1. وقَلْعَةٍ عَانَقَ العُيُّوقُ سَافِلَها

    وجَازَ مَنْطِقَةَ الجَوْزا أَعالِيها

    And a fortress whose base Capella embraced,

    and whose heights passed beyond Orion’s belt.

  2. لا تَعْرِفُ القَطْرَ إِذْ كَان الغَمامُ لَها

    أَرْضاً تَوَطّأُ قطريه مَواشيها

    She knows no rain, for the clouds are to her

    a ground whose two sides her livestock tread.

  3. إِذا الغَمامَةُ لاحَتْ خاضَ ساكِنُها

    حِياضَها قَبْلَ أَنْ تَهْمى عَزالِيها

    When a cloud appears, her inhabitant wades

    through its pools before its spouts pour down.

  4. يُعَدُّ مِنْ أَنْجُمِ الأَفْلاكِ مَرقَبُها

    لَوْ أَنَّهُ كانَ يَجْري في مَجاريها

    Her watchtower would be counted among the stars of the spheres,

    if it moved along their courses.

  5. عَلى ذُرىً شامِخٍ وعرٍ قَد امْتَلأَتْ

    كِبْراً بِهِ وهو مَمْلوءٌ بِها تِيها

    On a lofty, rugged mountain’s peaks, she is filled

    with pride in it, while it is filled with pride in her.

  6. لَهُ عقابٌ عقاب الجَوّ حَائِمةٌ

    مِنْ دونِها فَهيَ تَخْفَى في خَوافيها

    The mountain has steep passes; eagles of the sky circle

    beneath them, hidden in their recesses.

  7. ردت مَكايِد أَمْلاكٍ مَكايِدها

    وقَصَّرَتْ بِدَواهِيهِمْ دَواهيها

    Her stratagems repelled the stratagems of kings,

    and her wiles made their wiles fall short.

  8. أَوْطَأَتْ هِمَّتكَ العَلْياءَ هامَتَها

    لَما جَعَلْتَ العَوالي مِنْ مَراقيها

    Your lofty resolve brought her crown underfoot,

    when you made lances steps for scaling her.

  9. ولم تَقِسْ بِكَ خَلْقاً في البَريَّةِ إِذْ

    رَأَتْ قُسِيَّ الرَّدى في كَفِ باريها

    Nor did she deem any creature in creation your equal, when

    she saw the bows of death in the hand of their maker.