قَد أَغتَدي وَاللَيلُ في إِهابِهِ

قَد أَغتَدي وَاللَيلُ في إِهابِهِ

أَدعَجُ ما جُرِّدَ مِن خِضابِهِ

أَدعَجُ ما جُرِّدَ مِن خِضابِهِ

Often I set out early, with night still in its hide,

I've translated the Arabic poem into English while preserving the poetic form:

I set out early while the night is wrapped in its hide,

jet-black, not stripped of its dye,

In the night's deepening gloom his form took shape—

Pitch-black, its dark dye not yet stripped away,

مُدَثَّرٌ لَم يَبدُ مِن حِجابِهِ

مُدَثَّرٌ لَم يَبدُ مِن حِجابِهِ

كَالحَبَشِيّ انسَلَّ مِن ثِيابِهِ

كَالحَبَشِيّ انسَلَّ مِن ثِيابِهِ

swathed, not yet emerged from its veil,

Dark stripped thing no garment drapes—

Heavily cloaked, revealing nothing from behind its veil,

like an Abyssinian slipped out of his clothes,

A shrouded thing no veil escapes—

Dark as an Abyssinian slipping naked from his robes,

بِهَيكَلٍ قوبِلَ في أَنسابِهِ

بِهَيكَلٍ قوبِلَ في أَنسابِهِ

مُرَدَّدُ الأَعوَجِ في أَصلابِهِ

مُرَدَّدُ الأَعوَجِ في أَصلابِهِ

on a mighty steed, his bloodlines well matched,

Like a Galla sloughed his very capes—

Upon a massive steed, noble in his pedigree,

al-A'waj recurring in his ancestral loins.

Misshapen his lineage—perverse his traits—

The blood of Al-A'waj flows distinct through his sires,

يَهديهِ مِثلُ العَقوِ في انتِصابِهِ

يَهديهِ مِثلُ العَقوِ في انتِصابِهِ

وَكاهِلٍ وَعُنُقٍ يَأبى بِهِ

وَكاهِلٍ وَعُنُقٍ يَأبى بِهِ

A head like an upright eaglet leads him,

Crooked in his grandsires' loins his fate—s—

Guided by a neck towering like a mountain peak,

with withers, and a neck with which he scorns

Madness tilts his spear erect and straight—

With high withers and a head held in proud disdain,

يُصافِحُ اللَدانَ مِن أَضرابِهِ

يُصافِحُ اللَدانَ مِن أَضرابِهِ

بِوَقِحٍ يَقيهِ في انسِيابِهِ

بِوَقِحٍ يَقيهِ في انسِيابِهِ

to shake hands with the supple ones among his peers;

Neck and withers obedience await—

He brushes against the pliable spears of his riders,

with a hard hoof shielding him as he glides along

Greets the buttocks—such are his mates—

With a hardened hoof guarding him as he streams forward,

نَشا المَطاريدَ وَحَدَّ نابِهِ

نَشا المَطاريدَ وَحَدَّ نابِهِ

حَتّى إِذا الصُبحُ بَدا مِن بابِهِ

حَتّى إِذا الصُبحُ بَدا مِن بابِهِ

from the quarry's attacks and the edge of its fang.

Shameless member nothing abates—

Reared among the chase, his teeth sharpened for the hunt,

Until, when dawn appeared from its doorway,

Hunted game and bared his fangs—

Until, when the Morning appeared at its gate,

وَكَشَّرَت أَشداقُهُ عَن نابِهِ

وَكَشَّرَت أَشداقُهُ عَن نابِهِ

عَنَّ لَنا كَالرَألِ لا نَرى بِهِ

عَنَّ لَنا كَالرَألِ لا نَرى بِهِ

and its jaws drew back to reveal its fang,

Dawn appeared; he gaped and sprang—

And its jaws grinned wide to reveal the tooth of light,

there appeared to us, like an ostrich chick, with no fault we could see in him,

Showed himself different from the gang—

A target appeared to us, swift as a young ostrich,

ذو حُوَّةٍ أُفرِدَ عَن أَصحابِهِ

ذو حُوَّةٍ أُفرِدَ عَن أَصحابِهِ

يَفري مَتانَ الأَرضِ مَع سِهابِهِ

يَفري مَتانَ الأَرضِ مَع سِهابِهِ

a dark-brown one, separated from his companions,

Freak apart from friends estranged—

A dark-hued beast, isolated from his herd,

cleaving the earth's hard ridges and its open plains.

Rending earth—he headlong ranged—

Tearing across the earth's back with his stride,

أَطاعَهُ الحوذانُ في إِسرابِهِ

أَطاعَهُ الحوذانُ في إِسرابِهِ

فَقَد رَماهُ النَحضُ في أَقرابِهِ

فَقَد رَماهُ النَحضُ في أَقرابِهِ

The buttercups had yielded to him in his roaming,

Jackals followed where he changed—

The wild herbs bending to him in his flight,

for flesh had filled out his flanks.

Cast out by his tribe and kin—

Pure muscle ripples along his sturdy flanks,

وَالطَرفُ قَد زُمِّلَ في ثِيابِهِ

وَالطَرفُ قَد زُمِّلَ في ثِيابِهِ

قائِدُهُ مِن أَرَنٍ يَشقى بِهِ

قائِدُهُ مِن أَرَنٍ يَشقى بِهِ

Meanwhile the steed was wrapped in his coverings,

Lost his clothes their state within—

While the noble steed stood wrapped in his coverings,

his handler struggling with his high spirits.

From sheep he leads to die therein—

His handler struggling with his wild exuberance,

قُلنا لَهُ عَرَّهِ مِن أَسلابِهِ

قُلنا لَهُ عَرَّهِ مِن أَسلابِهِ

فَلاحَ كَالحاجِبِ مِن سَحابِهِ

فَلاحَ كَالحاجِبِ مِن سَحابِهِ

We said to him, "Strip him of his trappings!"

Shed your furs! we cried. He grinned—

We cried to him: "Strip him of his heavy gear!"

He gleamed like the sun's rim from its cloud,

Sudden as cloud-bank wind dispelled—

Then he flashed forth like the sun breaking through clouds,

أَو كَالصَنيعِ استُلَّ مِن قِرابِهِ

أَو كَالصَنيعِ استُلَّ مِن قِرابِهِ

فَسَدَّدَ الطَرقَ وَما هاها بِهِ

فَسَدَّدَ الطَرقَ وَما هاها بِهِ

or a well-wrought sword drawn from its sheath.

As babe new-born shines fresh beheld—

Or like a polished blade drawn from its scabbard,

He aimed him down the track, without a cry to urge him;

Blocked roads—no caution held—

He struck a straight path, without a moment's hesitation,

فَاِنصاعَ كَالأَجدَلِ في اِنصِبابِهِ

فَاِنصاعَ كَالأَجدَلِ في اِنصِبابِهِ

أَو كَالحَريقِ في هَشيمِ غابِهِ

أَو كَالحَريقِ في هَشيمِ غابِهِ

then he darted like a falcon in its downward swoop,

Bowed like tree when tempests wield—

Swooping down like a hawk in its dive,

or like fire in the dry brush of its thicket,

Or flames in bushy brakes propelled—

Or like fire consuming the dry brush of a forest,

مُلتَهِباً يَستَنُّ في التِهابِهِ

مُلتَهِباً يَستَنُّ في التِهابِهِ

كَأَنَّما البَيداءُ مِن نِهابِهِ

كَأَنَّما البَيداءُ مِن نِهابِهِ

ablaze, galloping in his own flame,

Consuming—fiercely swelled—

Blazing fiercely, raging in his fiery speed,

as though the desert were part of his plunder.

As though the waste his being knelled—

As though the vast desert were his captured spoil,

فَحازَهُ بِالرُمحِ في أَعجابِهِ

فَحازَهُ بِالرُمحِ في أَعجابِهِ

شَكُّ الفَتاةِ الدُرُّ في أَحزابِهِ

شَكُّ الفَتاةِ الدُرُّ في أَحزابِهِ

Then he caught him with the spear in his hindquarters,

Speared in ecstasy sublime—

He pierced the quarry with a spear thrust to its flank,

as a maiden threads pearls in their clusters.

Doubt's own pearl its class and time—

Smooth as a maiden threads pearls upon a string.