أَرِقتُI was sleepless فَبِتُّso I spent the night لَمnot أَذُقtaste المَناماsleep
أَرِقتُ فَبِتُّ لَم أَذُق المَناما
وَلَيليand my night لاnot أُحِسُّI sense لَهُfor it انصِراماan ending
وَلَيلي لا أُحِسُّ لَهُ انصِراما
Sleepless, I spent the night without tasting sleep;
I stayed awake, sleepless, the night passed without rest
And I sense no ending to my night.
My night seemed endless, with no sign of dawn
لَعَمرُكَby your life وَالمَناياand the fates of death غالِباتٌoverpowering
لَعَمرُكَ وَالمَنايا غالِباتٌ
وَماand not تُغنيavail against التَميماتُamulets الحِماماdeath
وَما تُغني التَميماتُ الحِماما
By your life, the fates of death prevail,
By your life! Death prevails
And amulets offer no defence against death.
Charms bring no protection against fate
لَقَدindeed أَجرىsped onward لِمَصرَعِهِtoward his death-place تَليدٌTalid
لَقَد أَجرى لِمَصرَعِهِ تَليدٌ
وَساقَتهُand drove him المَنِيَّةُdeath مِنfrom أَذاماAdham
وَساقَتهُ المَنِيَّةُ مِن أَذاما
Talid indeed sped toward his place of death,
Destiny led him inexorably to his deathbed
And death drove him from Adham
And fate brought him from gladness to gloom
إِلىto جَدَثٍa grave بِجَنبِbeside الجَوِّراسٍal-Jaww, firmly resting
إِلى جَدَثٍ بِجَنبِ الجَوِّراسٍ
بِهِin it ماthe one who حَلَّalighted ثُمَّthen بِهِin it أَقاماremained
بِهِ ما حَلَّ ثُمَّ بِهِ أَقاما
To a grave beside al-Jaww, where firmly rests
To a grave by the oleander
The one who alighted there, then stayed.
Where first he found peace, and peace remains
أَرىI see الأَيّامَthe days لاnot تُبقيspare كَريماًa noble man
أَرى الأَيّامَ لا تُبقي كَريماً
وَلاnor العُصمَwhite-footed ibex الأَوابِدَwild roamers وَالنَعاماand the ostriches
وَلا العُصمَ الأَوابِدَ وَالنَعاما
I see that days spare no noble man,
Time spares no noble soul
Nor the roaming, white-footed ibex or the ostriches.
Not even the long-lived ostrich or ostrich-hen
أُتيحَwas destined لَهfor it أُقَيدَرُa short-necked little man ذوpossessing حَشيفٍa worn cloak
أُتيحَ لَه أُقَيدَرُ ذو حَشيفٍ
إِذاwhen سامَتthey grazed عَلىon المَلَقاتِsmooth rocks ساماhe prowled
إِذا سامَت عَلى المَلَقاتِ ساما
For it, a short-necked little man in a worn cloak was destined;
An appointed time comes to all
When they graze on the smooth rocks, he prowls.
When the arrows of death fly thick
خَفِيُّbarely visible الشَخصِin figure مُقتَدِرٌpowerful عَلَيهاover them
خَفِيُّ الشَخصِ مُقتَدِرٌ عَلَيها
يَشُنُّhe pours عَلىover ثَمائِلِهاtheir residual water-pools السِماماpoison
يَشُنُّ عَلى ثَمائِلِها السِماما
Barely visible, he has power over them;
He who foresaw his fate
He pours poison over their water-pools.
Launched his arrows against her idols
فَيَبدُرُهاthen he precedes them شَرائِعَهاtheir watering places فَيَرميthen he shoots
فَيَبدُرُها شَرائِعَها فَيَرمي
مَقاتِلَهاtheir vital spots فَيَسقيهاthen he gives them to drink الزُؤاماswift death
مَقاتِلَها فَيَسقيها الزُؤاما
He beats them to their watering places, then shoots
He stormed her streets and cast
Their vital spots and makes them drink swift death.
Her warriors down, giving them poison to drink
وَلاnor عِلجانُtwo wild asses يَنتابانَboth frequent رَوضاًa meadow
وَلا عِلجانُ يَنتابانَ رَوضاً
نَضيراًlush نَبتُهُits herbage عُمّاًtall-growing تُؤاماtwinned
نَضيراً نَبتُهُ عُمّاً تُؤاما
Nor two wild asses frequenting a meadow,
They left behind two meadows
With fresh, tall herbage growing in pairs.
Whose unthriving herbage bears only plants that disappoint
كِلاboth العِلجَينِthe wild asses أَصعَرُcrook-necked صَيعَرِيٌّhulking
كِلا العِلجَينِ أَصعَرُ صَيعَرِيٌّ
تَخالُyou would think نَسيلَthe shed hair مَتنَيهِboth sides of its back الثَغاماthagham grass
تَخالُ نَسيلَ مَتنَيهِ الثَغاما
Each wild ass is crook-necked and hulking;
The abandoned meadows, bare and barren
You would take the shed hair of its back for thagham grass.
Where once clear water flowed, now choked with scum
فَباتاso both spent the night يَأمُلانِboth hoping for مِياهَthe waters of بَدرٍBadr
فَباتا يَأمُلانِ مِياهَ بَدرٍ
وَخافاand both feared رامِياًan archer عَنهُaway from it فَخاماso both drew back
وَخافا رامِياً عَنهُ فَخاما
They spent the night longing for the waters of Badr,
All night they hoped to see the moon rise
And feared an archer, so drew back from it.
And feared the archer who might keep it hidden
فَراغاso both darted aside ناجِيَينِboth escaping وَقامَand he stood يَرميshooting
فَراغا ناجِيَينِ وَقامَ يَرمي
فَآبَتَso returned نَبلُهُhis arrows قِصَداًin broken pieces حُطاماshattered fragments
فَآبَتَ نَبلُهُ قِصَداً حُطاما
Both darted away, escaping, while he stood shooting;
They passed the night conversing, and when he shot
His arrows came back broken into splinters.
His arrows found their mark and brought destruction
كَأَنَّهُماas though the two إِذاwhen عَلَواboth climbed وَجيناًrocky ground
كَأَنَّهُما إِذا عَلَوا وَجيناً
وَمَقطَعَand a crossing through حَرَّةٍa lava-field بَعَثاboth sent flying رِجاماstones
وَمَقطَعَ حَرَّةٍ بَعَثا رِجاما
As though, when they mounted rocky ground
As if, scaling a rugged peak
And a crossing through a lava-field, they flung up stones.
Or climbing a rocky crag, they stirred sleepy adders
يُثيرانِboth stir up الجَنادِلَgreat rocks كابِياتٍtumbling
يُثيرانِ الجَنادِلَ كابِياتٍ
إِذاwhen جاراboth swerved مَعاًtogether وَإِذاand when اِستَقاماboth ran straight
إِذا جارا مَعاً وَإِذا اِستَقاما
They sent great stones tumbling,
Until the serpents, writhing side by side
When both swerved and when they ran straight.
Or twisting round each other, were fully roused
فَباتاso both spent the night يُحيِيانِkeeping awake through اللَيلَthe night حَتّىuntil
فَباتا يُحيِيانِ اللَيلَ حَتّى
أَضاءَshone الصُبحُdawn مَنبَلِجاًbreaking clear وَقاماand both rose
أَضاءَ الصُبحُ مَنبَلِجاً وَقاما
So they spent the night awake until
All night they writhed, till dawn
Dawn shone, breaking clear, and they rose.
Rose bright and clear, putting the darkness to flight
فَإِمّاeven if يَنجواboth escape مِنَfrom خَوفِthe danger of أَرضٍa land
فَإِمّا يَنجوا مِنَ خَوفِ أَرضٍ
فَقَدyet indeed لَقِياboth met حُتوفَهُماtheir deaths لِزاماinescapably
فَقَد لَقِيا حُتوفَهُما لِزاما
Even if they escaped the peril of one land,
Whether they escaped that dread place
They met their deaths inescapably.
Or met their destined end, none can tell
وَقَدand indeed لَقِياboth met مِنَat الإِشراقِsunrise خَيلاًa troop of horses
وَقَد لَقِيا مِنَ الإِشراقِ خَيلاً
تَسوفُscenting الوَحشَwild game تَحسَبُهاyou would think them خِياماtents
تَسوفُ الوَحشَ تَحسَبُها خِياما
And at sunrise they met a troop of horsemen,
For at daybreak horsemen came
Scenting wild game—you would take them for tents—
Whose tents the wildlife mistook for camping-grounds
بِكُلِّon every مُقَلِّصٍlong-legged steed ذَكَرٍmale عَنودٍheadstrong
بِكُلِّ مُقَلِّصٍ ذَكَرٍ عَنودٍ
يَبُذُّoutstrips يَدَthe hand of العَشَنَّقِthe lanky rider وَاللِجاماand the bridle
يَبُذُّ يَدَ العَشَنَّقِ وَاللِجاما
Each on a long-legged, headstrong stallion
On all sides archers, driving their swift steeds
That outstrips the lanky rider's hand and bridle.
And loosing the reins, shot home their arrows
فَشامَتthen they thrust فيinto صُدورِهِماboth their chests رِماحاًspears
فَشامَت في صُدورِهِما رِماحاً
مِنَof الخَطِّيِّal-Khatt spearwood أُشرِبَتwere steeped in السِماماpoison
مِنَ الخَطِّيِّ أُشرِبَت السِماما
They drove spears into the chests of both,
Till agony filled the serpents' breasts
Of al-Khatt, steeped in poison.
As the arrows pierced deep with poisoned points
وَذَكَّرَنيand reminded me of بُكايَmy weeping عَلىfor تَليدٍTalid
وَذَكَّرَني بُكايَ عَلى تَليدٍ
حَمامَةُa dove of مَرَّMarr جاوَبَتِanswered الحَماماthe doves
حَمامَةُ مَرَّ جاوَبَتِ الحَماما
And my weeping for Talid was recalled to me
A dove flew by, calling plaintively, and recalled
By a dove of Marr that answered the doves.
My tears for one whose death deprived me of joy
تُرَجِّعَshe trills مَنطِقاًa call عَجَباًwondrous وَأَوفَتand rose high
تُرَجِّعَ مَنطِقاً عَجَباً وَأَوفَت
كَنائِحَةٍlike a mourning woman أَتَتcame to نَوحاًmourners قياماstanding
كَنائِحَةٍ أَتَت نَوحاً قياما
She trilled a wondrous call and rose high,
With wondrous eloquence she told her tale
Like a mourning woman coming to mourners on their feet.
Like a mourning woman come to lament the dead
تُناديshe calls ساقَSaq (name element) حُرَّHurr (name element) وَظَلَّتُand I kept أَدعوcalling
تُنادي ساقَ حُرَّ وَظَلَّتُ أَدعو
تَليداًTalid لاnot تُبينَshe makes clear بِهِabout him الكَلاماthe words
تَليداً لا تُبينَ بِهِ الكَلاما
She calls 'Saq Hurr,' while I kept calling
Calling upon Hura's barren sands she mourned
Talid; she utters no clear words about him.
Him whose voice falls now forever silent
لَعَلَّكَperhaps you هالِكٌdoomed إِمّاif غُلامٌa youth
لَعَلَّكَ هالِكٌ إِمّا غُلامٌ
تَبَوَّأَtook up مِنin شَمَنصيرٍShamansir مُقاماa dwelling
تَبَوَّأَ مِن شَمَنصيرٍ مُقاما
Perhaps you are doomed, if a youth
Perhaps you are dead, or perhaps, still a youth
Has made his dwelling in Shamansir.
You have found position and fame
Sol 6.1