وَمِرنانٍand a resonant one مُعَبِّسَةٍfrowning ضَحوكlaughing
وَمِرنانٍ مُعَبِّسَةٍ ضَحوك
مُهَذَّبَةِrefined الطَبائِعِdispositions وَالكَيانِand constitution
مُهَذَّبَةِ الطَبائِعِ وَالكَيانِ
And a resonant one, frowning yet laughing,
With frowning smiles and tempers refined
Refined in temperament and constitution,
Bearing, but moving not, and striking, but handless
مُغالِبَةٍcontending وَلَيسَand there is no بِهاin her حَراكٌmovement
مُغالِبَةٍ وَلَيسَ بِها حَراكٌ
وَباطِشَةٍand striking fiercely وَلَيسَand there are no لَهاfor her يَدانِtwo hands
وَباطِشَةٍ وَلَيسَ لَها يَدانِ
Contending, yet there is no movement in her,
The lineage in her is nobly designed
And striking fiercely, though she has no hands.
Though she's not akin in her meanings
لَهاhers is فيin الجارِحِthe bird of prey النَسَبُّkinship المُعَلّىexalted
لَها في الجارِحِ النَسَبُّ المُعَلّى
وَإِنand even though هِيَshe خالَفَتهُdiffers from it فيin المَعانيqualities
وَإِن هِيَ خالَفَتهُ في المَعاني
Her kinship with the bird of prey is exalted,
She flies with the swift, without wings to assist her
Though she differs from it in her qualities.
And beats them to the goal of the race as she ran
تَطيرُshe flies مَعَwith البُزاةِthe hawks بِلاwithout جَناحٍa wing
تَطيرُ مَعَ البُزاةِ بِلا جَناحٍ
فَتَسبِقُهاso she outstrips them إِلىto قَصَبِthe prize-reed الرِهانِthe race
فَتَسبِقُها إِلى قَصَبِ الرِهانِ
She flies with the hawks without a wing,
She reaches whatever she wills without legs
Then outstrips them to the race's prize-reed.
No camel has she, no ostrich to carry her plan
وَتُدرِكُand she reaches ماwhat تَشاءُshe wishes بِغَيرِwithout رِجلٍa foot
وَتُدرِكُ ما تَشاءُ بِغَيرِ رِجلٍ
وَلاnor باعٍan armspan يَطولُextends وَلاnor بَنانِfingertips
وَلا باعٍ يَطولُ وَلا بَنانِ
And reaches what she wishes without a foot,
She sees what no glance can take in at a time
Nor an extended armspan, nor fingertips.
No vision has she, she's sightless, and yet
وَتَلحَظُand she sees ماwhat يَكِلُّfails الطُرفُthe eye عَنهُwith regard to it
وَتَلحَظُ ما يَكِلُّ الطُرفُ عَنهُ
بِلاwithout نَظَرٍsight يَصِحُّthat is sound وَلاnor عيانِdirect vision
بِلا نَظَرٍ يَصِحُّ وَلا عيانِ
And she sees what the eye cannot discern,
She has members of sinew, of flesh, and the like
Without true sight or direct vision.
All the rest of her frame's made of lignum vitae
لَهاshe has عُضوانtwo members مِنof عَصَبٍsinew وَلَحمٍand flesh
لَها عُضوان مِن عَصَبٍ وَلَحمٍ
وَسائِرُand the rest جِسمِهاher body مِنof خَيزُرانِbamboo
وَسائِرُ جِسمِها مِن خَيزُرانِ
She has two members of sinew and flesh,
The birds speak to her out of the air
And the rest of her body is bamboo.
In a tongue not a word of it comes from the lips
يُخاطِبُaddresses فيin الهَواءِthe air الطَيرُthe birds مِنهاfrom her
يُخاطِبُ في الهَواءِ الطَيرُ مِنها
بِلَفظٍwith an utterance لَيسَdoes not يَصدُرُissue عَنfrom لِسانِa tongue
بِلَفظٍ لَيسَ يَصدُرُ عَن لِسانِ
From her comes a call to the birds in the air,
If she does not incline to them, frowning dissent
With an utterance that issues from no tongue.
Then of mud she can shape her a beak and eclipse
فَإِنso if لَمdo not تُصغِheed أَردَتهاshe fells them بِطَعنٍwith a thrust
فَإِن لَم تُصغِ أَردَتها بِطَعنٍ
يَنوبُstands in الطينُclay فيهِin it عَنِfor السِنانِthe spearhead
يَنوبُ الطينُ فيهِ عَنِ السِنانِ
So if they do not heed, she fells them with a thrust,
Decked out, begirt, with a mantle and robes
In which clay stands in for the spearhead.
Well-guarded, light-weighted; of neighbours the joy
مُقَرطَفَةٌcloaked مُمَنطَقَةٌgirdled خَلوبٌbeguiling
مُقَرطَفَةٌ مُمَنطَقَةٌ خَلوبٌ
مُهَفهَفَةًslender-waisted مُخَفَّفَةًlightened الجِرانِthe neck's underside
مُهَفهَفَةً مُخَفَّفَةً الجِرانِ
Cloaked, girdled, beguiling,
Now female, now male, changing hues
Slender-waisted and light of neck.
In the dresses she borrows from each in her ply
مُذَكَّرَةٌmasculine مُؤُنَّثَةٌfeminine تَهادىshe sways gracefully
مُذَكَّرَةٌ مُؤُنَّثَةٌ تَهادى
مِنَfrom الأَصباغِthe dyes فيin حُلَلِrobes القِيانِthe singing girls
مِنَ الأَصباغِ في حُلَلِ القِيانِ
Masculine and feminine, she sways gracefully,
Ageing, yet daily her youth renewed
In dyed robes, the garb of singing girls.
Till Time himself falters in following her track
مُعَمِّرَةٌlong-lived تَزايَدُincreases كُلَّeach يَومٍday
مُعَمِّرَةٌ تَزايَدُ كُلَّ يَومٍ
شَبيبِتُهاher youthfulness عَلىwith مَرِّthe passage الزَمانِtime
شَبيبِتُها عَلى مَرِّ الزَمانِ
Long-lived, she grows each day
As if God the Most Surety underwrote life for her
More youthful with the passage of time.
She stands pledged to us always to take nothing back
كَأَنَّas though اللَهَGod ضَمَنَهاguaranteed her فَبانَتso she became evident
كَأَنَّ اللَهَ ضَمَنَها فَبانَت
لَناto us فيin الرِّزقِsustenance عَنfrom أَوفىthe fullest ضَمانِguarantee
لَنا في الرِّزقِ عَن أَوفى ضَمانِ
As though God had guaranteed her, she proved
Harder to reach than horizons remote
To us the surest guarantee of sustenance.
Sweeter to hold than all other delights
أَعَزَّdearer عَلىto العُيونِthe eyes مِنَthan المَآقىthe inner eye-corners
أَعَزَّ عَلى العُيونِ مِنَ المَآقى
وَأَحلىand sweeter فيin النُفوسِthe souls مِنَthan الأَمانيthe wishes
وَأَحلى في النُفوسِ مِنَ الأَماني
Dearer to the eyes than their inner corners,
Whenever she comes and makes home in a place
And sweeter to souls than wishes.
The dearth and the arid must surely take flight
إِذاwhen ماever اِستَوطَنَتshe settles in يَوماًone day مَكاناًa place
إِذا ما اِستَوطَنَت يَوماً مَكاناً
تَوَلّىdeparts الجَدبُdrought عَنfrom ذاكthat المَكانِthe place
تَوَلّى الجَدبُ عَن ذاك المَكانِ
When one day she makes a place her home,
Drought departs from that place.
Partial English translation: 28 of 30 Arabic lines translated.