وَخَلقٍ غَريبِ الشَكلِ في مصرَ ناشيء

وَخَلقٍ غَريبِ الشَكلِ في مصرَ ناشيء

وَما هُوَ في أَرضٍ سِوى مِصرَ يُوجَدُ

وَما هُوَ في أَرضٍ سِوى مِصرَ يُوجَدُ

And a creature of wondrous form, born in Egypt—

And a creature of strange shape, native to Egypt,

Nowhere on earth but Egypt is it found.

Is found in no land but Egypt.

هُوَ السَبُعُ العادي بِنيلِ صَعيدِها

هُوَ السَبُعُ العادي بِنيلِ صَعيدِها

يُقافِصُ مَن للماءِ في النيلِ يقصدُ

يُقافِصُ مَن للماءِ في النيلِ يقصدُ

It is the marauding beast of her Upper Nile,

It is the ravening beast in the Nile of Upper Egypt,

seizing whoever seeks the Nile’s water,

Pouncing on whoever comes to the Nile for water.

وَيخطُفُهُ خَطف العُقابِ لِصَيدها

وَيخطُفُهُ خَطف العُقابِ لِصَيدها

وَيفصلُه عُضواً فَعُضواً وَيزرَدُ

وَيفصلُه عُضواً فَعُضواً وَيزرَدُ

snatching him as an eagle snatches its prey,

And it snatches him as an eagle snatches its prey,

then tearing him limb from limb and swallowing him.

And tears him apart, limb by limb, and gulps him down.

وَما مِن شُخوصِ النيلِ خَلقٌ لَهُ يَدٌ

وَما مِن شُخوصِ النيلِ خَلقٌ لَهُ يَدٌ

وَرجلٌ سواهُ وَهوَ في البَرِ يصعَدُ

وَرجلٌ سواهُ وَهوَ في البَرِ يصعَدُ

Of all the creatures emerging from the Nile, none

And no creature among the Nile's denizens has forelegs

but it has both hands and feet, and it climbs onto land.

And hindlegs except it; it also climbs onto dry land.

وَربَّتَما يَلقى لَدى البر كاسِراً

وَربَّتَما يَلقى لَدى البر كاسِراً

وَيجري كَمثلِ الطرفِ أَو هُوَ أَزيَدُ

وَيجري كَمثلِ الطرفِ أَو هُوَ أَزيَدُ

Perhaps on land it meets a formidable adversary,

And sometimes it meets a predator on land,

yet it runs like a swift steed—or faster still.

And runs like a noble steed, or faster still.

لَهُ ذَنبٌ مُرخىً طَويلٌ يُقيمُهُ

لَهُ ذَنبٌ مُرخىً طَويلٌ يُقيمُهُ

يلُفُّ بِهِ مَن كانَ في الناسِ يفقدُ

يلُفُّ بِهِ مَن كانَ في الناسِ يفقدُ

It has a long, trailing tail that it can raise;

It has a long, dangling tail, which it raises,

with it, it coils around a man who then goes missing.

Coiling it around one who would be lost from among men.

وَأَسنانُهُ أُنثى عَلى ذكرٍ أَتَت

وَأَسنانُهُ أُنثى عَلى ذكرٍ أَتَت

لِكَسرِ العِظامِ الصُلبِ مِنها تفقّدُ

لِكَسرِ العِظامِ الصُلبِ مِنها تفقّدُ

Its teeth come interlocked, female upon male—

And its teeth are set female upon male,

inspect them: they are made to break hard bones.

To break bones, they seek out the hard ones among them.

وَيحفُرُ في رَملٍ وَيدفنُ بيضَهُ

وَيحفُرُ في رَملٍ وَيدفنُ بيضَهُ

يُعاهِدُها غِباً إِلى حين تولَدُ

يُعاهِدُها غِباً إِلى حين تولَدُ

It digs in the sand and buries its eggs,

And it digs in sand and buries its eggs,

returning to tend them every other day until they hatch.

Checking on them at intervals until they hatch.

وَلا تَعمَلُ الأَسيافُ فيهِ كَأَنَّما

وَلا تَعمَلُ الأَسيافُ فيهِ كَأَنَّما

عَلى جلدِهِ مِنهُ صَفيحٌ مُسرَّدُ

عَلى جلدِهِ مِنهُ صَفيحٌ مُسرَّدُ

Swords make no impression upon it, as though

And swords have no effect on it, as though

its skin itself formed a closely linked coat of armor.

Its skin bore its own closely linked armor plates.

وَلَكنَّ تَحتَ الإبطِ ليِّنَ جلدةٍ

وَلَكنَّ تَحتَ الإبطِ ليِّنَ جلدةٍ

فَمِنها المَنايا دونَهُ تَتَصَعَّدُ

فَمِنها المَنايا دونَهُ تَتَصَعَّدُ

But beneath the foreleg lies a soft patch of skin,

But the skin beneath its armpit is soft,

and through it death can make its way up to the beast.

So through that skin, death climbs up from beneath it.

وَلَيسَ لَهُ دُبرٌ فَيُخرِج نَجوَهُ

وَلَيسَ لَهُ دُبرٌ فَيُخرِج نَجوَهُ

وَلَكن إِلى حُلقومِهِ يَتَرَدَّدُ

وَلَكن إِلى حُلقومِهِ يَتَرَدَّدُ

It has no anus through which to void its dung;

And it has no anus through which to pass its dung,

instead, the waste returns to its throat.

But the dung returns to its throat.

فَيفتَح فاهُ ثُم يَدخُلُ طائِرٌ

فَيفتَح فاهُ ثُم يَدخُلُ طائِرٌ

فَيلفظ ما قَد كانَ فيهِ يدودُ

فَيلفظ ما قَد كانَ فيهِ يدودُ

So it opens its mouth, and then a bird enters

So it opens its mouth, and then a bird enters,

and expels what had begun breeding worms inside the beast.

And casts out what had grown worm-infested within it.

فَإِن رامَ إِطباقاً عَليه فَإِنَّه

فَإِن رامَ إِطباقاً عَليه فَإِنَّه

يَكونُ لسقفِ الحلقِ بِالريشِ يُفصَدُ

يَكونُ لسقفِ الحلقِ بِالريشِ يُفصَدُ

But if it tries to close its jaws upon the bird,

So if it tries to close its jaws upon the bird, it

the roof of its throat is lanced by the feathers.

Will have the roof of its throat lanced by the feathers.

وَيقتُلُه الجاموسُ فَهوَ إِذا دَرى

وَيقتُلُه الجاموسُ فَهوَ إِذا دَرى

بِهِ فَرَّ مِنهُ وَهوَ في السِبحِ يُجهَدُ

بِهِ فَرَّ مِنهُ وَهوَ في السِبحِ يُجهَدُ

The buffalo can kill it; therefore, when it becomes aware

And the buffalo kills it; so when it becomes aware

of one, it flees, straining hard as it swims.

Of it, it flees from it, hard-pressed as it swims.

وَيَخدَعُهُ الإِنسانُ حَتّى يَصيدَهُ

وَيَخدَعُهُ الإِنسانُ حَتّى يَصيدَهُ

وَيَربُطُهُ كَالعَنزِ بِالحَبلِ تُصفَدُ

وَيَربُطُهُ كَالعَنزِ بِالحَبلِ تُصفَدُ

Man outwits it until he catches it,

And man tricks it until he catches it,

then binds it with rope like a shackled goat.

And binds it with rope, like a goat being fettered.

رَأَيناهُ مَحمولاً عَلى جَمَلٍ وَقَد

رَأَيناهُ مَحمولاً عَلى جَمَلٍ وَقَد

أَتَت طرفاهُ الأَرضَ فيها يخددُ

أَتَت طرفاهُ الأَرضَ فيها يخددُ

We saw one carried upon a camel, while

We saw it carried on a camel, while

its two ends reached the ground, gouging furrows in it.

Its two ends touched the earth, cutting furrows in it.

وَللعقلِ في صَيدِ التَماسيحِ صَنعَةٌ

وَللعقلِ في صَيدِ التَماسيحِ صَنعَةٌ

يُرتِّبُها الفكرُ المُصِيبُ فَتُحمَدُ

يُرتِّبُها الفكرُ المُصِيبُ فَتُحمَدُ

Reason has a stratagem for hunting crocodiles,

And reason has an art for catching crocodiles,

devised by sound judgment and worthy of praise.

Which sound thought devises, and which wins praise.

وَذو العَقلِ مَقدورٌ عَلَيهِ وَقادِرٌ

وَذو العَقلِ مَقدورٌ عَلَيهِ وَقادِرٌ

عَلى كُلِّ ذي روحٍ رَقيبٌ مُؤيدُ

عَلى كُلِّ ذي روحٍ رَقيبٌ مُؤيدُ

The rational being is subject to fate, yet has power—

And the man of reason is subject to power, yet holds power

a vigilant, divinely aided master over every living soul.

Over every living being, a watchful, strengthened overseer.

فَلا الطَيرُ في جَوٍّ وَلا الوَحشُ في الفَلا

فَلا الطَيرُ في جَوٍّ وَلا الوَحشُ في الفَلا

وَلا سافِحٌ إِلّا لَهُ مُتَرَدّدُ

وَلا سافِحٌ إِلّا لَهُ مُتَرَدّدُ

Neither birds in the air nor beasts in the wilderness,

So neither birds in the air nor beasts in the wilderness,

nor any blood-shedding creature, escapes his pursuit.

Nor any blood-shedder, are beyond his reach.

فَيقهَرهُ قَتلاً وَذَبحاً وَخدمةً

فَيقهَرهُ قَتلاً وَذَبحاً وَخدمةً

وَفي آخرٍ ذو العَقلِ في الرَمسِ يُلحَدُ

وَفي آخرٍ ذو العَقلِ في الرَمسِ يُلحَدُ

He subdues them by killing, slaughter, and servitude;

So he subdues them by killing, slaughter, and making them serve,

yet in the end, the rational man is laid in a grave’s niche.

And in the end the man of reason is laid in the grave.