رُبَّmany a مُنيفٍlofty one فيon ذُرىthe heights of مُنيفِa lofty one
رُبَّ مُنيفٍ في ذُرى مُنيفِ
أركانُهits limbs مرهَفَةُkeen-edged السُّيوفِswords
أركانُه مرهَفَةُ السُّيوفِ
Many a lofty one on the heights of another lofty one,
Many a camp in the valley of camps
Its limbs are keen-edged swords,
Its pillars sharp swords,
تَخفِقُquiver تَحتَbeneath عارِضٍa cloudbank كَثيفِdense
تَخفِقُ تَحتَ عارِضٍ كَثيفِ
كهَودَجٍlike a howdah مُمَسَّكِmusk-scented السُّجوفِthe curtains
كهَودَجٍ مُمَسَّكِ السُّجوفِ
Quivering beneath a dense cloudbank,
Fluttering beneath dense canopy
Like a howdah with musk-scented curtains,
Like doves huddled in nests.
لفِيتَةٍfor youths (probable reading) علىto الهَوىpassion عُكوفِsteadfastly devoted
لفِيتَةٍ على الهَوى عُكوفِ
قدalready بَكَرواthey set out early للقَنَصِfor the hunt المألوفِcustomary
قد بَكَروا للقَنَصِ المألوفِ
For youths devoted to their passion,
Wrapped in a cloak over passion bent
Who had set out early for the customary hunt,
They rose early for the familiar hunt
بحالِكِwith one jet-black in الجِلبابِthe cloak والنَّصيفِand the veil
بحالِكِ الجِلبابِ والنَّصيفِ
أوضاحُهits white markings منfrom درعِهits armor الرَّصيفِclose-knit
أوضاحُه من درعِه الرَّصيفِ
With one whose cloak and veil are jet-black,
With your smooth cheek and soft mantle
Its white markings gleaming from its close-knit armor.
Bright are their armors of linked mail
فَرْدٌa peerless one تخيَّرناهُwe chose it مِنْfrom أُلوفِthousands
فَرْدٌ تخيَّرناهُ مِنْ أُلوفِ
مؤَيَّدٌsupported بعَسكَرِby an army of الحُتوفِdeaths
مؤَيَّدٌ بعَسكَرِ الحُتوفِ
A peerless one we chose from thousands,
A knight we singled out from thousands
Backed by an army of deaths,
Supported by armies of lances
يَكشِرُit bares its teeth عنrevealing خَناجرٍdaggers صُفوفِin rows
يَكشِرُ عن خَناجرٍ صُفوفِ
تَضمَنُthey guarantee للصَّحْبِfor the companions قِرَىhospitality fare for الضُّيوفِthe guests
تَضمَنُ للصَّحْبِ قِرَى الضُّيوفِ
It bares daggers arranged in rows
Baring rows of daggers
That guarantee the companions food for guests.
Who guaranteed safety to guests
تَراهyou see it قبلَbefore شَدِّهits charge العَنيفِfierce
تَراه قبلَ شَدِّه العَنيفِ
مُخَضَّبَstained الظُّفْرِthe claw منfrom الغُضروفِcartilage
مُخَضَّبَ الظُّفْرِ من الغُضروفِ
You see it before its fierce charge,
You see him before the fierce onslaught
Its claw stained from cartilage.
His victory soaked in blood
عِناقُهits embrace للحائنِfor the doomed one الملهوفِthe anguished one
عِناقُه للحائنِ الملهوفِ
عِناقَthe embrace of لاneither بَرٍّa kindly one ولاnor عَطوفِan affectionate one
عِناقَ لا بَرٍّ ولا عَطوفِ
Its embrace of the doomed, anguished one
His embrace to the desperate refugee
Is that of one neither kind nor tender.
An embrace neither righteous nor kind
آنسَit caught sight of فيin مَطمورَةِan underground storehouse الحُتوفِof deaths
آنسَ في مَطمورَةِ الحُتوفِ
مَوشيَّةًembroidered كالبُرْدِlike a mantle ذيwith التَّفويفِstriped ornamentation
مَوشيَّةً كالبُرْدِ ذي التَّفويفِ
It spotted, in death's hidden storehouse,
Finding comfort under the veil of mail
Embroidered like a mantle with woven stripes,
Laughing at the shed tears of cattle driven away
تَضْحَكُit smiles عنrevealing دمْعِthe tears of الحَياthe rain المَذروفِshed
تَضْحَكُ عن دمْعِ الحَيا المَذروفِ
سِرْبَa herd of مهاًoryx كاللؤلؤlike pearls المَشوفِpolished
سِرْبَ مهاً كاللؤلؤ المَشوفِ
Smiling, revealing the rain's shed tears,
A herd of gazelles like polished pearls
A herd of oryx, like polished pearls.
Surrendered by the lover to the summer
أسلمَهاhanded them over المَشتىwinter إلىto المَصيفِsummer
أسلمَها المَشتى إلى المَصيفِ
فرتَعَتْso they grazed فيin نِعَمِthe bounties of الخَريفِautumn
فرتَعَتْ في نِعَمِ الخَريفِ
Winter had handed them over to summer,
To graze in the bounty of autumn
So they grazed in autumn's bounty.
Her cheek rosy with the flush of youth
فشامَهاthen it eyed them بمُقْلَتَيwith the two eyes of غِطريفِa noble youth
فشامَها بمُقْلَتَي غِطريفِ
وامتدَّand it stretched out كالصَّعْدَةِlike a lance فيduring التَّثقيفِstraightening
وامتدَّ كالصَّعْدَةِ في التَّثقيفِ
Then it eyed them with a noble youth's two eyes,
Stretching like the muscular neck at work
And stretched out like a lance being straightened,
And pouring in abundance quenching and sweet
وانصبَّand it plunged down للحَينِto bring death انصبابَthe plunge of مُوفِيone poised on high
وانصبَّ للحَينِ انصبابَ مُوفِي
فشكَّthen it pierced بينbetween النَّحْرِthe upper chest والُّشرسوفِand the rib-tip
فشكَّ بين النَّحْرِ والُّشرسوفِ
And swooped to kill like one plunging from a height.
Doubtful between throat and necklace
Then pierced between the upper chest and the rib-tip,
Like the even teeth of a comb
مثلَlike سِنانِthe spearhead القَيْنِof the smith ذيhaving التأنيفِa sharpened point
مثلَ سِنانِ القَيْنِ ذي التأنيفِ
طِرادَthe pursuit of لاneither وانٍone who flags ولاnor ضعيفِa weak one
طِرادَ لا وانٍ ولا ضعيفِ
Like a smith's sharply pointed spearhead,
Relentless, tiring neither horse nor man
The pursuit of one neither flagging nor weak,
Taking a tyrant, bold and unruly
وأخْذَand the grip of جبَّارٍa tyrant بهاwith them عَسُوفِruthless
وأخْذَ جبَّارٍ بها عَسُوفِ
وراحَand it returned قدalready جضلَّwas exalted (uncertain reading) عنabove التَّعنيفِharsh rebuke
وراحَ قد جضلَّ عن التَّعنيفِ
And the grip of a tyrant ruthless with them.
And left unchecked by rebuke
And returned, now beyond rebuke,
On a day of dearth with starving winds
فيon يومِa day of قَرٍّbitter cold جادعِcutting off الأُنوفِnoses
في يومِ قَرٍّ جادعِ الأُنوفِ
يَنْقَضُّfalls away مثلَlike الكُرسُفِcotton النَّديفِcarded
يَنْقَضُّ مثلَ الكُرسُفِ النَّديفِ
On a day of cold that cuts off noses.
Descending like a bursting cloud
Snow falls away like carded cotton,
Or like his frothing, foaming whiteness
أوor مثلَlike كافُورَتِهits camphor السَّفوفِdry powder
أو مثلَ كافُورَتِه السَّفوفِ
عنfrom أُذُنَيْهِits two ears وعَنِand from الصَّليفِthe side of the neck
عن أُذُنَيْهِ وعَنِ الصَّليفِ
Or like its powdered camphor,
From his ears and the smooth rock
From its two ears and the side of its neck,
As a necklace comes undone and scatters
مِثلَlike انفصامِthe breaking apart of العِقْدِthe necklace والشُّنوفِand the earrings
مِثلَ انفصامِ العِقْدِ والشُّنوفِ
فنحنُso we منfrom عَطائِهits bounty فيin ريفِplenty
فنحنُ من عَطائِه في ريفِ
Like a necklace and earrings breaking apart.
For we live in his countryside
So through its bounty we live in plenty,
And blessing, gentle and plentiful
ونَعمَةٍand luxurious ease دانيةِclose at hand الرَّفيفِfluttering foliage
ونَعمَةٍ دانيةِ الرَّفيفِ
بينَamid قَديدِdried strips اللَّحمِof meat والصَّفيفِand sliced roast meat
بينَ قَديدِ اللَّحمِ والصَّفيفِ
And ease, with fluttering foliage close at hand,
Between dried meat and fresh milk
Amid dried meat and sliced roast meat:
The blessing of a merciful and kind Lord
نِعمَةُa blessing رَحْمَانٍof the Merciful بناtoward us رَؤوفِcompassionate
نِعمَةُ رَحْمَانٍ بنا رَؤوفِ
A blessing from the Merciful, compassionate toward us.
Partial English translation: 38 of 39 Arabic lines translated.