التُركُthe Turks إِنif لَبِسواthey put on يَوماًone day تَرائِكَهُمtheir helmets
التُركُ إِن لَبِسوا يَوماً تَرائِكَهُم
عَلىover الدُّروعِthe armor وَأَلقَواand they cast aside بِالشَرابيشِthe caps
عَلى الدُّروعِ وَأَلقَوا بِالشَرابيشِ
If the Turks one day don their helmets
The Turks, if one day they don their coats of mail
over their armor and cast aside their caps,
And cast aside their robes,
أَلفَيتَyou would find أُسداًlions عَلىupon الأَعداءِthe enemies واثِبَةًleaping
أَلفَيتَ أُسداً عَلى الأَعداءِ واثِبَةً
إِذاwhen اِنحَنَواthey bend down فيin قَرابيسِsaddle-bows الأَكاديشِnon-Arabian horses
إِذا اِنحَنَوا في قَرابيسِ الأَكاديشِ
you would find lions leaping upon their foes,
You would find a lion pouncing on the foe
when they bend over the saddle-bows of their non-Arabian horses.
When they bend low in the saddles of their steeds.
تَلقىyou meet مَلائِكَةًangels قَدalready أَرسَلَتhave sent شُهُباًshooting stars
تَلقى مَلائِكَةً قَد أَرسَلَت شُهُباً
عَلىupon العَفاريتِthe demons مِنfrom أُفقِthe horizon of التَراكيشِthe quivers
عَلى العَفاريتِ مِن أُفقِ التَراكيشِ
You meet angels who have hurled shooting stars
You would see angels who have hurled flames
at demons from the horizon of their quivers:
Upon the demons from the horizon of the Turks.
بُدورُfull moons تِمٍّfullness تَمَطّىstretched out فيamong الأَهِلَّةِthe crescents تَرshoots (first fragment of ترمي)
بُدورُ تِمٍّ تَمَطّى في الأَهِلَّةِ تَر
ميcompletes ترمي, meaning 'shoots' بِالكَواكِبِwith stars لاnot العيدانِwooden shafts وَالرّيشِand feathers
مي بِالكَواكِبِ لا العيدانِ وَالرّيشِ
full moons stretching amid crescents, shooting
Pure stars - not firebrands or feathers -
stars, not wooden shafts and feathers.
Adorn their Sickles during the Crescent festival.
شامواthey unsheathed جَداوِلَstreams لَمّاwhen اِستَلأَمواthey donned armor غُدُراًpools
شاموا جَداوِلَ لَمّا اِستَلأَموا غُدُراً
فَأَوقَدواso they kindled بِمِياهٍwith waters نارَthe fire of شاليشِbattle
فَأَوقَدوا بِمِياهٍ نارَ شاليشِ
They unsheathed streams when they armored themselves in pools,
They have forbidden wine when they embraced Islam,
and with water kindled the fire of battle.
So they kindled with water the fire of alliance.
عادواthey returned أجادِلَfalcons دَجنٍgloom صَيدُهاtheir quarry أُسُدٌlions
عادوا أجادِلَ دَجنٍ صَيدُها أُسُدٌ
مُرَدَّفينَwith riders seated behind them بِهاwith them فَوقَupon الكَبابيشِthe saddlecloths
مُرَدَّفينَ بِها فَوقَ الكَبابيشِ
They returned as falcons of the gloom, their quarry lions,
They have returned as arguing knights whose prey is a lion,
with these seated behind them upon the saddlecloths.
Mounted atop their saddled horses.
فَلَيسَso it is not يُطرِبُهُمdelights them إِلاexcept اِستِماعُهُمtheir hearing
فَلَيسَ يُطرِبُهُم إِلا اِستِماعُهُم
دُعاءَthe plea of مُستَصرِخٍone crying for help أَوor صَوتَthe voice of شاويشِa sergeant
دُعاءَ مُستَصرِخٍ أَو صَوتَ شاويشِ
Nothing delights them but hearing
They are delighted by nothing
the plea of one crying for help, or a sergeant's voice.
Except hearing the scream of a supplicant or the sound of a prowler.
أَبصارُthe eyes of أَعدائِهِمtheir enemies تَعشىgrow dim بِنورِهمby their light
أَبصارُ أَعدائِهِم تَعشى بِنورِهم
أَنّىhow تَرىsee الشَمسَthe sun أَبصارُthe eyes of الخَفافيشِbats
أَنّى تَرى الشَمسَ أَبصارُ الخَفافيشِ
Their enemies' eyes are dazzled by their light:
The eyes of their enemies are blinded by their light;
how can bats' eyes behold the sun?
How can the eyes of bats bear the sun?
مَتىwhenever رَنَواthey gaze وَمَتىand whenever اِفتَرّواthey smile حَنَواthey show affection وَحَبَواand they bestow
مَتى رَنَوا وَمَتى اِفتَرّوا حَنَوا وَحَبَوا
بِالسِحرِwith magic مِنfrom بابِلٍBabylon وَالدُرِّand pearls مِنfrom كيشِKish
بِالسِحرِ مِن بابِلٍ وَالدُرِّ مِن كيشِ
Whenever they gaze, and whenever they smile, they show affection and bestow gifts:
When did they sleep or take a break? They care and love
magic from Babylon and pearls from Kish.
With magic from Babylon and pearls from Cush.
هُمُthey الأُلىthose whose غَرَّقَdrowned الإِفرَنجَthe Franks سَيلُهُمtheir flood
هُمُ الأُلى غَرَّقَ الإِفرَنجَ سَيلُهُم
فَأَشبَهواso they resembled عُنصُلاًsquill باديshowing الأَنابيشِthe roots
فَأَشبَهوا عُنصُلاً بادي الأَنابيشِ
They are those whose flood drowned the Franks,
They are the flood which drowned the Franks,
so they resembled squill with its roots laid bare.
And so resembled vines with broken stems.
هُمُthey مَمالِكُmamluks موسىMusa وَهوَand he إِنif ذُكِرَare mentioned الthe (split prefix of الملوك)
هُمُ مَمالِكُ موسى وَهوَ إِن ذُكِرَ ال
مُلوكُkings أَفضَلُthe finest ذيa wearer of تاجٍa crown وَشَربوشِand a cap
مُلوكُ أَفضَلُ ذي تاجٍ وَشَربوشِ
They are Musa's mamluks; and he, when the
They are the kingdoms of Moses, and if he is mentioned,
kings are named, is the finest wearer of crown and cap.
They are the best kings with crown and turban.
لاmay not زالَcease بِالنصرِwith victory مَعقودَbound اللِواءِthe banner وَفيand in
لا زالَ بِالنصرِ مَعقودَ اللِواءِ وَفي
ظِلٍّshade ظَليلٍdeep بِعَرشِby the throne of المُلكِkingship مَعروشِcanopied
ظِلٍّ ظَليلٍ بِعَرشِ المُلكِ مَعروشِ
May his banner ever be bound to victory, and may he dwell
The banner of victory is still tied to them, and beneath
in deep shade, canopied by the throne of kingship,
The shade of the royal throne they are sheltered.
ماas long as غَنَّتِsing الوُرقُgray doves فيamong الأَغصانِthe branches صادِحَةًsinging aloud
ما غَنَّتِ الوُرقُ في الأَغصانِ صادِحَةً
تَهُزُّهُنَّstirs them صَباthe east wind of نَجدٍNajd بِتَحريشِwith incitement
تَهُزُّهُنَّ صَبا نَجدٍ بِتَحريشِ
as long as gray doves sing aloud among the branches,
The leaves have not sung in the branches,
as Najd's east wind stirs them, urging them on.
Stirred by the Najdi breeze with rustling.