وبَلدَةٍand a tract of land لاnot تُرامُis sought خائِفَةٍfearsome
وبَلدَةٍ لا تُرامُ خائِفَةٍ
زَوراءَremote and winding مُغبَرَّةٍdust-covered جَوانِبُهاits sides
زَوراءَ مُغبَرَّةٍ جَوانِبُها
And a fearsome land, not ventured into,
In a town unafraid though fearful,
Remote and winding, its sides covered in dust.
Dusty are its sides,
تَسمَعُyou hear لِلجِنِّfrom the jinn عازِفينَsounding cries بِهاin it
تَسمَعُ لِلجِنِّ عازِفينَ بِها
تَضبَحُyelp مِنfrom رَهبَةٍdread ثَعالِبُهاits foxes
تَضبَحُ مِن رَهبَةٍ ثَعالِبُها
You hear the jinn sounding their cries there;
You can hear jinn musicians playing in it,
Its foxes yelp from dread.
At dawn, its lions are terrified,
يَصعَدُrises مِنfrom خَوفِهاfear of it الفُؤادُthe heart وَلاand not
يَصعَدُ مِن خَوفِها الفُؤادُ وَلا
يَرقُدُsleeps بَعضَsome الرُقادِsleep صاحِبُهاits traveler
يَرقُدُ بَعضَ الرُقادِ صاحِبُها
The heart rises from fear of it, nor
Fear makes the heart climb but
Does its traveler get even a little sleep.
Its companion cannot rest easily,
كَلَّفتُهاI assigned it to عِرمِساًa hardy she-camel عُذافِرَةًpowerful
كَلَّفتُها عِرمِساً عُذافِرَةً
ذاتَpossessing هِبابٍvigorous movement فَعماًthick and full مَناكِبُهاher shoulders
ذاتَ هِبابٍ فَعماً مَناكِبُها
I charged a hardy, powerful she-camel with crossing it,
I tasked it to bring news hastily
With lively movement and full, broad shoulders.
With commotion, its shoulders are shaking,
تُراقِبُshe watches المُحصَدَthe tightly plaited whip المُمَرَّfirmly twisted إِذاwhen
تُراقِبُ المُحصَدَ المُمَرَّ إِذا
هاجِرَةٌscorching noon لَمdid not تَقِلtake a siesta جَنادِبُهاits grasshoppers
هاجِرَةٌ لَم تَقِل جَنادِبُها
She watches the tightly plaited, firmly twisted whip when
It watches the threshed harvest when
A scorching noon keeps its grasshoppers from resting,
Migrating, its locusts do not diminish,
بِمُقلَةٍwith an eye لاnot تُغَرُّis deceived صادِقَةٍtrue-seeing
بِمُقلَةٍ لا تُغَرُّ صادِقَةٍ
يَطحَرُdrives away عَنهاfrom it القَذاةَthe mote حاجِبُهاher brow
يَطحَرُ عَنها القَذاةَ حاجِبُها
With a true-seeing eye that cannot be deceived;
With unwavering honesty, its eyelash
Her brow drives motes away from it.
Wards off motes, its eyebrow arches,
ذاكَthat وَقَدand sometimes أَصبَحُI give a morning drink to الخَليلَthe close friend بِصَهwith taw- (beginning of 'tawny')
ذاكَ وَقَد أَصبَحُ الخَليلَ بِصَه
باءَ-ny (completing 'tawny') كُمَيتٍdark red صافٍclear جَوانِبُهاits sides
باءَ كُمَيتٍ صافٍ جَوانِبُها
That—and I sometimes give my friend a morning draught of tawny
That while the friend reached Sahbaa’
Wine, dark red, clear along its sides,
With sides of smooth sand,
مِثلِlike دَمِblood الشادِنِthe young gazelle الذَبيحِslaughtered إِذاwhen
مِثلِ دَمِ الشادِنِ الذَبيحِ إِذا
أَتأَقَfilled to the brim مِنهاwith it الراوُوقَthe wine-strainer شارِبُهاits drinker
أَتأَقَ مِنها الراوُوقَ شارِبُها
Like the blood of a slaughtered young gazelle, when
Like the blood of slaughtered sheep when
Its drinker fills the wine-strainer to the brim with it.
Its drinker sips it,
دَبَّتit crept دَبيباًa creeping advance حَتّىuntil تَخَوَّنَهُgradually sapped him
دَبَّت دَبيباً حَتّى تَخَوَّنَهُ
مِنهاfrom it حُمَيّاًintoxicating heat وَكَفَّand subsided صالِبُهاits harsh force
مِنها حُمَيّاً وَكَفَّ صالِبُها
It creeps slowly, until he is sapped
It crept until it betrayed him
By its intoxicating heat, and its harsh force subsides.
With madness, and its captor gave up,
عَمّاafter تَراهُyou see him يَكُفُّrestraining مَنطِقَهُhis speech
عَمّا تَراهُ يَكُفُّ مَنطِقَهُ
أَجمَعَentirely فيwithin النَفسِthe soul ماsomething that يُغالِبُهاstruggles to overcome it
أَجمَعَ في النَفسِ ما يُغالِبُها
After you see him holding back his speech
From what you see, it restrains its speech
Entirely, while something within his soul struggles to master it,
And suppresses inside what defeats it,
عَمّاafter قَليلٍa little while رَأَيتَهُyou saw him رَبِذَnimble in الthe (attached to 'speech' next line)
عَمّا قَليلٍ رَأَيتَهُ رَبِذَ ال
مَنطِقِspeech وَاِستَعجَلَتand hastened عَجائِبُهاits wonders
مَنطِقِ وَاِستَعجَلَت عَجائِبُها
Before long you see him nimble of
Soon you saw it, speech failed
Speech, and its wonders hurry forth.
And its wonders were hurried.
Sol 6.1