وتنوفةٍ عذراءَ لم تركـ

وتنوفةٍ عذراءَ لم تركـ

ـب بأخفاف الركاب

ـب بأخفاف الركاب

And a virgin wilderness, never trod—

And many a virgin wilderness, never traversed

—den by the hooves of riding camels,

by the padded feet of riding camels,

جاوزتها وقناعُ وجهِ

جاوزتها وقناعُ وجهِ

الأفقِ أذيالُ السَّحاب

الأفقِ أذيالُ السَّحاب

I crossed her, while the veil over the face—

I crossed, while the veil upon the face

—of the horizon was the clouds’ trailing hems.

of the horizon was the clouds' trailing hems.

وكأنَّ آثاري بها

وكأنَّ آثاري بها

آثارُ سطرٍ في كتاب

آثارُ سطرٍ في كتاب

It was as though the tracks I left on her

And my tracks upon it were like

were traces of a line in a book.

the marks of a line in a book.

غنَّى الذبابُ بجوّها

غنَّى الذبابُ بجوّها

فلأجلهِ رقص السَّراب

فلأجلهِ رقص السَّراب

The flies sang in her air,

The flies sang in its air,

and at their song the mirage danced.

so for their sake the mirage danced.

وسمعتُ لا طرباً بها

وسمعتُ لا طرباً بها

تصفيقَ أجنحة الغراب

تصفيقَ أجنحة الغراب

And there I heard, with no delight,

And there I heard, not with delight,

the clapping of the raven’s wings.

the clapping of the raven's wings.

ما هالنا عطل الدجى

ما هالنا عطل الدجى

خوفاً ولا عدم الشراب

خوفاً ولا عدم الشراب

The night’s stark bareness did not strike us

The night's bareness did not fill us

with fear, nor did the lack of drink,

with fear, nor did the lack of drink,

ثقةً بصبح سيوفنا

ثقةً بصبح سيوفنا

فيها وغدرانِ العباب

فيها وغدرانِ العباب

trusting as we did in the dawn of our swords

for we trusted in the dawn-light of our swords

within her, and in pools of surging water.

there, and in the pools of surging water.