لَمّا تَجَلّى اللَيلُ وَاِبيَضَّ الأُفُق

وَاِنجابَ سِترُ اللَيلِ عَن وَجهِ الطُرُق

When the night revealed itself and the horizon whitened,

When night withdrew and the horizon turned to white,

And the veil of night uncovered the face of the roads,

And the veil of darkness parted from the face of the roads,

باكَرَني سَهلُ المُحَيّا وَالخُلُق

نَدبٌ إِذا اِستَندَبتَهُ شَهمٌ لَبِق

The easygoing plain called me early in the morning

I was visited at dawn by a friend of gentle face and nature,

A lament, that if you provoke it, a courageous one responds

A noble soul, gallant and adroit should you seek his aid,

يَدعو إِلى الصيدِ أَلا قُلتَ اِنطَلِق

بِأَكلُبٍ غُضفٍ صَحيحاتِ الحَدَق

Calling to the hunt—didn’t you say go forth

Calling us to the hunt—and I replied, "Let us away!"—

With lean, sturdy hounds, bright-eyed,

With hounds of folded ears and vision sharp and true,

مِن أَصفَرِ اللَونِ وَمُبيَضٍّ يَقَق

كَأَنَّما أُذناهُ مِن بَعضِ المِزَق

Yellowish in color and whitish, twitching,

Some of golden fawn, others of pure and blinding white,

As if their ears were made of some shreds,

As though their ears were fashioned from mere shreds of cloth,

لَو يَلصِقُ الخَدَّ بِأُذنٍ لَاِلتَصَق

If the cheek sticks to the ear it would stick.

So fine that were cheek pressed to ear, they would adhere.