدَ الحَياةِ وَدونَها
بُروجُtowers of الرُخامِmarble وَالأُسودُand the lions الحَوارِسُthe guarding ones
بُروجُ الرُخامِ وَالأُسودُ الحَوارِسُ
They offered him everlasting life, while before it
stood marble towers and lions on guard.
وَماand no رَوضَةٌmeadow مِنfrom بَطنِthe valley-floor of فَلجٍFalj تَعاوَنَتjoined forces
وَما رَوضَةٌ مِن بَطنِ فَلجٍ تَعاوَنَت
لَهاfor it بِالرَبيعِin spring المُدجِناتُthe darkening clouds الرَواجِسُthe rumbling ones
لَها بِالرَبيعِ المُدجِناتُ الرَواجِسُ
No meadow in Falj's valley-floor, tended in concert
by the dark, rumbling clouds in spring,
حَمَتهاprotected it رِماحُspears of الحَربِwar وَاِعتَمَّand grew dense نُبتُهاits vegetation
حَمَتها رِماحُ الحَربِ وَاِعتَمَّ نُبتُها
وَأَعشَبَand grew grassy ميثُsoft ground الجانِبَينِon both sides الرَوائِسُthe rising stretches
وَأَعشَبَ ميثُ الجانِبَينِ الرَوائِسُ
shielded by war's spears, its vegetation grown dense,
its soft, rising ground on both sides grown grassy,
بِأَحسَنَfairer مِنthan سَلمىSalmā غَداةَthe morning when اِنبَرىappeared لَناto us
بِأَحسَنَ مِن سَلمى غَداةَ اِنبَرى لَنا
بِذاتِat Dhāt الأَزاءِal-Azāʾ المُرشِقاتُthe slender-necked women الأَوانِسُthe companionable ones
بِذاتِ الأَزاءِ المُرشِقاتُ الأَوانِسُ
is fairer than Salmā, that morning when there appeared to us
at Dhāt al-Azāʾ the slender-necked, companionable women:
نَواعِمُdelicate women لاnot يَسأَلنَthey ask حَيّاًany living soul بِبَثِّهِabout his grief
نَواعِمُ لا يَسأَلنَ حَيّاً بِبَثِّهِ
عَلَيهِنَّupon them حَليٌjewelry كامِلٌcomplete وَمَلابِسُand garments
عَلَيهِنَّ حَليٌ كامِلٌ وَمَلابِسُ
delicate women who ask no living soul about his grief,
wearing full adornment of jewelry and garments.
لَناwe have إِبِلٌcamels لَمdid not نَكتَسِبهاwe acquire them بِغَدرَةٍthrough treachery
لَنا إِبِلٌ لَم نَكتَسِبها بِغَدرَةٍ
وَلَمand did not يُغنِenrich مَولاهاtheir owner السُنونُthe years الأَحامِسُthe harsh ones
وَلَم يُغنِ مَولاها السُنونُ الأَحامِسُ
We have camels we did not acquire through treachery,
nor have the harsh years enriched their owner.
نُحَلِّيهاwe hold them back عَنaway from جارِناour neighbor وَشَريبِناand our water-sharing companion
نُحَلِّيها عَن جارِنا وَشَريبِنا
وَإِنand even if صَبَّحَتناthey reach us at dawn وَهيَand they are عوجٌbent خَوامِسُfive-days thirsty
وَإِن صَبَّحَتنا وَهيَ عوجٌ خَوامِسُ
We hold them back from our neighbor and our water-sharing companion,
even when they come to us at dawn, bent and five-days thirsty.
وَيَحبِسُهاand he restrains them فيon كُلِّevery يَومٍday of كَريهَةٍhardship
وَيَحبِسُها في كُلِّ يَومٍ كَريهَةٍ
وَلِلحَقِّand for rightful claims فيin مالِthe wealth of الكَريمِthe generous man مَحابِسُholds
وَلِلحَقِّ في مالِ الكَريمِ مَحابِسُ
And he restrains them on every day of hardship—
rightful claims have a hold on a generous man's wealth—
وَحَتّىand until تُريحَthey dispel الذَمَّreproach وَالذَمُّand reproach يُتَّقىis guarded against
وَحَتّى تُريحَ الذَمَّ وَالذَمُّ يُتَّقى
وَيَروىand drinks his fill بِذاتِat a pool with الجَمَّةِabundant water المُتَغامِسُthe one plunging in
وَيَروى بِذاتِ الجَمَّةِ المُتَغامِسُ
until they dispel reproach—for reproach must be shunned—
and the one who plunges drinks his fill at the brimming pool.
فَتُصبِحَso they become يَومَon the day of الوِردِwatering غُلباًthick-necked كَأَنَّهاas though they were
فَتُصبِحَ يَومَ الوِردِ غُلباً كَأَنَّها
هَضابُthe hills of شَرَورىSharawrā مُسنَفاتٌgirth-bound قَناعِسُhuge and sturdy
هَضابُ شَرَورى مُسنَفاتٌ قَناعِسُ
Then on watering day they stand thick-necked, as though
they were Sharawrā's hills—huge and girth-bound.
تُساقِطُthey shed شَفّانَthe chill of الصَباthe east wind عَنfrom مُتونِهاtheir backs
تُساقِطُ شَفّانَ الصَبا عَن مُتونِها
لِأَكتافِهاfor their shoulders مِنَof الخَميلِthick, soft hair بَرانِسُhooded cloaks
لِأَكتافِها مِنَ الخَميلِ بَرانِسُ
They shed the east wind's chill from their backs;
their shoulders have hooded cloaks of thick, soft hair.
تَلَبَّطَranged about ماthe space بَينَbetween الثَمانيal-Thamānī وَقَلهَبٍand Qalhab
تَلَبَّطَ ما بَينَ الثَماني وَقَلهَبٍ
بِحَيثُwhere تَلاقىmet خَمصُهُits hollows المُتَكاوِسُdensely tangled
بِحَيثُ تَلاقى خَمصُهُ المُتَكاوِسُ
They range between al-Thamānī and Qalhab,
where the land's densely overgrown hollows meet.
يَصُكُّbeats back العِدىthe enemies عَنهاaway from them فُتُوٌّyoung men مَساعِرٌkindlers of war
يَصُكُّ العِدى عَنها فُتُوٌّ مَساعِرٌ
وَتَركَبُand ride عَوفٌʿAwf دونَهاin their defense وَمُقاعِسُand Muqāʿis
وَتَركَبُ عَوفٌ دونَها وَمُقاعِسُ
War-kindling young men beat the enemy away from them,
and ʿAwf and Muqāʿis ride out to defend them,
بِكُلِّwith every طُوالِlong الساعِدَينِin both forearms شَمَردَلٍtall, sturdy man
بِكُلِّ طُوالِ الساعِدَينِ شَمَردَلٍ
فَلاso not (unclear here) جِسمُهُhis body وَاِشتَدَّand grew strong مِنهُof him الأَباخِسُthe fingers
فَلا جِسمُهُ وَاِشتَدَّ مِنهُ الأَباخِسُ
with every long-forearmed, tall and sturdy man,
his body [text unclear], and his fingers grown strong.
بِأَيديهِمُin their hands فيon كُلِّevery يَومِday of كَريهَةٍbattle
بِأَيديهِمُ في كُلِّ يَومِ كَريهَةٍ
عَلىupon الأَعوَجِيّاتِthe Aʿwajī mares الرِماحُthe spears المَداعِسُmade for thrusting
عَلى الأَعوَجِيّاتِ الرِماحُ المَداعِسُ
In their hands, on every day of battle,
upon Aʿwajī mares, are the thrusting spears.
Sol 6.1