بانَdeparted الخَليطُthe companion tribe وَرُفِّعَand were raised الخِرقُthe tent-cloths
بانَ الخَليطُ وَرُفِّعَ الخِرقُ
فَفُؤادُهُso his heart فيin الحَيِّthe tribe مُعتَلِقُattached
فَفُؤادُهُ في الحَيِّ مُعتَلِقُ
The companion tribe departed, and the tent-cloths were raised;
The mixture has clarified and the sieve raised,
so his heart remains attached to the tribe.
So his heart clung to the living.
مَنَعواthey withheld طَلاقَهُمُtheir release وَنائِلُهُمand their bounty
مَنَعوا طَلاقَهُمُ وَنائِلُهُم
يَومَon the day of الفِراقِparting وَرَهنُهُمand their pledge غَلَقُforfeit
يَومَ الفِراقِ وَرَهنُهُم غَلَقُ
They withheld release and their bounty
They prevented their divorce and their goal,
on the day of parting, and their pledge remained forfeit.
The day they parted, and their pledge was locked.
قَطَعواthey crossed المَزاهِرَal-Mazahir وَاِستَتَبَّand lay open بِهِمfor them
قَطَعوا المَزاهِرَ وَاِستَتَبَّ بِهِم
يَومَon the day of الرَحيلِdeparture لِلَعلَعٍto La'la' طُرُقُroads
يَومَ الرَحيلِ لِلَعلَعٍ طُرُقُ
They crossed al-Mazahir, and for them lay open
They cut off the flowers, and they were confined by them
on departure day, roads to La'la'.
The day of departure to Al 'Alaq ways.
تَرعىgraze رِياضَthe meadows of الأَخرَمَينِal-Akhramayn لَهُمfor them
تَرعى رِياضَ الأَخرَمَينِ لَهُم
فيهاin them مَوارِدُwatering places ماؤُهاtheir water غَدَقُabundant
فيها مَوارِدُ ماؤُها غَدَقُ
Their herds graze al-Akhramayn's meadows; they have
It grazes the meadows of Al Akhramayn for them
watering places there whose water is abundant.
In it are abundant watering places for it.
بِكَثيبِat the dune of حَربَةَHarbah أَوor بِحَومَلَat Hawmal أَوor
بِكَثيبِ حَربَةَ أَو بِحَومَلَ أَو
مِنon دونِهِthis side of it مِنfrom عالِجٍ'Alij بُرَقُstony sand tracts
مِن دونِهِ مِن عالِجٍ بُرَقُ
At Harbah's dune, or at Hawmal, or
With the sand dune of Harbah or Hawmal
on this side of it, among 'Alij's stony sands.
Or less than it, from a healer lightning.
تامَتshe enthralled فُؤادَكَyour heart إِذwhen لَهُto it عَرَضَتshe appeared
تامَت فُؤادَكَ إِذ لَهُ عَرَضَت
حَسَنٌbeautiful بِرَأيِto the sight of العَينِthe eye ماwhat تَمِقُyou love
حَسَنٌ بِرَأيِ العَينِ ما تَمِقُ
She enthralled your heart when she appeared to it;
Your heart was fulfilled when it was presented to you
fair to the eye is whatever you love.
Good in the eye's view, however it turns.
بانَتshe departed وَصَدعٌand a crack فيin الفُؤادِthe heart بِهاbecause of her
بانَت وَصَدعٌ في الفُؤادِ بِها
صَدعُa crack in الزُجاجَةِthe glass vessel لَيسَdoes not يَتَّفِقُmend
صَدعُ الزُجاجَةِ لَيسَ يَتَّفِقُ
She departed, leaving because of her a crack in the heart—
It became clear and a crack in the heart because of it
a glass vessel's crack, which will not mend.
The crack of the glass jar does not match.
وَكَأَنَّand as though غِزلانَgazelles الصَرائِمِthe sand patches إِذwhen
وَكَأَنَّ غِزلانَ الصَرائِمِ إِذ
مَتَعَrose high النَهارُdaylight وَأَرشَقَand gazed keenly الحَدَقُthe eyes
مَتَعَ النَهارُ وَأَرشَقَ الحَدَقُ
And like gazelles of the sand patches, when
It is as if the gazelles of meadows when
daylight rose high and their eyes gazed keenly;
The day shone and the eyelids shone.
وَمَهاًand white crystal يَرِفُّgleams كَأَنَّهُas though it were بَرَدٌhail
وَمَهاً يَرِفُّ كَأَنَّهُ بَرَدٌ
نَزَلَfell السَحابَةِthe cloud ماؤُهُits water يَدِقُfalls in fine drops
نَزَلَ السَحابَةِ ماؤُهُ يَدِقُ
and white crystal gleaming as though it were hail
And fog that flows as if it is cold
fallen from the cloud, its water dripping finely;
Its water dripped from the cloud and flows.
عانِيَّةٌwine from 'Anah صِرفٌunmixed مُعَتَّقَةٌaged
عانِيَّةٌ صِرفٌ مُعَتَّقَةٌ
يَسعىhastens بِهاwith it ذوone wearing تومَةٍa pearl earring لَبِقُdeft
يَسعى بِها ذو تومَةٍ لَبِقُ
unmixed, aged wine from 'Anah—
A she-camel, excellent lineage, socialized
a deft man wearing a pearl earring hastens with it.
A man with a blaze hurries with it.
ياO اِبنَson of الَّذيthose who دانَتsubmitted لِعِزِّهِمُto their might
يا اِبنَ الَّذي دانَت لِعِزِّهِمُ
بَذَخُthe haughty المُلوكِkings وَدانَتِand submitted السُوَقُthe common folk
بَذَخُ المُلوكِ وَدانَتِ السُوَقُ
O son of those to whose might bowed
O son of those who their glory humbled
the haughty kings, and the common folk bowed too.
The pomp of kings and markets bowed.
بَحرٌa sea مِنَof المَدّادِswelling waters ذوwith حَدَبٍhigh crests
بَحرٌ مِنَ المَدّادِ ذو حَدَبٍ
سَهلُgentle الخَليفَةِdisposition ماnot بِهِin him غَلَقُinaccessibility
سَهلُ الخَليفَةِ ما بِهِ غَلَقُ
A sea of swelling waters, with high crests,
A sea of ink, humpbacked
gentle in disposition, with no forbidding reserve.
The Caliph's plain, nothing locks it.
وَأَغَرُّand a noble, white-blazed one تُقصِرُfall short دونَshort of غايَتِهِhis goal
وَأَغَرُّ تُقصِرُ دونَ غايَتِهِ
غُرُّthe white-blazed السَوابِقِfrontrunners حينَwhen تَستَبِقُthey race
غُرُّ السَوابِقِ حينَ تَستَبِقُ
And a noble, white-blazed one, short of whose goal fall
The proudest fails short of its goal
the white-blazed frontrunners when they race.
When the forerunners compete and outdo.
قَبلَbefore اِمرِئِa man تُرجىare hoped for فَواضِلُهُhis favors
قَبلَ اِمرِئِ تُرجى فَواضِلُهُ
قَدalready نالَنيhas reached me مِنfrom باعِهِhis reach طَلَقُa freely given gift
قَد نالَني مِن باعِهِ طَلَقُ
Before a man whose favors are hoped for,
Before the man whose merits are hoped for
a generous gift from his outstretched arm has already reached me.
His sale has gotten me what I want from him.
قَدindeed نالَنيhas reached me مِنهُfrom him عَلىamid عَوَزٍwant
قَد نالَني مِنهُ عَلى عَوَزٍ
مِثلُlike النَخيلِpalm trees صِغارُهاtheir smallest السُحُقُtowering
مِثلُ النَخيلِ صِغارُها السُحُقُ
There came to me from him, in my need,
His sale has gotten me from him in need
camels like palm trees, their smallest towering high,
Like the palm trees, their smallest ones plucked.
غُلُبُthick العُذوقِdate-clusters عَلىabove كَوافِرِهِits spathes
غُلُبُ العُذوقِ عَلى كَوافِرِهِ
مُتَلَفِّعٌwrapped بِالليفِin palm fiber مُنتَطِقُgirdled
مُتَلَفِّعٌ بِالليفِ مُنتَطِقُ
with thick date-clusters above their spathes,
The bunches' mastery over their palms
wrapped in palm fiber and girdled.
Wearing the fibers speaking fluently.
وَلَهاand they have إِذاwhen لَحِقَتhave dwindled ثَمائِلُهاtheir belly-stores
وَلَها إِذا لَحِقَت ثَمائِلُها
جَوزٌa midsection أَعَمُّmassive وَمَشفَرٌand a camel's lip خَفِقُflapping
جَوزٌ أَعَمُّ وَمَشفَرٌ خَفِقُ
And when their belly-stores are depleted, they have
And when its dangling bunches joined it
massive middles and flapping lips.
A common walnut and a soft pistachio.
مَنone who لَيسَthere is no فيهِin him حينَwhen تَسأَلُهُyou ask him
مَن لَيسَ فيهِ حينَ تَسأَلُهُ
بَخَلٌstinginess وَلاnor فيin صَفوِهِhis clarity رَنَقُmuddiness
بَخَلٌ وَلا في صَفوِهِ رَنَقُ
One who, when you ask him, has no
One who has no stinginess when you ask him
stinginess, nor any muddiness in his clarity.
Nor finickiness in his elite.
وَلَأَنتَand indeed you أَشجَعُbraver مِنthan أُسامَةَUsamah, the lion إِذwhen
وَلَأَنتَ أَشجَعُ مِن أُسامَةَ إِذ
شُدَّwere tightened المَناطِقُthe belts تَحتَهاbeneath them الحَلَقُmail-rings
شُدَّ المَناطِقُ تَحتَها الحَلَقُ
And indeed you are braver than Usamah, the lion, when
And you are braver than Usamah when
the belts were cinched, rings of mail beneath them,
The loins are girded under them the throat.
وَتَنازَلواand they engaged one another شُعثاًdisheveled مَقادِمُهُمtheir forelocks
وَتَنازَلوا شُعثاً مَقادِمُهُم
مُتَوَسِّمينَsizing one another up وَبَينَهُمand between them حَنَقُrancor
مُتَوَسِّمينَ وَبَينَهُم حَنَقُ
and they engaged one another, their forelocks disheveled,
And they approached unkempt, their arrivals
sizing each other up, with rancor between them.
Branded, and between them there is hatred.
حَمَلواthey bore السُيوفَthe swords عَلىupon عَواتِقِهِمtheir shoulders
حَمَلوا السُيوفَ عَلى عَواتِقِهِم
وَعَلىand upon الأَكُفِّthe palms وَبَينَهُمand between them عَلَقُblood
وَعَلى الأَكُفِّ وَبَينَهُم عَلَقُ
They bore their swords upon their shoulders
They carried the swords on their shoulders
and in their palms, with blood between them.
And on the palms, and between them chains.
وَتَزورُand you visit أَرضَهُمُtheir land بِذيwith a host full of لَجَبٍclamor
وَتَزورُ أَرضَهُمُ بِذي لَجَبٍ
قَصدَin the midst of العَشِيِّthe evening غُبوقُهُits evening draught المَرَقُbroth
قَصدَ العَشِيِّ غُبوقُهُ المَرَقُ
And you visit their land with a clamorous host,
You visit their land with someone shaggy
in mid-evening, its evening draught is broth.
Headed for the evening, his darkness dyeing.
كَغَماغِمِlike the low bellowing of الثيرانِthe bulls بَينَهُمُamong them
كَغَماغِمِ الثيرانِ بَينَهُمُ
ضَربٌblows تُغَمَّضُare shut دونَهُbefore it الحَدَقُthe eyes
ضَربٌ تُغَمَّضُ دونَهُ الحَدَقُ
Like the low bellowing of bulls, among them
Like the roaring of bulls between them
are blows before which eyes are shut.
A blow you squint your eyes from beneath it.