وَكَلْبٍ إذَا مَا قَصَّ جُرَّةَ صْيدِهِ

وَكَلْبٍ إذَا مَا قَصَّ جُرَّةَ صْيدِهِ

وأدْركَه سَبْقًا وأوْهَلَه صرْعَا

وأدْركَه سَبْقًا وأوْهَلَه صرْعَا

And a hound—when it follows its quarry’s trail,

When a dog has missed his prey and sees it before him,

and swiftly overtakes it and frightens it into falling—

And he overtakes it and tears it to pieces,

حَسِبْتَ شهَابا قُضَّ مِنْ كَبِدِ السَّمَا

حَسِبْتَ شهَابا قُضَّ مِنْ كَبِدِ السَّمَا

وَأحْرَقَ جِنَّا جَاءَ يَسْتَرِقُ السَّمْعَا

وَأحْرَقَ جِنَّا جَاءَ يَسْتَرِقُ السَّمْعَا

you would think it a meteor that was torn from the heart of the sky

You would think it a shooting star fallen from the liver of heaven

and burned a jinn that came to eavesdrop.

That has set the thickets afire and comes to steal a hearing.