وَلَمّاand when لَحِقناwe caught up بِالحَمولِwith the laden camels وَدونُهاand in front of them
وَلَمّا لَحِقنا بِالحَمولِ وَدونُها
خَميصُslender الحَشاthe waist توهيweaken القَميصَthe shirt عَواتِقُهhis shoulders
خَميصُ الحَشا توهي القَميصَ عَواتِقُه
And when we caught up with the laden camels, in front of them was
When we reached the fields, their skirts trailing,
A lean-waisted man whose shoulders strained his shirt,
The shirt of mourning seemed to don its shoulders.
قَليلُlittle قَذىgrit العَينَينِthe two eyes يَعلَمُhe knows أَنَّهُthat he
قَليلُ قَذى العَينَينِ يَعلَمُ أَنَّهُ
هُوَhe himself المَوتُdeath إِنif لَمnot تُلقَare warded off عَنّاfrom us بَوائِقُهhis evils
هُوَ المَوتُ إِن لَم تُلقَ عَنّا بَوائِقُه
With scarcely a mote in his eyes, he knows that he
A little dust in the eyes reveals
Is death itself, unless his evils are warded off from us.
That it is death, if its folds do not slip from us.
عَرَضناwe approached فَسَلَّمناthen we greeted فَسَلَّمَthen he greeted كارِهاًreluctantly
عَرَضنا فَسَلَّمنا فَسَلَّمَ كارِهاً
عَلَيناto us وَتَبريحٌand torment مِنَfrom القَيظِthe summer heat خانِقُهchoking him
عَلَينا وَتَبريحٌ مِنَ القَيظِ خانِقُه
We approached and greeted him; then he reluctantly greeted
We put ourselves forward, so he greeted us reluctantly,
Us, while the torment of summer heat was choking him.
His greeting choking us with the noonday heat.
فَسايَرتُهُso I traveled alongside him مِقدارَthe distance of ميلٍa mile وَلَيتَنيand would that I
فَسايَرتُهُ مِقدارَ ميلٍ وَلَيتَني
بِكُرهيdespite my hatred لَهُfor him ماas long as دامَhe remained حَيّاًalive أُرافِقُهI accompany him
بِكُرهي لَهُ ما دامَ حَيّاً أُرافِقُه
So I traveled beside him for a mile, and would that I
I walked with him a mile, and would that I
Despite my hatred of him, might accompany him as long as he lived.
Had never accompanied him throughout his life.
فَلَمّاthen when رَأَتshe saw أَلّاthat there was no وِصالَunion وَأَنَّهُand that it
فَلَمّا رَأَت أَلّا وِصالَ وَأَنَّهُ
مَدىthroughout الصَرمِestrangement مَضروبٌpitched عَلَيناover us سُرادِقُهits canopy
مَدى الصَرمِ مَضروبٌ عَلَينا سُرادِقُه
Then when she saw there could be no union, and that
When she saw there was no consummation, and that
For the whole span of estrangement, its canopy was pitched over us,
Over us the canopy of fate was pitched,
رَمَتنيshe shot at me بِطَرفٍwith a glance لَوif كَمِيّاًan armored warrior رَمَتshe shot بِهِwith it
رَمَتني بِطَرفٍ لَو كَمِيّاً رَمَت بِهِ
لَبُلَّwould surely have been drenched نَجيعاًwith blood نَحرُهُhis throat وَنَبائِقُهand his shirt's gussets
لَبُلَّ نَجيعاً نَحرُهُ وَنَبائِقُه
She shot me a glance—had she aimed it at an armored warrior,
She glanced at me with an eye whose dart,
His throat and his shirt's gussets would have been drenched in blood—
Had it been an arrow, would have pierced his throat and jugular;
وَلَمعٍand a flash بِعَينَيهاin her two eyes كَأَنَّas though وَميضَهُits gleam
وَلَمعٍ بِعَينَيها كَأَنَّ وَميضَهُ
وَميضُthe flash الحَياthe rain تُهدىare borne لِنَجدٍtoward Najd شَقائِقُهits cloudbanks
وَميضُ الحَيا تُهدى لِنَجدٍ شَقائِقُه
And a flash in her eyes, as though its gleam were
With a lightning flash in her eyes, whose gleam
The lightning of rain-clouds whose banks are borne toward Najd.
Was like the lightning-flash over Nedjd's meadows.
Sol 6.1