وَبِكرِ سُلافَةٍ في قَعرِ دَنٍّ

وَبِكرِ سُلافَةٍ في قَعرِ دَنٍّ

لَها دِرعانِ مِن قارٍ وَطينِ

لَها دِرعانِ مِن قارٍ وَطينِ

And virgin wine of the finest kind, deep in a cask,

In the deep valley at dawn

And a virgin vintage lying deep within a cask,

It has two coats of armor, of pitch and clay.

Wearing two coats of resin and clay

Protected by two coats of armor, pitch and clay.

تَحَكَّمَ عِلجُها إِذ قُلتُ سُمني

تَحَكَّمَ عِلجُها إِذ قُلتُ سُمني

عَلى غَيرِ البَخيلِ وَلا الضَنينِ

عَلى غَيرِ البَخيلِ وَلا الضَنينِ

Its foreign keeper set his terms when I said, “Name me a price

I tended to her when I said "Fatten me up"

Its foreign keeper drove a hard bargain when I said, "Name your price,"

for one who is neither stingy nor miserly.”

Not being stingy or resentful

Dealing with one neither miserly nor stingy.

شَكَكتُ بُزالَها وَاللَيلُ داجٍ

شَكَكتُ بُزالَها وَاللَيلُ داجٍ

فَدَرَّت دِرَّةَ الوَدَجِ الطَعينِ

فَدَرَّت دِرَّةَ الوَدَجِ الطَعينِ

I pierced its bung while the night was dark;

I doubted her fatigue as night fell dark

I pierced its seal while the night was dark,

Then it gushed like a stabbed jugular vein,

She let out a loud, raspy groan

And it gushed forth like the stream of a stabbed jugular.

بِكَفِّ أَغَنَّ مُختَضِبٍ بَناناً

بِكَفِّ أَغَنَّ مُختَضِبٍ بَناناً

مُذالِ الصَدغِ مَضفورِ القُرونِ

مُذالِ الصَدغِ مَضفورِ القُرونِ

By the hand of one with a sweetly nasal voice and dyed fingertips,

With a palm that earns more than a youth with dyed hair

Served by the hand of a soft-voiced lad with henna-dyed fingertips,

With trailing temple-locks and braided tresses.

Of drooping temple and blunt horns

With dangling sidelocks and hair in braided plaits.

لَنا مِنهُ بِعَينَيهِ عِداتٌ

لَنا مِنهُ بِعَينَيهِ عِداتٌ

يُخاطِبُنا بِها كَسرُ الجُفونِ

يُخاطِبُنا بِها كَسرُ الجُفونِ

His eyes hold promises for us;

We have promises in her eyes

In his eyes, we find promises intended for us,

The languid lowering of his eyelids speaks them to us.

That address us in the lowering of eyelids

Addressed to us by the languid folding of his lids.

كَأَنَّ الشَمسَ مُقبِلَةٌ عَلَينا

كَأَنَّ الشَمسَ مُقبِلَةٌ عَلَينا

تَمَشّى في قَلائِدِ ياسَمينِ

تَمَشّى في قَلائِدِ ياسَمينِ

As though the sun were coming toward us,

As if the rising sun approaches us

It is as if the sun itself were advancing toward us,

Strolling amid necklaces of jasmine.

Walking in necklaces of jasmine

Walking amidst necklaces of jasmine.

أَقولُ لِناقَتي إِذ بَلَغَتني

أَقولُ لِناقَتي إِذ بَلَغَتني

لَقَد أَصبَحتِ عِندي بِاليَمينِ

لَقَد أَصبَحتِ عِندي بِاليَمينِ

I say to my she-camel when she brought me there:

I say to my she-camel when she reaches me

I say to my she-camel, now that she has delivered me:

“You now have my sworn protection:

“You have become auspicious to me”

"You have secured with me a solemn pledge of safety.

فَلَم أَجعَلكِ لِلقُربانِ نَحراً

فَلَم أَجعَلكِ لِلقُربانِ نَحراً

وَلا قُلتُ اِشرَقي بِدَمِ الوَتينِ

وَلا قُلتُ اِشرَقي بِدَمِ الوَتينِ

So I did not consign you to slaughter as a sacrifice,

I did not make you an offering for sacrifice

I have not made you a slaughtered offering for sacrifice,

Nor did I say, ‘Choke on the blood of your aorta.’

Nor say “Gleam with the blood of slaughter”

Nor said, 'Choke on the blood of your heart\'s vein.'

حَرُمتِ عَلى الأَزِمَّةِ وَالوَلايا

حَرُمتِ عَلى الأَزِمَّةِ وَالوَلايا

وَأَعلاقِ الرِحالَةِ وَالوَضينِ

وَأَعلاقِ الرِحالَةِ وَالوَضينِ

You are exempt from reins and saddlecloths,

You are prohibited to harsh conditions and journeys

You are forbidden henceforth to reins and saddle-pads,

And the riding saddle’s straps and girth.”

And the belts of travelers and valley-dwellers

And to the trappings of the mount and the girth."