قَد أَغتَدي وَاللَيلُ في مَكتَمِهِ

بِيُؤيُؤٍ أَسفَعَ يُدعى بِاِسمِهِ

The night has fallen in its darkest hour

I venture forth while night is still shrouded in its veil,

With a howling so gloomy it's known by its name

With a dark-plumed hawk that answers to his name,

مُقابَلٌ مِن خالِهِ وَعَمِّهِ

فَأَيُّ عِرقٍ صالِحٍ لَم يُنمِهِ

Opposing are his uncle and cousin

Of noble pedigree from both his sire and dam,

So which noble vein did not put him to shame?

For what vein of virtue has not flourished within him?

وَقانِصٍ أَحفى بِهِ مِن أُمِّهِ

لَو يَستَطيعُ قاتَهُ بِلَحمِهِ

And an archer who was protected by his mother

Reared by a hunter more tender than his own mother,

If only he could, he'd devour his flesh raw

Who, were he able, would sustain him with his own flesh.

ما زالَ في تَقديحِهِ وَنَهمِهِ

يوحي إِلَيهِ كَلِماتِ عِلمِهِ

He still admonishes and gulps down his wine

He ceases not to train him and urge him on,

Instilling in him words of his knowledge

Inspiring him with the words of his secret art,

يَقيهِ مِن بَردِ النَدى بِكُمِّهِ

تَوقِيَةَ الأُمِّ اِبنَها في ضَمِّهِ

Protecting him from the cold night's dew with his sleeve

Shielding him from the chill of dew within his sleeve,

Like a mother sheltering her son in an embrace

With the protection of a mother clasping her son,

وَما يُلِذُّ أَنفَها مِن شَمِّهِ

يُنازِلُ المُكّاءَ عِندَ نَجمِهِ

And the scent she savors when she gives him a kiss

Who finds delight in the sweet scent she breathes from him.

He descends upon the astrologers at their brightest star

He assails the whistling lark at the moment of its rising,

بِالغَتِّ أَو يَنزِلُ عِندَ حُكمِهِ

يَركَبُ أَطرافَ الصَوى بِخَطمِهِ

Forcefully or goes down at their wisest decree

With a crushing blow, or else it submits to his decree.

He rides the hilltops with his mouth

He strikes the peaks of the waystones with his beak;

وَكَم جَميلٍ حَطَّهُ بِرَغمِهِ

وَقَد سَقاهُ عَلَلاً مِن شَمِّهِ

And how many beauties he brought down out of spite

How many a fair bird has he brought low against its will,

After quenching his thirst with the wine from his flask

And forced it to drink deep draughts of his haughty might.