أَتَعرِفُdo you recognize? أَمor أَنكَرتَhave you failed to recognize? أَطلالَthe ruins of دِمنَةٍa campsite
أَتَعرِفُ أَم أَنكَرتَ أَطلالَ دِمنَةٍ
بِأَثبيتَat Athbit فَالجَونَينِthen at al-Jawnayn بالٍworn away جَديدُهاits freshness
بِأَثبيتَ فَالجَونَينِ بالٍ جَديدُها
Do you recognize, or fail to recognize, the ruins of a campsite
Do you recognize or deny the ruins of Dimna
at Athbit, then al-Jawnayn, its freshness worn away?
At Athabit, where its sands are ever renewed?
لَيالِيَin the nights when هِندٌHind حاجَةٌa longing لاتُريحُناgives us no relief
لَيالِيَ هِندٌ حاجَةٌ لاتُريحُنا
بِبُخلٍthrough withholding وَلاnor جودٍgenerosity فَيَنفَعَso that it may benefit جودُهاher generosity
بِبُخلٍ وَلا جودٍ فَيَنفَعَ جودُها
In nights when Hind was our longing, she gave us no relief,
The nights of India are of no avail to us
by withholding, nor by giving so that her bounty might benefit us.
With neither stinginess nor generosity can its generosity benefit
لَعَمريby my life لَقَدindeed أَشفَقتُI feared مِنfrom شَرِّthe harm of نَظرَةٍa glance
لَعَمري لَقَد أَشفَقتُ مِن شَرِّ نَظرَةٍ
تَقودُleads الهَوىpassion مِنfrom رامَةٍRamah وَيَقودُهاand leads it
تَقودُ الهَوى مِن رامَةٍ وَيَقودُها
By my life, I feared the harm of a glance
By my life, the evil of a glance troubles me
that leads passion from Ramah, and is led by passion in turn.
Leading desire to and fro
وَلَوand even if صَرَمَتsevered حَبليmy cord أُمامَةُUmamah تَبتَغيseeking
وَلَو صَرَمَت حَبلي أُمامَةُ تَبتَغي
زِيادَةَan increase in حُبٍّlove لَمdid not أَجِدI find ماأُزيدُهاwhat more I could give her
زِيادَةَ حُبٍّ لَم أَجِد ماأُزيدُها
And even if Umamah severed my cord, seeking
And if Umma wished to sever my rope
more love, I would find nothing more to give her.
To increase a love I cannot augment
إِذاwhen مُتُّI die فَاِنعَينيthen announce my death لِأَضيافِto the guests of لَيلَةٍa night
إِذا مُتُّ فَاِنعَيني لِأَضيافِ لَيلَةٍ
تَنَزَّلَdescended مِنfrom صُلبِthe heart of السَماءِthe sky جَليدُهاits frost
تَنَزَّلَ مِن صُلبِ السَماءِ جَليدُها
When I die, announce my death to the guests of a night
When I die, weep for the guests on a night
whose frost descended from the very heart of the sky.
Whose ice descends from the heights of the sky
مَتىwhenever تَرَyou see وَجهَthe face of التَغلِبِيِّthe Taghlibi تَقُلyou will say لَهُto him
مَتى تَرَ وَجهَ التَغلِبِيِّ تَقُل لَهُ
أَتىhas done وَجهُthe face of هَذاthis man سَوأَةًa shameful deed أَوor يُريدُهاintends it
أَتى وَجهُ هَذا سَوأَةً أَو يُريدُها
Whenever you see the Taghlibi's face, you will say to him:
When you see the face of Taghlib, say to him
"This man's face has done a shameful deed, or intends one."
Did this face come for harm or intend it?
وَتَغلِبُand Taghlib لاnot مِنfrom ذاتِone possessing فَرعٍa branch بِنَجوَةٍon high ground
وَتَغلِبُ لا مِن ذاتِ فَرعٍ بِنَجوَةٍ
وَلاnor ذاتِone possessing أَصلٍa root يَشرَبُdrinks الماءَwater عودُهاits trunk
وَلا ذاتِ أَصلٍ يَشرَبُ الماءَ عودُها
And Taghlib springs from no tree with a branch on high ground,
Taghlib is not of the lineage of Far'a of deliverance
nor from a rooted tree whose trunk drinks water.
Nor of the lineage of roots that drink water and grow
أَباO father of مالِكٍMalik ذاpossessor of الفَلسِthe coin إِنَّindeed عَداوَتيmy enmity
أَبا مالِكٍ ذا الفَلسِ إِنَّ عَداوَتي
تُقَطِّعُcuts short أَنفاسَthe breaths of الرِجالِmen صَعودُهاits steep ascent
تُقَطِّعُ أَنفاسَ الرِجالِ صَعودُها
O Abu Malik, you of the coin, indeed my enmity
Abu Malik, destitute man, my enmity
has a steep ascent that cuts men's breath short.
Cuts short the breaths of men as it ascends
جَبَيتَyou gathered جَباthe gathering of عَبدٍa slave فَأَصبَحتَand so you became مورِداًone bringing to water
جَبَيتَ جَبا عَبدٍ فَأَصبَحتَ مورِداً
غَرائِبَcamels from other herds يَلقىmeets ضَيعَةًloss مَنwhoever يَذودُهاdrives them
غَرائِبَ يَلقى ضَيعَةً مَن يَذودُها
You gathered as a slave gathers, and now bring to water
You have hemmed in a young slave and become a place
camels from other herds; whoever drives them meets with loss.
Of strange events for whoever would protect it
لَقَدindeed صَبَّحَتكُمraided you at dawn خَيلُthe cavalry of قَيسٍQays كَأَنَّهاas though they were
لَقَد صَبَّحَتكُم خَيلُ قَيسٍ كَأَنَّها
سَراحينُwolves دَجنٍovercast gloom يَنفُضُshakes off الطَلَّthe dew سيدُهاtheir wolf
سَراحينُ دَجنٍ يَنفُضُ الطَلَّ سيدُها
Indeed, Qays's cavalry raided you at dawn, as though they were
Indeed the horses of Qais have roused you
wolves in the gloom, their wolf shaking off the dew.
As if they were untethered steeds shaking off the dew of Dajin
هُمُthey الحامِلونَthose driving on الخَيلَthe horses حَتّىuntil تَقَحَّمَتplunged headlong
هُمُ الحامِلونَ الخَيلَ حَتّى تَقَحَّمَت
قَرابيسُهاtheir saddle-bows وَاِزدادَand increased مَوجاًin billowing لُبودُهاtheir felt saddle-pads
قَرابيسُها وَاِزدادَ مَوجاً لُبودُها
They are the ones who drove the horses on until
They bear the horses until their anklets penetrated
their saddle-bows plunged and their felt pads billowed ever more.
And their surge grew more tumultuous
لَقَدindeed شَدَّcharged بِالخَيلِwith the horses الهُذَيلُal-Hudhayl عَلَيكُمُagainst you
لَقَد شَدَّ بِالخَيلِ الهُذَيلُ عَلَيكُمُ
عِنانَينِtwo runs يُمضيsends forward الخَيلَthe horses ثُمَّthen يُعيدُهاbrings them back
عِنانَينِ يُمضي الخَيلَ ثُمَّ يُعيدُها
Al-Hudhayl indeed charged against you with the horses,
With the horses Taghlib restrained you
in two charges, sending the horses forward, then bringing them back.
Holding the reins, driving the horses and returning them
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.