وَرَوْعَاءِ الْمَسَامِعِ مَا تَمَطَّتْ

وَرَوْعَاءِ الْمَسَامِعِ مَا تَمَطَّتْ

بِحَمْلٍ بَيْنَ سَائِمَةٍ مَخَاضِ

بِحَمْلٍ بَيْنَ سَائِمَةٍ مَخَاضِ

And a keen-eared she-camel, never swollen

The gazelle whose hearing delighted,

With young among a grazing herd of pregnant camels.

Bore a burden betwixt a riding camel and one in labor,

خَرَجْتُ بِهَا عَلَى الْبَيْدَاءِ وَهْنَاً

خَرَجْتُ بِهَا عَلَى الْبَيْدَاءِ وَهْنَاً

خُرُوجَ اللَّيْثِ مِنْ سَدَفِ الْغِياضِ

خُرُوجَ اللَّيْثِ مِنْ سَدَفِ الْغِياضِ

I rode her out into the desert late at night,

I took her out onto the plain faint,

Like a lion emerging from the gloom of the thickets.

Like a lion exiting from the thickets of the forest,

تُقَلِّبُ أَيْدِياً مُتَسَابِقَاتٍ

تُقَلِّبُ أَيْدِياً مُتَسَابِقَاتٍ

إِلَى الْغَايَاتِ كَالنَّبْلِ الْمَوَاضِي

إِلَى الْغَايَاتِ كَالنَّبْلِ الْمَوَاضِي

She moves her forelegs, racing one another,

She moves her hands competing

Toward their goals like piercing arrows.

Toward the goals like arrows flying straight.

مَدَدْتُ زِمَامَهَا وَالصُّبْحُ بَادٍ

مَدَدْتُ زِمَامَهَا وَالصُّبْحُ بَادٍ

فَمَا كَفْكَفْتُهَا وَاللَّيْلُ غَاضِي

فَمَا كَفْكَفْتُهَا وَاللَّيْلُ غَاضِي

I let out her rein as dawn appeared,

I tightened her bridle as dawn was blowing,

And did not check her while the night was dark.

But did not restrain her as night was receding,

فَمَا بَلَغَتْ مَغِيبَ الشَّمْسِ حَتَّى

فَمَا بَلَغَتْ مَغِيبَ الشَّمْسِ حَتَّى

أَضَافَتْ آتِياً مِنْهُ بِمَاضِي

أَضَافَتْ آتِياً مِنْهُ بِمَاضِي

She did not reach sunset until

She did not reach the setting of the sun before,

She had joined a coming night to one gone by.

Coming from it, she outstripped those returning.

أَحَالَ السَّيْرُ جِرَّتَها رَمَاداً

أَحَالَ السَّيْرُ جِرَّتَها رَمَاداً

فَراحَتْ وَهْيَ خَاوِيَةُ الْوِفَاضِ

فَراحَتْ وَهْيَ خَاوِيَةُ الْوِفَاضِ

The journey turned her cud to ashes,

The journey made her saddle-quilt into ashes.

So she went on with her pouches empty.

She bolted off empty of her provisions.

وَمَا كَانَتْ لِتَسْأَمَ غَيْرَ أَنِّي

وَمَا كَانَتْ لِتَسْأَمَ غَيْرَ أَنِّي

رَمَيْتُ بِهَا اعْتِزَامِي وَاعْتِرَاضِي

رَمَيْتُ بِهَا اعْتِزَامِي وَاعْتِرَاضِي

Nor would she have wearied, except that I

She would not have wearied, had I not,

Had driven her on my chosen course and my wanderings.

Thrown at her my obstinacy and contention.

هَتَكْتُ بِهَا سُتُورَ اللَّيْلِ حَتَّى

هَتَكْتُ بِهَا سُتُورَ اللَّيْلِ حَتَّى

خَرَجْتُ مِنَ السَّوَادِ إِلَى البَيَاضِ

خَرَجْتُ مِنَ السَّوَادِ إِلَى البَيَاضِ

With her I tore the veils of night until

I stripped through her the veils of night until,

I emerged from blackness into whiteness.

I came out from the darkness into the whiteness.