على مثلهِ ثَوراً بُكايَ يَزيدُ

على مثلهِ ثَوراً بُكايَ يَزيدُ

فَلا بَرَدا جفنايَ وهو يجودُ

فَلا بَرَدا جفنايَ وهو يجودُ

For a bull like him, my weeping grows.

Like it, a bull would cry out in rage

So may my eyelids never cool as he breathes his last.

My eyelids know no respite as it flows on

رزِئنا بذي القَرنَيْنِ بأساً وَنَجْدَةً

رزِئنا بذي القَرنَيْنِ بأساً وَنَجْدَةً

لهُ عَدَدٌ من بأسهِ وعديدُ

لهُ عَدَدٌ من بأسهِ وعديدُ

We lost the Two-Horned One, full of might and valor;

With the two-horned one we were provided might and deliverance

his own might gave him numbers and a host.

His might has a number and so does his abundance

بدا وَهلالُ الأُفقِ تاجٌ لرأسهِ

بدا وَهلالُ الأُفقِ تاجٌ لرأسهِ

وَمْن شَفَق دِرْعٌ لهُ وَبُرودُ

وَمْن شَفَق دِرْعٌ لهُ وَبُرودُ

He appeared, the horizon's crescent a crown upon his head,

The new moon rose like a crown on his head

and twilight's glow his armor and striped cloaks.

And the afterglow was his coat of armor and refuge

فَلَو أنّه في ليلة العيد لاحَ لي

فَلَو أنّه في ليلة العيد لاحَ لي

لَقُلْتُ هلالٌ قد أطلَّ وعيدُ

لَقُلْتُ هلالٌ قد أطلَّ وعيدُ

Had he appeared to me on the night of Eid,

Had he appeared to me on the night of Eid

I would have said, 'A crescent has risen—and Eid!'

I would have said a new moon has risen and the feast commenced

وذي أربَعٍ قد قُمِّعَتْ بزَبَرْ جَدٍ

وذي أربَعٍ قد قُمِّعَتْ بزَبَرْ جَدٍ

وَهيهاتَ يحكي ما أقلَّ عمودُ

وَهيهاتَ يحكي ما أقلَّ عمودُ

And one with four legs capped in emerald—

The one with four legs whose youth was trimmed with a blade of steel

nothing a pillar ever bore could resemble him.

Alas, how brief are the pillars of glory!

وفي الجزعِ من رَوْقيه شبْهٌ ولَوْنُه

وفي الجزعِ من رَوْقيه شبْهٌ ولَوْنُه

عقيقٌ وَنَظْمُ الوَدْعِ منه عقودُ

عقيقٌ وَنَظْمُ الوَدْعِ منه عقودُ

Onyx resembles his two horns, and his color

In the hardness of his stance there is resemblance and color

is agate; strung cowries form his necklaces.

Carnelian, and the rhythm of farewells knitted into necklaces

خَلا منهُ برجُ الثّورِ والشّرَفُ الذي

خَلا منهُ برجُ الثّورِ والشّرَفُ الذي

سعودٌ لهُ نحو العُلا وصعودُ

سعودٌ لهُ نحو العُلا وصعودُ

Bereft of him are the sign of Taurus and the exalted station that

The constellation Taurus and the honor that

brought him good fortune and ascent toward the heights.

Brought him ascension and rise are devoid of him

فَكمْ لرِهانٍ منهُ فَرَّ محاربٌ

فَكمْ لرِهانٍ منهُ فَرَّ محاربٌ

هزيماً وأدنى ما وراهُ بَريدُ

هزيماً وأدنى ما وراهُ بَريدُ

How many a combatant fled from him in a contest,

How many a warrior has fled from his charge

routed, leaving at least a postal stage's distance behind him.

Vanquished, with destruction in his wake!

وَقالوا نَراهُ يَبحثُ الأرضَ ناطحاً

وَقالوا نَراهُ يَبحثُ الأرضَ ناطحاً

فَيَصْعَدُ نحوَ الجوِّ منه صعيدُ

فَيَصْعَدُ نحوَ الجوِّ منه صعيدُ

They said, 'We see him digging at the earth, butting it,

They said we see him stamping the ground with his horns

and dust rises from him into the air.'

And ascending toward the sky on the dust flung up

فقلتُ لَهم يبغي الذي يحملُ الثرى

فقلتُ لَهم يبغي الذي يحملُ الثرى

بقَرنيه فالأرضونَ منه تَميدُ

بقَرنيه فالأرضونَ منه تَميدُ

I said to them, 'He seeks the one who carries the earth

I said to them: he who carries soil on his horns

on his two horns; the earths sway because of him.'

Seeks it, and the earth yields to him

وما زالَ يسقي الحرثَ رَيّاً فأخصَبَت

وما زالَ يسقي الحرثَ رَيّاً فأخصَبَت

مرابعُ فيها قائمٌ وَحَصيد

مرابعُ فيها قائمٌ وَحَصيد

He kept watering the tilled land to its fill, so fertile grew

He went on watering the soil until it flourished

fields with crops both standing and reaped.

With meadows in it, settled and harvested

فآهاً لهُ رودَ الشّبابِ أخا لمى

فآهاً لهُ رودَ الشّبابِ أخا لمى

شهيُّ رضابِ المرشِفَينِ بَرودُ

شهيُّ رضابِ المرشِفَينِ بَرودُ

Ah for him, tender in youth, with dusky lips,

Alas for him! The freshness of youth has departed, O tribesman

the saliva of his two lips sweet and cool.

Yearned for is the chill of the noble ones' spears

إذا اجتازَ في ساجِ الزرائبِ خلتهُ

إذا اجتازَ في ساجِ الزرائبِ خلتهُ

مُسبِّحَ صبْحٍ قَدْ عراهُ سجودُ

مُسبِّحَ صبْحٍ قَدْ عراهُ سجودُ

When he passed among the pens' teak timbers, I took him for

When he passed through the paddocks of the mares

a dawn worshipper overtaken by prostration.

Greeted by the prostrations of a morning disrobed

رَمَتهُ عُيونُ الحاسدينَ بنظرَةٍ

رَمَتهُ عُيونُ الحاسدينَ بنظرَةٍ

فَلَيتْتَ بَقَى دهراً وَماتَ حسودُ

فَلَيتْتَ بَقَى دهراً وَماتَ حسودُ

The eyes of the envious struck him with a glance.

The eyes of the envious shot him a glance

Would that he had lived long, and the envious one had died!

Would that it had persisted and the envious died!

وَمنْ أجلهِ قد حَرّمتْ لحمَ مثلهِ

وَمنْ أجلهِ قد حَرّمتْ لحمَ مثلهِ

بَراهِمةٌ في شَرْعِها وَهنودُ

بَراهِمةٌ في شَرْعِها وَهنودُ

And for his sake, the flesh of his kind was forbidden

Because of him, Brahmins made taboo the flesh of his like

by Brahmins in their law, and by Indians.

In their law—and Indians too

بكتهُ قَواديسُ السّواقي بأدمُعٍ

بكتهُ قَواديسُ السّواقي بأدمُعٍ

غِزارٍ لَها بَيْنَ الحياضِ مُدودُ

غِزارٍ لَها بَيْنَ الحياضِ مُدودُ

The waterwheels' buckets wept for him with tears

The ponds of watering places wept for him

copious, their floods spreading between the basins.

With copious tears flowing in the hollows

وأنّت لهُ الأتراسُ حُزناً وحرقةً

وأنّت لهُ الأتراسُ حُزناً وحرقةً

وَذابَ لهُ قلبٌ عليهِ جَريدُ

وَذابَ لهُ قلبٌ عليهِ جَريدُ

And the cogwheels groaned for him in grief and anguish,

The citadels grieved for him intensely

and a heart clad in palm stalks melted for him.

And a heart that loved him melted away

وَمن بَعدِهِ ما عانَقَ البابُ سيِّداً

وَمن بَعدِهِ ما عانَقَ البابُ سيِّداً

تلهُ كلّ أبقارِ البلادِ عَبيدُ

تلهُ كلّ أبقارِ البلادِ عَبيدُ

And after him, the doorway embraced no master

After him no lord embraced the gate

to whom all the land's cattle were slaves.

All the cows of the land became slaves

ولا جازَ من تحتِ الجوائزِ مثلُهُ

ولا جازَ من تحتِ الجوائزِ مثلُهُ

وسرقينُه مِسْكٌ يفوحُ وعودُ

وسرقينُه مِسْكٌ يفوحُ وعودُ

Nor did his like pass beneath the crossbeams,

None passed beneath the banners like him

his dung fragrant musk and aloeswood.

His musk was diffused, exuding fragrances

فلو كانَ في أيامِ موسى صبَا إلى

فلو كانَ في أيامِ موسى صبَا إلى

عبادَتهِ في المشركين يهودُ

عبادَتهِ في المشركين يهودُ

Had he lived in the days of Moses, drawn to

Had he lived in the days of Moses

worship him among the idolaters would have been Jews.

Jews would have worshipped him among the polytheists!