رَأيتُ غُراباً ساقِطاً فَوقَ بانَةٍ

رَأيتُ غُراباً ساقِطاً فَوقَ بانَةٍ

يُنَتِّفُ أَعلى ريشِهِ وَيُطايِرُه

يُنَتِّفُ أَعلى ريشِهِ وَيُطايِرُه

I saw a raven perched atop a ban-tree,

I saw a fallen raven above a palm tree

Plucking its topmost feathers and sending them flying.

Plucking its top feathers and shaking them off

فَقُلتُ وَلَو أَنّي أَشاءُ زَجَرتُهُ

فَقُلتُ وَلَو أَنّي أَشاءُ زَجَرتُهُ

بِنَفسي لِلنَهدِيِّ هَل أَنتَ زاجِرُه

بِنَفسي لِلنَهدِيِّ هَل أَنتَ زاجِرُه

So I said—though, had I wished, I could have read its omen

I said, if I wanted, I would shoo it away

Myself—to al-Nahdi: “Will you read its omen?”

With my own breath, would I drive it away?

فَقالَ غُرابٌ لِاِغتِرابٍ مِنَ النَوى

فَقالَ غُرابٌ لِاِغتِرابٍ مِنَ النَوى

وَفي البانِ بَينٌ مِن حَبيبٍ تُجاوِرُه

وَفي البانِ بَينٌ مِن حَبيبٍ تُجاوِرُه

He said: “A raven foretells estrangement brought by distance,

A raven said to one estranged from its nest

And in the ban-tree lies parting from a beloved you live beside.”

In the palm tree lies a dear one with whom it dwells

فَما أَعيفَ النَهدِيَّ لا دَرَّ دَرُّهُ

فَما أَعيفَ النَهدِيَّ لا دَرَّ دَرُّهُ

وَأَزجُرَهُ لِلطَيرِ لا عَزَّ ناصِرُه

وَأَزجُرَهُ لِلطَيرِ لا عَزَّ ناصِرُه

So how skilled al-Nahdi is at augury—may his bounty never flow!

So the palm tree did not sway or shed its fruit

And how skilled he is at divining from birds—may his supporter never prevail!

And I did not shoo it for the sake of the bird, powerless to help it