وَركبٍand many a band of riders إِذاwhenever قَطعواthey crossed نَفنَفاًa wilderness
وَركبٍ إِذا قَطعوا نَفنَفاً
رَمىflung بِهمُwith them البُعدُdistance فيinto نفنفِa wilderness
رَمى بِهمُ البُعدُ في نفنفِ
And many a band of riders—whenever they crossed a wilderness,
When riders cross a sandy tract
distance flung them into another wilderness.
Distance casts them in sandy waves
كَأَنَّas though الفَيافيthe deserts فيin طُولِهاtheir length
كَأَنَّ الفَيافي في طُولِها
لَيالٍnights عَلىfor عاشِقٍa lover قَدalready جُفيwas spurned
لَيالٍ عَلى عاشِقٍ قَد جُفي
It was as though the deserts, in their length,
As if the sand dunes in their length
were nights for a lover who had been spurned.
Are nights upon a languished lover
قَطَعناwe crossed عَلىon مضمراتlean mounts تَجودُshed freely
قَطَعنا عَلى مضمرات تَجودُ
كلالاًfrom exhaustion بِأَدمُعِهاwith their tears الوُكَّفِstreaming
كلالاً بِأَدمُعِها الوُكَّفِ
We crossed them on lean mounts that shed,
We crossed meadows of bounty
from exhaustion, their streaming tears.
Weeping copiously with tearful eyes
وَتَحتيَand beneath me حرفٌa lean she-camel لِفرطbecause of excessive النحولthinness
وَتَحتيَ حرفٌ لِفرط النحول
تَنفيnegates النحولَthinness عَنfrom المدنفِthe wasting invalid
تَنفي النحولَ عَن المدنفِ
And beneath me is a lean she-camel, so exceedingly thin
And letters beneath me so slender
she makes the wasting invalid's thinness seem nothing.
That leanness cannot hide the lean
كَأَنيas though I إِذاwhen ماan emphatic particle شَدَدتُI tightened الحزامَthe girth
كَأَني إِذا ما شَدَدتُ الحزامَ
أَشُدُّI tighten نِطاقاًa girdle عَلىaround أَهيَفِa slender-waisted man
أَشُدُّ نِطاقاً عَلى أَهيَفِ
It is as though, whenever I tighten the girth,
As if when I tighten my belt
I am fastening a girdle around a slender-waisted man.
I tighten a belt on one emaciated
Sol 6.1