هذا حديثهما انتهى وعليهما — Suleyman Al Boustani

هَذا حَدِيثُهُمَا انتَهَى وَعَلَيهِما

بَطَلا الطَرَاوِدِ بالعَجَاجَةِ أَقبَلا

Thus their conversation ended, and toward them both

the two Trojan heroes advanced amid the dust cloud.

حَتَّى إِذا وَقَفا عَلى مَرمَى القَنا

دُفِعَ ابنُ لِيقاوُونَ يُنشِدُ أَوَّلا

When the two stood within spear-range,

Lycaon's son was impelled to proclaim first:

إن طاشَ سَهمِي ياذِيُومِيذٌ فَفِي

ظُبَةِ السِّنانِ لَكَ الحِمامُ مُعَجَّلا

If my arrow missed, O Diomedes, then in

the spearhead's sharp tip lies your swift death.

وَرَمى القَناةَ فَأُولِجَت بِمجَنِّهِ

وَتَخلَّلَتهُ إِلى الدُّرُوعِ تَخَلُّلاَ

He hurled the spear; it was driven into his shield,

and pierced through it, passing into his armor.

فَغَرَ ابنُ لِيقاوُونَ فاهُ كأَنَّهُ

رَعدٌ دَوَى مُستَبشِراً مُتَهلِّلا

Lycaon's son opened his mouth wide, as though he were

thunder resounding, jubilant and radiant:

وَلَجَت حَشَاكَ فَأَنتَ حَتماً هالِكٌ

وأَنا أنا نِلتُ المَفَاخِرَ وَالعُلا

It has entered your entrails; you are surely doomed,

and I—I have won honor and glory!

قالَ ابنُ تِيذِيُسٍ تَعِستَ فَإِنَّها

طاشَت ومِنّي نَجوَةً لا تأمُلا

Tydeus' son said: Perish! For it

missed; do not hope to escape me, either of you.

لَن تَبرَحَا حَتَّى هُنا رَبُّ الوَغى

يُسقى الدِّمامِن جَوفِ مَفرِيِّ الكُلى

You two shall not leave until here the lord of battle

is given blood from the belly of one whose kidneys are torn apart.

إن فازَ بَعضُكُما وَفَرَّ مُوَلِّياً

مِن صَولَتي لا فَوزَ لِلثَّاني ولا

If one of you escapes and flees, turning away

from my onslaught, there is no escape for the other—none!

وَعَلَيهِ صَوَّبَ طَعنَةً قَذَفَت بِها

تَفرِي وَتِيرَتَهُ فَلاسُ مِنَ العُلى

At him he aimed a thrust, hurled by

Pallas from on high, cleaving his nasal septum.

خَرَقَت ثَناياهُ وجِذعَ لِسانهِ

لِلَّحيِ حَيثُ بَدَت فَخَرَّ مُجَندَلا

It pierced his front teeth and the root of his tongue,

through the jaw, where it emerged; he fell struck down.

فَتَصَلصَلَت نَثَرَاتهُ بِسِلاحِهِ

والخَيلُ شَبَّت تَقشَعِرُّ تَجَفُّلا

His armor plates clanged against his weapons,

and the horses reared, shuddering in fright.

فَانقَبضَّ يَحمي آنِياسُ رَفيقَهُ

خَوفاً عَلَيهِ مِنَ العِدى أن يُحمَلا

Then Aeneas sprang forward to protect his companion,

fearing that the enemy would carry him away.

مُتَدَجِّجاً كاللَّيثِ حامَ عَلَيهِ لا

يَخشى وَلا تَلوِيهِ جَمهَرَةُ المَلا

Fully armored, like a lion he guarded him, not

fearing, nor turned aside by the massed throng.

وَعَلَيهِ مَدَّ قَنَاتَهُ وَمِجَنَّهُ

بِهَدِيدِهِ مُتَشَوِّفاً مُتَبَسِّلا

Over him he stretched his spear and shield,

threatening, watchful, and fierce.

عَمَدَ ابنُ تِيذِيُسٍ لِهائِلِ صَخرَةٍ

في عَصرِنا لَن يَتَحَمَّلا

Tydeus' son turned to a tremendous rock

that two in our age could never carry.

حَنِقاً رَماهُ بِها بِغَيرِ تَكَلُّفٍ

بالفَخذِ يَسحَقُ حُقَّهُ مُتَعَجِّلا

Enraged, he hurled it at him without effort,

at the thigh, swiftly crushing its socket.

بَرَزَ الأَدِيمُ ومُزِّقَت عَضَلاتُهُ

فَجَثا على وَجهِ الحَضِيضِ مُثَقَّلا

The skin was exposed, and his muscles were torn;

he sank to his knees upon the low ground, weighed down,

مُستَقبِلاً وَجهَ الثَّرى بذِراعهِ

وَالحتفَ إِثرَ سُقُوطِهِ مُستَقبِلا

meeting the face of the earth with his arm,

and meeting death in the wake of his fall.

فًاربَدَّ ناظِرُهُ وَلولا أُمهُ

قِبرِيسُ مُبصِرَةٌ لأَدرَكهُ البِلى

His sight darkened; had his mother

Cypris not seen him, destruction would have overtaken him.

عَشِقَت أَباه قَبلُ وَهوَ بأَرضِهِ

يَرعى العُجُولَ فَرَاوَدَتهُ تَمَحُّلا

She had loved his father before, when in his own land

he tended the calves; she wooed him with guile.

وَالآنَ عَطفَ الأُمَّهَاتِ على ابنِها

عَطَفَت تُبَادِرُ حَيثُ مَصرَعُهُ انجَلى

And now, with a mother's tenderness toward her son,

she turned and hastened to the place of his fall, now revealed.

أًلقَت عَلَيهِ بَضَّ أَذرُعِها وَقَد

خَشِيَت عَلَيهِ طَعنَ مُطَّلِبٍ قَلا

She cast her soft, fair arms about him; she had

feared for him the thrust of a hateful pursuer.

سَتَرَتهُ في بُردٍ زَهِيٍّ خُوِّلَت

رَصَداً يَصُدُّ العَالِياتِ الذُّبَّلا

She hid him in a radiant mantle she had been granted

as protection to ward off the tall, seasoned spears.

ومضت بهِ ساحَةِ الهَيجاءِ تَح

مِلُهُ عِنِ الأَعداءِ تطلُبُ مَعزِلا

And she went with him from the field of battle, carrying

him away from the enemies, seeking a place apart.

وَوَعى ابنُ قافانِيسَ أمر ذِيُومِذٍ

فاستَوقَفَ الأَفرِاسَ ثُمَّ تَرَجَّلا

Capaneus' son heeded Diomedes' command,

halted the horses, then dismounted.

وَسَعى إلى خَيلِ الصَّرِيعِ يَحُثُّها

حَتَّى بِها بَينَ الأَغارِقِ أُدخِلا

He hurried to the fallen man's horses, urging them on,

until he was brought in among the Greeks with them.

وَدَعا اَحَبَّ رِفاقِهِ ذِيفِيلساً

لِدَةٌ لَهُ حاكاهُ مَعنىً مُجمَلا

He called Deipylus, the dearest of his companions,

his age-mate, broadly resembling him in spirit.

لِلفُلكِ سَيَّرَهُ بِها وَهُوَ انثَنى

لِحَثيثِ مَركَبَةٍ لَهُ مُستعجِلا

He sent him with them to the ships, while he turned back

in haste, to speed his own chariot.

أَخَذَ الصُّرُوعَ السَّاطِعاتِ بِكِفّهِ

وَاستاقَ بالعُنفِ الجِيادَ مُجفِّلا

He took the shining reins in his hand,

and drove the steeds hard, sending them racing.

وَمَضى يَرُومُ ذِيُومِذاً وَذِيُومِذٌ

في إِثرِ قِبرِيسٍ يَشُقُّ الحَجفَلا

He went in search of Diomedes, while Diomedes,

pursuing Cypris, cut through the great host.

مُتَقَصِّياً يَجري وَيَعلَمُ أَنَّها

لَيسَت على بَأسٍ يَرُوعُ مُهَوِّلا

He ran in close pursuit, knowing that she

possessed no might that inspired dreadful fear.

لَيسَت كإِينِيَّا مُهَدِّمةِ الفَنا

أَو مثلَ آثينا ورَبَّاتِ البَلا

She was not like Enyo, who lays courtyards waste,

or like Athena and the mistresses of woe.

وإِذا بِها في لُبِّ أَوزَاعِ العِدَى

فَعَدا إِلَيها طاعِناً مُستَرسِلا

And there she was, at the heart of the enemy bands;

he charged at her, thrusting without restraint.

نَفَذ السِّنانُ ببُردِها البَهِج الذِي

نَسَجَت لَها البَهجاتُ حَتَّى تَرَفُلا

The spearhead pierced her radiant mantle, which

the Graces had woven for her to trail in splendor.

وَجَرَى لِمعصَمِها اللَّطيفِ فَفُطِّرَت

بَشَراتُهُ بِدَمٍ عَلَيهِ تَهَيَّلا

It reached her delicate wrist and split

its skin; blood poured over it:

بِدَمٍ نَقِيٍّ بَل عَصِيرٍ رائِقٍ

بِعُرُوقِ أًربابِ العِبادِ تَسَلسَلا

pure blood—or rather, a limpid essence

that flowed through the veins of the lords of mortals.

فَهُمُ وَلا خُبزٌ وَلا خَمرٌ لَهُم

خَلَدُوا وَمِن دَمِنَا وُجودُهُمُ خَلا

For they, who have neither bread nor wine,

are immortal, and their being is free of our blood.

صاحَت وأَفلَتَ آنِياسُ فَقَلَّهُ

بِيَدَيهِ فِيبُسُ بالسَّحابِ مُظِلِّلا

She cried out; Aeneas slipped free and was lifted

by Phoebus with both hands, and sheltered in cloud.

وَمَضى بهِ طَمَعاً بِحِفظِ حَياتِهِ

وذِيُومِذٌ بِجِهَير مَنطِقِهِ تَلا

He bore him away, hoping to preserve his life,

while Diomedes proclaimed in his ringing voice:

يا بِنتَ زَفسَ كفى فكُفِّي وارعَوِي

لَن تَخدَعِي إِلاَّ النِّساءَ الخُمَّلا

O daughter of Zeus, enough! Cease and restrain yourself!

You will deceive none but women of no renown.

فَلَئِن رَجعتِ إلى الحُرُوبِ فذِكرُها

سَتَرَينَ يُولِيكِ الوَبالَ الأَثقَلا

For if you return to the wars, their memory,

you will see, will bring you the heaviest woe.