خُذِلتُI was forsaken عَلىon لَيلَةٍa night ساهِرَهsleepless
خُذِلتُ عَلى لَيلَةٍ ساهِرَه
بِصَحراءِin the desert of شَرجٍSharj إِلىtoward ناظِرَهNāẓirah
بِصَحراءِ شَرجٍ إِلى ناظِرَه
I was left forsaken through a sleepless night,
I was forsaken on a sleepless night,
on Sharj’s desert plain, out toward Nāẓirah.
in the desert of Sharj, toward Nāẓirah.
تُزادُare lengthened لَيالِيَّmy nights فيin طولِهاtheir length
تُزادُ لَيالِيَّ في طولِها
فَلَيسَتso they are not بِطَلقٍmild وَلاnor ساكِرَهwindless
فَلَيسَت بِطَلقٍ وَلا ساكِرَه
My nights keep growing longer,
My nights are made longer,
neither fair nor still.
so they are neither mild nor windless.
كَأَنَّas though أَطاوِلَthe longest شَوكِthorns of السِيالِthe siyāl acacia
كَأَنَّ أَطاوِلَ شَوكِ السِيالِ
تَشُكُّprick بِهاduring it مَضجَعيmy bed شاجِرَهpiercing
تَشُكُّ بِها مَضجَعي شاجِرَه
As though the tallest thorns of the sayāl tree
As though the longest thorns of the siyāl acacia
were piercing my bed, all tangled together.
were pricking my bed that night, piercing it.
أَنوءُI rise laboriously بِرِجلٍon a leg بِهاin it ذِهنُهاits strength
أَنوءُ بِرِجلٍ بِها ذِهنُها
وَأَعيَتand has grown weary بِهاbeside it أُختُهاits sister الغابِرَهthe remaining one
وَأَعيَت بِها أُختُها الغابِرَه
I heave myself up on one leg that still has strength,
I rise laboriously on a leg that has its strength,
while its sister—the lagging one—has failed from weariness.
and its remaining sister has grown weary beside it.
