وخُودٍand a tender maiden رَاقَdelighted مِنهَاof her مَاwhat تَرَاهُyou see it
وخُودٍ رَاقَ مِنهَا مَا تَرَاهُ
تَرَدَّدُmoves to and fro فيamong مَحَاسِنِهَاher charms المَهَاهُradiance
تَرَدَّدُ في مَحَاسِنِهَا المَهَاهُ
A maiden—how pleasing is all of her that meets your eye;
And a tender maiden—what you see of her enchants;
the oryx wanders among her beauties.
radiance plays among her charms.
فَمَاso never تَرمِيshe shoots at صحِيحَsound القَلبِthe heart ِإلاexcept
فَمَا تَرمِي صحِيحَ القَلبِ ِإلا
تَوَجَّعَhe felt pain وَهوَwhile he قَائِلٌsaying أوََّتَاهُalas!
تَوَجَّعَ وَهوَ قَائِلٌ أوََّتَاهُ
She never takes aim at a sound heart but
She never shoots at one sound of heart but
she pains it, till it cries, “Alas!”
he aches, crying, 'Alas!'
مُقَطَّعَةِbroken into phrases الكَلاَمِspeech فَلَيسَso not يَسمُوrises
مُقَطَّعَةِ الكَلاَمِ فَلَيسَ يَسمُو
بِمَنطِقِهَاin her speech سَفَافٌbaseness أَوor سِفَاهُfolly
بِمَنطِقِهَا سَفَافٌ أَو سِفَاهُ
Her speech comes measured, phrase by phrase; never does
Her speech comes in brief phrases; no
baseness or folly rise in what she says.
baseness or folly rises in her words.
وَلضمand did not (probable reading) أرَI see قَبلَهَاbefore her سِحراًmagic مُبِيناًmanifest
وَلضم أرَ قَبلَهَا سِحراً مُبِيناً
تُعَقِّدُهُknots it together العَوَارِضُthe side teeth والشِّفَاهُand the lips
تُعَقِّدُهُ العَوَارِضُ والشِّفَاهُ
Never before her had I seen such manifest magic,
Before her I had never seen manifest magic
knotted by the side teeth and the lips.
knotted together by her teeth and lips.
إذَاwhen مَاemphasis particle قُلتُI said يَاO هَنتُwoman ارحَمِينيhave mercy on me
إذَا مَا قُلتُ يَا هَنتُ ارحَمِيني
تَقُولُshe says مُجِيبَةٌreplying لاَهno يَاO هَنَاهُfellow
تَقُولُ مُجِيبَةٌ لاَه يَا هَنَاهُ
Whenever I say, “Hind, have mercy on me,”
When I say, 'O woman, have mercy on me,'
she answers, “No, you there!”
she replies, 'No, O fellow!'
فَقدfor already حَانَthe time has come انتِبَهُكَyour awakening بَعدَafter نَومٍsleep
فَقد حَانَ انتِبَهُكَ بَعدَ نَومٍ
وكَمand many a نَومٍsleep لِصَاحِبِهِfor its sleeper إنتِبَاهُan awakening
وكَم نَومٍ لِصَاحِبِهِ إنتِبَاهُ
The time has come for you to awaken after sleep;
For the time has come for your awakening after sleep,
how many a sleep holds an awakening for its sleeper.
and many a sleep has an awakening for its sleeper.
فَذَاso this أُفَّاهُUffah نَبَّهَawakened كُلَّevery قَلبٍheart
فَذَا أُفَّاهُ نَبَّهَ كُلَّ قَلبٍ
بِمَاwith what مِنfrom قَبلَهُbefore him العُلَمَاءُthe scholars فَاهُوthey uttered
بِمَا مِن قَبلَهُ العُلَمَاءُ فَاهُو
Here is his cry of grief—it has awakened every heart
So this Uffah has awakened every heart
with what the scholars before him uttered.
with what the scholars before him uttered.
بَضِيرٌwell-versed (probable reading) بِالفُنُونِin the disciplines وَمَاand what حَوَتهُthey contained it
بَضِيرٌ بِالفُنُونِ وَمَا حَوَتهُ
ومِنand from حَوبِguilt الذُّنُوبِsins وَقَاهُshielded him فَاهُhis mouth
ومِن حَوبِ الذُّنُوبِ وَقَاهُ فَاهُ
A master of the arts and all that they encompass;
He is versed in the disciplines and all they contain,
from the guilt of sins his mouth has shielded him.
and his mouth has shielded him from the guilt of sins.
جَوَادٌgenerous مُطعِمٌone who feeds others فيin كُلِّevery مَحلٍdrought
جَوَادٌ مُطعِمٌ في كُلِّ مَحلٍ
ِإذَاwhen مَاemphasis particle الرِّيحُthe wind أرجَفَهَاmade it tremble العَضَاهُthe thorn trees
ِإذَا مَا الرِّيحُ أرجَفَهَا العَضَاهُ
Generous, feeding others in every season of drought,
Generous, he feeds others in every drought,
when the thorn trees set the wind trembling.
when the thorn trees set the wind trembling.
وقَالُواand they said مَنwho فَتًىa young man فيamong النَّاسِthe people يُدعَىis summoned
وقَالُوا مَن فَتًى في النَّاسِ يُدعَى
لِحَادِثَةٍfor a calamity فَقَالَso he said لَهُمto them أنَاI هُوhe
لِحَادِثَةٍ فَقَالَ لَهُم أنَا هُو
They said, “What champion among the people may be summoned
And they asked, 'Which young man among the people is summoned
for a crisis?” He said to them, “I am he.”
in a crisis?' He told them, 'I am he.'
وقَدand already عَرَفُواthey knew بِمَكرُمَةٍfor nobility وفَضلٍand merit
وقَد عَرَفُوا بِمَكرُمَةٍ وفَضلٍ
أبَاهُhis father قَبلَهُbefore him وأَبَاand the father of أبَاهُhis father
أبَاهُ قَبلَهُ وأَبَا أبَاهُ
For noble deeds and merit, they had already known
And for nobility and merit they had already known
his father before him, and his father’s father.
his father before him, and his father's father.
لَهُمtheirs مَجدٌglory تَلِيدٌancestral غَيرُnot نَزرٍscant
لَهُم مَجدٌ تَلِيدٌ غَيرُ نَزرٍ
وَعِزٍّand honor غَيرِnot مَنزُورٍdiminished وَجَاهُand standing
وَعِزٍّ غَيرِ مَنزُورٍ وَجَاهُ
Theirs is ancient, inherited glory, never scant,
Theirs is ancestral glory, far from scant,
and might undiminished, and prestige.
and undiminished honor and high standing.
ضَرَاغِمُlions فيin الحُرُوبشthe wars (probable reading) هُمthey ِإذَاwhen مَاemphasis particle
ضَرَاغِمُ في الحُرُوبش هُم ِإذَا مَا
تَعَفَّرَتِbecame dust-covered الذَّوَائِبُthe forelocks والجِبَاهُand the foreheads
تَعَفَّرَتِ الذَّوَائِبُ والجِبَاهُ
In war they are lions whenever
Lions in war are they, whenever
forelocks and brows are grimed with dust.
forelocks and foreheads are coated in dust.
فَكًَمso many بَعَثَتsent forth أكُفَّهمtheir hands غُيُوثاًrain showers
فَكًَم بَعَثَت أكُفَّهم غُيُوثاً
ِإلَىtoward أرضِthe land of العَدُوِّthe enemy لَهَاthey have إِتِّجَاهُa course
ِإلَى أرضِ العَدُوِّ لَهَا إِتِّجَاهُ
How many rainstorms their hands have sent forth,
So many rain showers their hands have sent forth,
bound straight for the enemy’s land.
whose course is toward the enemy's land.
فَهُمso they فيin العِلمِlearning قَدindeed ذَهَبُواthey went وَجاءُواand they came
فَهُم في العِلمِ قَد ذَهَبُوا وَجاءُوا
وَهُمand they فيin المَجدِglory قَدindeed رَادُواthey roamed وَرَاهُواand they ranged (uncertain)
وَهُم في المَجدِ قَد رَادُوا وَرَاهُوا
In knowledge they have gone forth and returned;
Thus in learning they have gone and come,
in glory they have sought and vied.
and in glory they have roamed and ranged.
