لمَّا مضى يومُكَ في اللّذاتِ

لمَّا مضى يومُكَ في اللّذاتِ

وفي سرورٍ مُعْجِبِ الأوقاتِ

وفي سرورٍ مُعْجِبِ الأوقاتِ

When your day had passed amid pleasures,

When your day had passed in pleasures,

and amid delight that made the hours a marvel,

And in joy whose hours were delightful,

وأقبلَ اللّيلُ على ميقاتِ

وأقبلَ اللّيلُ على ميقاتِ

ونشر الغرْبُ المُمسَّكاتِ

ونشر الغرْبُ المُمسَّكاتِ

and night arrived at its appointed time,

And night arrived at its appointed time,

and the West unfurled the rain-withholding clouds,

And the west unfurled musk-scented veils,

ومدَّ حتى صِرْنَ مُظْلماتِ

ومدَّ حتى صِرْنَ مُظْلماتِ

قُمنا إلى الصيدِ بمُجِلباتِ

قُمنا إلى الصيدِ بمُجِلباتِ

and spread them until they stood like landmarks,

And stretched them out until they darkened,

we rose for the hunt with steeds that drove the quarry from cover,

We rose to hunt with clamorous gear,

مثلِ البدورِ الزُّهْرِ طالعاتِ

مثلِ البدورِ الزُّهْرِ طالعاتِ

تخالُها بالتِّبرِ مُشْرَباتِ

تخالُها بالتِّبرِ مُشْرَباتِ

like radiant full moons rising,

Like radiant full moons rising,

which you would imagine overlaid with gold,

You would think them suffused with gold dust,

وسُرُجٍ كالشُّهبِ ذاكياتِ

وسُرُجٍ كالشُّهبِ ذاكياتِ

بمُرعداتٍ وبمُبرقاتِ

بمُرعداتٍ وبمُبرقاتِ

with saddles blazing like meteors,

And lamps blazing like shooting stars,

upon thunderers and lightning-flashers,

With things that thunder and things that flash,

زاهرةٍ كزاهرِ النباتِ

زاهرةٍ كزاهرِ النباتِ

تُراعُ منهنَّ مها الفلاةِ

تُراعُ منهنَّ مها الفلاةِ

resplendent as vegetation in bloom;

Bright as the bloom of plants,

the oryx of the wilderness were terrified by them.

The wilderness's oryx take fright at them.

وأكلُبٍ تستغرقُ الصِّفاتِ

وأكلُبٍ تستغرقُ الصِّفاتِ

ضوامرِ الاحشاءِ مُخطَفاتِ

ضوامرِ الاحشاءِ مُخطَفاتِ

And hounds beyond all power of description,

And hounds that exhaust all description,

gaunt-bellied and swift to seize,

Lean of belly, tucked-up at the waist,

إلى دماءِ الصَّيْدِ صادياتِ

إلى دماءِ الصَّيْدِ صادياتِ

باسطَةِ الآذانِ سابِغاتِ

باسطَةِ الآذانِ سابِغاتِ

thirsting for the blood of game,

Thirsting for the blood of game,

their long, ample ears spread wide,

Their ears extended, long and ample,

سواقطِ الأرجاءِ ساكناتِ

سواقطِ الأرجاءِ ساكناتِ

بلؤلؤِ الطَّلِّ مُقرَّطاتِ

بلؤلؤِ الطَّلِّ مُقرَّطاتِ

their edges drooping, motionless,

Drooping at the edges, lying still,

earringed with pearls of dew.

Hung with earrings of pearly dew.

فَعَنَّ من سِربٍ ومن ظَبْياتِ

فَعَنَّ من سِربٍ ومن ظَبْياتِ

مشتبِهِ التيجانِ والشِّياتِ

مشتبِهِ التيجانِ والشِّياتِ

Then a herd and massed companies came into view,

Then some of a flock and some gazelles appeared,

their crowns and markings much alike.

Alike in their crowns and markings.

ترى الرَّوامجَ مصندَلاتِ

ترى الرَّوامجَ مصندَلاتِ

قد جلَّلَتْهنَّ مفرِّجاتِ

قد جلَّلَتْهنَّ مفرِّجاتِ

You saw the lances crowded close,

You see the rāmij birds, sandalwood-tinted,

already cloaked in parted-open mantles

Already wrapped in mantles that part

عن يققِ البطونِ واللّبّاتِ

عن يققِ البطونِ واللّبّاتِ

وزيُِّنَتْ منها ذُرى الهاماتِ

وزيُِّنَتْ منها ذُرى الهاماتِ

that revealed the dazzling white of bellies and breasts;

To reveal snow-white bellies and upper breasts.

and among them the crowns of their heads adorned them,

And the tops of their heads were adorned,

فطُوِّقَت من شِبَعٍ طاقاتِ

فطُوِّقَت من شِبَعٍ طاقاتِ

فلم تزل تنظُرُ حائراتِ

فلم تزل تنظُرُ حائراتِ

while fatness ringed them, fold upon fold.

So they were encircled with bands of fullness.

They never ceased bellowing, bewildered,

So they kept gazing in bewilderment,

راسفةً رسْفَ المقيَّداتِ

راسفةً رسْفَ المقيَّداتِ

قد عَمِيتْ عن سُبُلِ النَّجاةِ

قد عَمِيتْ عن سُبُلِ النَّجاةِ

shuffling like fettered captives,

Shuffling with the gait of fettered creatures,

blinded to the paths of escape.

Blind now to the paths of escape.

ثمَّتَ صافحنا المُحَبَّناتِ

ثمَّتَ صافحنا المُحَبَّناتِ

نحورُها كَثَلَّةِ الرُّعاةِ

نحورُها كَثَلَّةِ الرُّعاةِ

Then we made the curved blades clasp

Then we shook hands with the swollen-bellied creatures,

their throats, massed like a shepherd's flock,

Their breasts like the shepherds' flock.

حتى إذا لاح الصباحُ الآتي

حتى إذا لاح الصباحُ الآتي

ونشرَ الشرقُ مُعصفَراتِ

ونشرَ الشرقُ مُعصفَراتِ

until, when the coming dawn appeared,

Until, when the coming dawn appeared,

and the East unfurled saffron-dyed rays,

And the east unfurled safflower-dyed veils,

تَنْقَضُّ حتى صِرْنَ مُذْهَباتِ

تَنْقَضُّ حتى صِرْنَ مُذْهَباتِ

قُمنا بها بيضاً مجرَّداتِ

قُمنا بها بيضاً مجرَّداتِ

they swooped downward until they turned golden.

Swooping down until they became gilded,

We rose with them—white blades drawn bare,

We rose with white blades drawn bare,

تحسبها العين مفضضات

تحسبها العين مفضضات

فعُدْنَ منهنَّ مخضَّباتِ

فعُدْنَ منهنَّ مخضَّباتِ

which the eye would think silvered;

The eye would think them silver-plated;

and from those beasts they returned blood-dyed.

Then they returned from the quarry, blood-stained.

وارتفعتْ قدورُنا اللواتي

وارتفعتْ قدورُنا اللواتي

تعتامُ في الخِصبِ وفي الأَزْماتِ

تعتامُ في الخِصبِ وفي الأَزْماتِ

Then up rose our cauldrons—the ones

And up went our cauldrons, which

sought alike in plenty and in times of hardship.

Are sought out in plenty and in hard times.

ترى بناتِ الماءِ غالياتِ

ترى بناتِ الماءِ غالياتِ

مشرفةً منها على الحافاتِ

مشرفةً منها على الحافاتِ

You saw the daughters of water boiling,

You see the water's daughters boiling,

rising from them above the rims,

Protruding from them above the rims,

مثلَ كبارِ الراءِ طافياتِ

مثلَ كبارِ الراءِ طافياتِ

فهي وما فيها من الأقواتِ

فهي وما فيها من الأقواتِ

floating like great letter rāʾs.

Floating like large forms of the letter rāʾ.

They, and all the food within them,

So they, and whatever food they hold,

للضيفِ والجيرانِ والجاراتِ

للضيفِ والجيرانِ والجاراتِ

were for the guest, the neighbors, and the neighbor-women.

Are for the guest and the neighbors, men and women.