تَرى كُلَّ مُنشَقِّ القَميصِ كَأَنَّما

تَرى كُلَّ مُنشَقِّ القَميصِ كَأَنَّما

عَلَيهِ بِهِ سِلخٌ تَطيرُ رَعابِلُه

عَلَيهِ بِهِ سِلخٌ تَطيرُ رَعابِلُه

You see every torn-shirted man as though

Every tear in the torn shirt

he wore a shed skin, its tatters flying.

As if flayed skin on it, its tatters fluttering,

سَقاهُ الكَرى الإِدلاجُ حَتّى أَمالَهُ

سَقاهُ الكَرى الإِدلاجُ حَتّى أَمالَهُ

عَنِ الرَحلِ عَيناً رَأسُهُ وَمَفاصِلُه

عَنِ الرَحلِ عَيناً رَأسُهُ وَمَفاصِلُه

Night travel gave him sleep to drink, until he was tilted

Continual darkness made him lean

away from the saddle, visibly, by his head and joints.

Away from the saddle; his eyes, head, and joints bent.

وَنادَيتُ مَغلوبينَ هَل مِن مُعاوِنٍ

وَنادَيتُ مَغلوبينَ هَل مِن مُعاوِنٍ

عَلى مَيِّتٍ يَدنو مِنَ الأَرضِ مائِلُه

عَلى مَيِّتٍ يَدنو مِنَ الأَرضِ مائِلُه

And I called to men overcome by sleep: ‘Is there any helper

I called out, "O vanquished ones! Is there a helper

for a dead man whose slumping body nears the ground?’

For a corpse that nears the ground, leaning?"

فَما رَفَعَ العَينَينِ حَتّى أَقامَهُ

فَما رَفَعَ العَينَينِ حَتّى أَقامَهُ

وَعيدي كَأَنّي بِالسِلاحِ أُقاتِلُه

وَعيدي كَأَنّي بِالسِلاحِ أُقاتِلُه

He did not lift his eyes until he was set upright

He did not raise his eyes until I stood him up,

by my threat, as though I were fighting him with weapons.

As if with weapons I were fighting him.

أَقَمتُ لَهُ المَيلَ الَّذي في نُخاعِهِ

أَقَمتُ لَهُ المَيلَ الَّذي في نُخاعِهِ

بِتَفدِيَتي وَاللَيلُ داجٍ غَياطِلُه

بِتَفدِيَتي وَاللَيلُ داجٍ غَياطِلُه

I straightened for him the bend within his spinal cord,

I gave him the strength that was in his marrow

with my cries of ‘May I be your ransom!’ while night's depths lay dark.

With my ransom, while the night wrapped him in its dark shadows.

قَدِ اِستَبطَأَت مِنّي نَوارُ صَريمَتي

قَدِ اِستَبطَأَت مِنّي نَوارُ صَريمَتي

وَقَد كانَ هَمّي يَنفُذُ القَلبَ داخِلُه

وَقَد كانَ هَمّي يَنفُذُ القَلبَ داخِلُه

Nawar has found my firm resolve slow in coming,

My shining sword long delayed me.

though my care had pierced the heart as it entered it.

My concern pierced through to his inner heart.

رَأَت أَينُقاً عَرّيتُ عاماً ظُهورُها

رَأَت أَينُقاً عَرّيتُ عاماً ظُهورُها

وَما كانَ هَمّي تَستَريحُ رَواحِلُه

وَما كانَ هَمّي تَستَريحُ رَواحِلُه

She saw she-camels whose backs I had left bare for a year,

A she-ostrich saw me; I bared her back for a year,

and my purpose was not one whose mounts took their rest.

While my concerns found no rest for their mounts.

حَراجيجُ لَم يَترُك لَهُنَّ بَقِيَّةً

حَراجيجُ لَم يَترُك لَهُنَّ بَقِيَّةً

غُدُوُّ نَهارٍ دايِمٍ وَأَصايِلُه

غُدُوُّ نَهارٍ دايِمٍ وَأَصايِلُه

Lean she-camels, left with no remnant of strength

Vultures left them no remainder

by ceaseless morning travel and the day's late afternoons.

On a constant morning raid and its evening returns.

يُقاتِلنَ عَن أَصلابِ لاصِقَةِ الذُرى

يُقاتِلنَ عَن أَصلابِ لاصِقَةِ الذُرى

مِنَ الطَيرِ غِرباناً عَلَيها نَوازِلُه

مِنَ الطَيرِ غِرباناً عَلَيها نَوازِلُه

They defend their spines, their hump-tops pressed close,

They warded off from the clinging ribs

against crows among the birds, descending upon them.

Ravens descending on them.

فَإِن تَصحَبينا يا نَوارُ تُناصِفي

فَإِن تَصحَبينا يا نَوارُ تُناصِفي

صَلاتَكِ في فَيفٍ تَكُرُّ حَواجِلُه

صَلاتَكِ في فَيفٍ تَكُرُّ حَواجِلُه

So if you accompany us, O Nawar, you will halve

So if you accompany us, shining sword, you will share

your prayer in a wasteland whose hopping birds return

Your prayers in the empty wilderness, its valleys winding,

مَواقِعَ أَطلاحٍ عَلى رُكَباتِها

مَواقِعَ أَطلاحٍ عَلى رُكَباتِها

أُنيخَت وَلَونُ الصُبحِ وَردٌ شَواكِلُه

أُنيخَت وَلَونُ الصُبحِ وَردٌ شَواكِلُه

to the resting-places of exhausted camels upon their knees,

The places where partridges fall on their knees,

made to kneel while dawn's color was rosy along its edges.

At dawn the color of roses, its thorns entwined,

وَتَختَمِري عَجلى عَلى ظَهرِ رَسلَةٍ

وَتَختَمِري عَجلى عَلى ظَهرِ رَسلَةٍ

لَها ثَبَجٌ عاري المَعَدَّينِ كاهِلُه

لَها ثَبَجٌ عاري المَعَدَّينِ كاهِلُه

And hurriedly veil yourself on a smooth-gaited she-camel's back,

And you will simmer eagerly on the back of a speeding she-camel,

with a back-ridge whose withers are fleshless on either side.

Her front knee bare, her shoulders sturdy,

وَما طَمِعَت بِالأَرضِ رائِحَةً بِنا

وَما طَمِعَت بِالأَرضِ رائِحَةً بِنا

إِلى الغَدِ حَتّى يَنقُلَ الظِلَّ ناقِلُه

إِلى الغَدِ حَتّى يَنقُلَ الظِلَّ ناقِلُه

She had no hope of rest on the ground as she bore us off in the afternoon,

While we sniffed no wind on earth

until the next day, till the shadow's mover shifted it.

Heading for tomorrow, until its shadows transferred.

تَسومُ المَطايا الضَيمَ يَحفِدنَ خَلفَها

تَسومُ المَطايا الضَيمَ يَحفِدنَ خَلفَها

إِذا زاحَمَ الأَحقابَ بِالغَرضِ جائِلُه

إِذا زاحَمَ الأَحقابَ بِالغَرضِ جائِلُه

She puts the riding-camels to shame as they hasten behind her,

The saddled beasts experience injustice, stirred up behind them

when the shifting belly-girth jostles the rear straps.

When destiny collided with its tilting misfortunes.