عارَضتُI raced فيهِin it النَجمَthe star فَوقَastride مُطَهَّمٍa well-built steed
عارَضتُ فيهِ النَجمَ فَوقَ مُطَهَّمٍ
يَهويhe swoops لِطَيِّئِهِto traverse it هُوِيِّthe swooping of الأَعقَبِthe eagle
يَهوي لِطَيِّئِهِ هُوِيِّ الأَعقَبِ
In it I raced the star, astride a well-built steed,
I compared the star above the evening twilight
swooping to traverse it as an eagle swoops.
Plunging towards its setting with the swiftness of a darting ostrich,
ذاويslender العَسيبِthe tailbone قَصيرُهُits tailbone short ضافيluxuriant السَبيبِthe tail-hair
ذاوي العَسيبِ قَصيرُهُ ضافي السَبيبِ
طَويلُهُits hair long صافيsleek الأَديمِthe hide مُحَبَّبِfinely dappled
طَويلُهُ صافي الأَديمِ مُحَبَّبِ
Slender and short of tailbone, luxuriant of tail-hair,
Whose short neck bends as it drinks and whose long one is erect and beloved,
long-haired, sleek of hide and finely dappled.
Like a light shining among the grass astounding with its beauty,
كَالنورِlike blossoms بَينَamong العُشبِthe grass يَبهُرُdazzles حُسنَهُhis beauty
كَالنورِ بَينَ العُشبِ يَبهُرُ حُسنَهُ
بَينَamong الجِيادِthe fine steeds إِذاwhen بَداhe appears فيin مَوكِبِa cavalcade
بَينَ الجِيادِ إِذا بَدا في مَوكِبِ
Like blossoms among grass, his beauty dazzles
Among the steeds when it appears in a procession,
among the steeds when he appears in a cavalcade.
With four birds flying alongside as if attached by its length to a cord,
وَتَطيرُand fly أَربَعَةٌfour legs بِهِwith him فيover أَبطُحٍgravelly ground
وَتَطيرُ أَربَعَةٌ بِهِ في أَبطُحٍ
فَكَأَنَّهُso he seems مِنbecause of طولِهاtheir length فيon مَرقَبِa lookout height
فَكَأَنَّهُ مِن طولِها في مَرقَبِ
Four legs fly with him over gravelly ground,
Deafening is the thunder of its hooves, deafening the clash
as though their length had set him on a lookout height.
Of stallions at stud,
صُمَّsolid الحَوافِرِthe hooves شُرَّبٌdrinkers of صُمَّunyielding الصَفاflint
صُمَّ الحَوافِرِ شُرَّبٌ صُمَّ الصَفا
مِنهاfrom them الأَهِلَّةَcrescent marks فيin الصَفاrock وَالصَلبِand hard ground
مِنها الأَهِلَّةَ في الصَفا وَالصَلبِ
Solid-hoofed, drinkers of unyielding flint,
Its forelock streaming as if melting its face
leaving crescent marks in rock and hardened earth.
Though the drizzle does not wash it away,
وَكَأَنَّand as though غُرَّتَهُhis white forehead-blaze تُفَضِّضُsilvers وَجهَهُhis face
وَكَأَنَّ غُرَّتَهُ تُفَضِّضُ وَجهَهُ
وَالنَقعُand the dust يُذهِبُهُgilds it وَإِنalthough لَمnot يُذهَبِbe gilded
وَالنَقعُ يُذهِبُهُ وَإِن لَم يُذهَبِ
And his white blaze seems to silver his face,
In its fetlocks and ankles is the darkness of clustering stars
while dust gilds it, though it has not been gilded.
Stretching out and lying down,
وَكَأَنَّand as though فيin أَكفالِهِhis haunches وَتَليلِهِand his neck
وَكَأَنَّ في أَكفالِهِ وَتَليلِهِ
غَسقَthe dusk of النُجومِthe stars فَتَستَطيلُso they stretch out وَتَرتَبيand rise high
غَسقَ النُجومِ فَتَستَطيلُ وَتَرتَبي
And in his haunches and his neck there seems to lie
Its legs like undisturbed water, its body a goblet of wine unmixed,
the dusk of stars, stretching out and rising high.
Sought after, it eludes, seeking, it seizes, never failing in the quest,
وَكَأَنَّماand it is as though الأَرساغُthe pasterns ماءٌwater لَمnot يَسِلhas flowed
وَكَأَنَّما الأَرساغُ ماءٌ لَم يَسِل
وَالجِسمُand the body كَأسُa cup of مُدامَةٍwine لَمnot يُقطَبِbeen mixed
وَالجِسمُ كَأسُ مُدامَةٍ لَم يُقطَبِ
His pasterns seem water that has not flowed,
The gales it outraces, the lightning is a prince
and his body a cup of wine that has not been mixed.
In the fury of its flaming ardour,
لَمnever يُطَّلَبhe is pursued إِلّاexcept that يَفوتُhe escapes وَيَطَّلِبand he pursues
لَم يُطَّلَب إِلّا يَفوتُ وَيَطَّلِب
إِلّاexcept that يَفوزُhe triumphs فَلَمso he has not يَخِبfailed فيin مَطلَبِa quest
إِلّا يَفوزُ فَلَم يَخِب في مَطلَبِ
Never pursued without escaping, he never pursues
Its girth encompasses the circle of a house on the plain with leaning pillars.
without prevailing; he has never failed in a quest.
وَالعاصِفاتُand the storm winds حَسيرَةٌexhausted وَالبارِقاand the lightning flashes (continued)
وَالعاصِفاتُ حَسيرَةٌ وَالبارِقا
تُcompletion of 'lightning flashes' أَميرَةٌsovereign فيin شِدَّةِthe charge of المُتَلَهِّبِthe fiery one
تُ أَميرَةٌ في شِدَّةِ المُتَلَهِّبِ
And the storm winds are weary, while the lightning flashes
are sovereign in the fiery one's charge.
وَكَأَنَّماand it is as though يَحويencloses مَدارُthe circle of حِزامِهِhis girth-strap
وَكَأَنَّما يَحوي مَدارُ حِزامِهِ
أَحناءَthe curved sides of بَيتٍa tent بِالعَراءِin the open مُطَنَّبِstretched with ropes
أَحناءَ بَيتٍ بِالعَراءِ مُطَنَّبِ
And the circle of his girth seems to enclose
the curved sides of a tent, stretched with ropes in the open.
Partial English translation: 17 of 22 Arabic lines translated.