هَلْdo تَعْرِفُyou recognize الدَّارَthe dwelling قَفْراًdesolate لاَno أَنِيسَcompanion بِهَاin it
هَلْ تَعْرِفُ الدَّارَ قَفْراً لاَ أَنِيسَ بِهَا
إِلاَّexcept المَغَانِيthe habitation traces وإِلاَّand except مَوْقِدَthe hearth of النارِthe fire
إِلاَّ المَغَانِي وإِلاَّ مَوْقِدَ النارِ
Do you recognize the dwelling, desolate, with no companion in it,
Do you know the house, desolate, with no companion
save the remains of habitation and the hearth?
Save the singing girls and the fires for cooking?
فَطَامِسُand the faded trace of النُّؤْيِthe tent-trench عَافٍweathered لاَnot يُثَلِّمُهُbreaches it
فَطَامِسُ النُّؤْيِ عَافٍ لاَ يُثَلِّمُهُ
صَرْفُthe vicissitudes of اللَّيَالِيthe nights ولَمْand not يُجْعَلْbe made بِجَيَّارِwith lime plaster
صَرْفُ اللَّيَالِي ولَمْ يُجْعَلْ بِجَيَّارِ
And the faded tent-trench is weathered, yet not breached
A covering whose rents the weaver time
by the vicissitudes of night, though never built with lime—
Has not mended, nor made for it enclosure.
قَدُّthe cutting of الوَلِيدَةِthe maid فيin صَلْفَاءَa smooth rock رَابِيَةٍelevated
قَدُّ الوَلِيدَةِ في صَلْفَاءَ رَابِيَةٍ
حَوْلَaround الوَسَائِدِthe cushions مِنْfrom بَيْضَاءَa white one مِعْطَارِrichly fragrant
حَوْلَ الوَسَائِدِ مِنْ بَيْضَاءَ مِعْطَارِ
a maid's cut-work in a smooth, elevated rock,
The smooth stones where the windswept valley lies
around the cushions, against a white, fragrant cloud,
White cushions and perfume on the saddlebags.
فيin لَيْلَةٍa night مِنْamong لَيَاليthe nights of القُرِّbitter cold داجيَةٍdark
في لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ لَيَالي القُرِّ داجيَةٍ
مِنْof مَائِهَاits water صَائِمٌmotionless بِالبِيدِin the wastes أَوْor جَارِيflowing
مِنْ مَائِهَا صَائِمٌ بِالبِيدِ أَوْ جَارِي
on a dark night among the nights of bitter cold,
One night when Canopus rose through the darkness
some of whose water stands still in the wastes, or flows.
Either fasting or drinking from the leather bottle.
يَاO مَنْwho لِمَوْلىًfor a kinsman أُرْجِّيهِI give him hope وأَمْنعُهُand I protect him
يَا مَنْ لِمَوْلىً أُرْجِّيهِ وأَمْنعُهُ
حَتِّىuntil تَطَلَّعَhe appeared ليto me مِنْfrom حَافَةِthe edge of النَّارِthe fire
حَتِّى تَطَلَّعَ لي مِنْ حَافَةِ النَّارِ
Who will help with a kinsman I give hope to and protect,
O you I hope for and hold back from my protector
until he appeared to me from the edge of the fire?
Till he should deign to glance at me from the edge of the fire,
حَتَّىuntil إِذَاwhen ماemphatic particle قَرَىhe stored up ليfor me فيin مَذَاخِرِهِhis stores
حَتَّى إِذَا ما قَرَى لي في مَذَاخِرِهِ
جَهْدَthe utmost العَدَاوَةِenmity مِنْof كُفْرٍingratitude وإدْبَارِand turning away
جَهْدَ العَدَاوَةِ مِنْ كُفْرٍ وإدْبَارِ
Until, when he had laid up for me in his stores
Till when he drew near me in the thick of night
the utmost enmity, of ingratitude and turning away,
I mastered my uttermost effort at enmity and turning away,
وَاكَلْتُهُI left him unaided والعِدَاand the foes تَرْمِيshoot at مَقَاتِلَهُhis vital parts
وَاكَلْتُهُ والعِدَا تَرْمِي مَقَاتِلَهُ
خِرْقَthe piercing of النَّشَاشِيبِthe arrows فيinto ذِيone with شُمْرُجٍa thin garment عَارِيbare
خِرْقَ النَّشَاشِيبِ في ذِي شُمْرُجٍ عَارِي
I left him unaided, while foes shot at his vital parts,
And I launched at him, while the foe were shooting at him,
arrows piercing one in a thin garment, bare.
The piebald horses in a howdah with silver appointments
حَتَّىuntil إِذَاwhen مَاemphatic particle رَمَاهُshot at him القَوْمُthe men عَنْfrom عُرُضٍthe flank
حَتَّى إِذَا مَا رَمَاهُ القَوْمُ عَنْ عُرُضٍ
وابْتَزَّهُand despoiled him طَعْنُa spear-thrust طَلاَّبٍan eager seeker لأَوْتَارِof blood-vengeance
وابْتَزَّهُ طَعْنُ طَلاَّبٍ لأَوْتَارِ
Until, when the men shot at him from the flank,
Till when the people thrust him away from the height of glory
and the thrust of an eager avenger despoiled him,
And the blade of the seeker pierced the strings of his heart,
حَتىuntil دَعَانِيhe called me وكَرْبُand the anguish of المَوْتِdeath عَامِرَةٌall-pervading
حَتى دَعَانِي وكَرْبُ المَوْتِ عَامِرَةٌ
واصْطَادَand captured رِئْمَانَthe tenderness of وُدِّيmy love بَعْدَafter إِنْفَارِscaring away
واصْطَادَ رِئْمَانَ وُدِّي بَعْدَ إِنْفَارِ
until he called me, with death's anguish all-pervading,
Till when death summoned me, and the pangs closed in,
and captured my love's tenderness after scaring it away,
He screamed to his beloved after the bolt shot home.
فَرَّجْتُI brought relief عَنْهُfrom him بِلاَwithout جَافٍa callous man ولاَand not وَكَلٍa shirker
فَرَّجْتُ عَنْهُ بِلاَ جَافٍ ولاَ وَكَلٍ
يَوْمَon the day of الحِفَاظِdefending honor كَرِيمٍnoble زَنْدُهُhis fire-stick وَارِيyielding flame
يَوْمَ الحِفَاظِ كَرِيمٍ زَنْدُهُ وَارِي
I came to his relief, neither callous nor shirking,
Then I saved him when no coward turned tail nor faint-heart
on the day of defending honor, noble, his fire-stick yielding flame.
The day our company were as goodly steeds with the dust flying wild,
نَصِلُّwe wander فيin الأَرْضِthe earth أَفْرَاداًsingly وَيْجَمُعنَاand gathers us
نَصِلُّ في الأَرْضِ أَفْرَاداً وَيْجَمُعنَا
حَدُّthe sharp edge of الخُصُومِthe adversaries لِبَادِيto one manifest in المَلْكِkingship جَبَّارِa tyrant
حَدُّ الخُصُومِ لِبَادِي المَلْكِ جَبَّارِ
We wander the earth singly, yet are brought together
We live each alone in the land, to be joined together
by the sharp edge of adversaries before an openly reigning tyrant.
By the limit to which the feud of the obstinate tyrant drives us,
كَأَنَّas though أَوْسَاطَهُhis middle parts بِالبَابِat the gate مُمسِكَةٌgrasping
كَأَنَّ أَوْسَاطَهُ بِالبَابِ مُمسِكَةٌ
أَذْنَابَthe tails of بُلْقٍpiebald mares تُحَامِيkeeping guard عِنْدَbeside أَمْهَارِfoals
أَذْنَابَ بُلْقٍ تُحَامِي عِنْدَ أَمْهَارِ
As though his middle parts at the gate were grasping
As though its middle rope held back by the tent pole
the tails of piebald mares guarding beside their foals.
The tails of stamping half-broken camels.
فَذَاكَso that man أَصْبَحَhas become قَدْindeed هَاجَتْwas stirred مَعَارِمُهُhis unruliness
فَذَاكَ أَصْبَحَ قَدْ هَاجَتْ مَعَارِمُهُ
هَيْجَthe agitation of العَجَاجِswirling dust بِنَبْتٍagainst plants بَعْدَafter إِثْمَارِfruiting
هَيْجَ العَجَاجِ بِنَبْتٍ بَعْدَ إِثْمَارِ
So that man's unruliness has now been stirred,
So he in the morning was turbulent as camels mad with rut,
as swirling dust agitates plants after they bear fruit.
Stirred up like locusts on new grown vegetation;
وفيand in الفَتَىa man بَعْدafter شَيْبِthe graying of الرَّأْسِthe head مُعْتَمَلٌscope for endeavor
وفي الفَتَى بَعْد شَيْبِ الرَّأْسِ مُعْتَمَلٌ
فيamong الصَّالِحِينَthe righteous وإفْضَالand generosity علَىtoward الجَارِthe neighbor
في الصَّالِحِينَ وإفْضَال علَى الجَارِ
And a man, after his head turns gray, still has scope for endeavor
And in the youth, after the hair has grown white, is a goodness
among the righteous, and for generosity toward his neighbor.
That lavishes bounty on the neighbour after the head is hoary.
تَكْسُوshe clothes لِفَاعَa covering النَّقَاthe dune مِنْfrom رَمْلِthe sands of أَسْنُمَةٍAsnumah
تَكْسُو لِفَاعَ النَّقَا مِنْ رَمْلِ أَسْنُمَةٍ
جَعْدَcompact الثَّرَىthe moist earth غَيْرعnot مَوْطُوءٍtrodden ولاَand not هَارِcrumbling
جَعْدَ الثَّرَى غَيْرع مَوْطُوءٍ ولاَ هَارِ
She drapes a dune of Asnumah's sands in a covering,
The smooth stones wrap the well-rope of the deep-dug well
its moist earth compact, neither trodden nor crumbling.
Wavy sand not yet trampled nor oriented.
وَالخَدُّand the cheek خَدُّthe cheek of مَهَاةٍan oryx رَاقَهَاdelighted her لَقَطٌforage
وَالخَدُّ خَدُّ مَهَاةٍ رَاقَهَا لَقَطٌ
غَضٌfresh بِدَرْءِon the slope of هَشومٍHashum ذاتِhaving دَوَّارِDawwar
غَضٌ بِدَرْءِ هَشومٍ ذاتِ دَوَّارِ
And her cheek is an oryx's cheek, delighted by forage,
The cheek a cheek rosy through the polished winejar
fresh on the slope of Hashum, with its Dawwar.
That moves round between full hands with swinging ear-rings.
Sol 6.1