وَرُبَّand many a يَومٍday أَدكَنِdusky القَتامِthe dust haze
وَرُبَّ يَومٍ أَدكَنِ القَتامِ
مُمتَزِجِmingled الضِياءِthe light بِالظَلامِwith darkness
مُمتَزِجِ الضِياءِ بِالظَلامِ
And many a day dark with dust,
Many a gloomy dark day
Its light mingled with darkness,
Blending light with darkness
سِرناwe traveled بِهِon it (that day) لِقَنَصِto hunt الآرامِthe gazelles
سِرنا بِهِ لِقَنَصِ الآرامِ
وَالصُبحُand dawn قَدalready طَوَّحَflung aside بِاللِثامِthe veil
وَالصُبحُ قَد طَوَّحَ بِاللِثامِ
We rode out that day to hunt gazelles,
We went through to hunt down tranquility
While dawn had flung aside its veil,
And the dawn had already drawn her veil
كَراقِدٍlike a sleeper هَبَّsprang awake مِنَfrom المَنامِsleep
كَراقِدٍ هَبَّ مِنَ المَنامِ
بِضُمَّرٍon lean steeds طامِيَةِhigh-rising الحَواميthe hoof-walls
بِضُمَّرٍ طامِيَةِ الحَوامي
Like a sleeper who sprang awake from slumber,
As if it had just risen from sleep
On lean steeds with high hoof-walls,
With a supple, curving body
مُعتادَةٍaccustomed بِالكَرِّto charging وَالإِقدامِand bold advance
مُعتادَةٍ بِالكَرِّ وَالإِقدامِ
تُحجِمُthey shrink back فيin الحَربِbattle عَنِfrom الإِحجامِshrinking back
تُحجِمُ في الحَربِ عَنِ الإِحجامِ
Accustomed to charging and pressing forward,
Accustomed to war and boldness
That shrink in battle from shrinking back.
It shrinks not from fighting
حَتّىuntil إِذاwhen آنَthe time came ظُهورُthe appearance الجامِthe sun's cup-like disk
حَتّى إِذا آنَ ظُهورُ الجامِ
وَالبِرُّand the land بِالآلِwith mirage كَبَحرٍlike a sea طامِsurging
وَالبِرُّ بِالآلِ كَبَحرٍ طامِ
Until the time came for the sun's cup to appear,
Until the appearance of goblets
And the land, with its mirage, was like a surging sea,
And good filled like a flooding sea
عَنَّappeared لَناto us سِربٌa flock مِنَof النَعامِostriches
عَنَّ لَنا سِربٌ مِنَ النَعامِ
مُشرِقَةَgleaming الأَعناقِthe necks كَالأَعلامِlike banners
مُشرِقَةَ الأَعناقِ كَالأَعلامِ
A flock of ostriches appeared before us,
A flock of ostriches appeared before us
Their necks gleaming like banners,
With glowing necks like flags
فاغِرَةَgaping الأَفواهِthe mouths لِلهِيامِfrom intense thirst
فاغِرَةَ الأَفواهِ لِلهِيامِ
كَأَينُقٍlike she-camels فَرَّتfled مِنَfrom الزِمامِthe halter
كَأَينُقٍ فَرَّت مِنَ الزِمامِ
Their mouths gaping with thirst,
Mouths gaping greedily
Like she-camels that had escaped their halters.
Like unrestrained horses that slipped their reins
وَحشٌwild creatures عَلىon مُثنىًa pair مِنَof الأَقدامِfeet
وَحشٌ عَلى مُثنىً مِنَ الأَقدامِ
بِالطَيرِas birds تُدعىthey are called وَهيَwhile they are كَالأَنعامِlike livestock
بِالطَيرِ تُدعى وَهيَ كَالأَنعامِ
Wild creatures on a pair of feet,
Beasts walking on paired legs
Called birds, though they are like livestock,
Called birds though they’re like cattle
تَطيرُthey fly بِالأَرجُلِon their legs فيthrough المَواميthe desert wastes
تَطيرُ بِالأَرجُلِ في المَوامي
كَأَنَّماas though أَعناقُهاtheir necks السَواميtowering
كَأَنَّما أَعناقُها السَوامي
They fly on their legs through the desert wastes,
Flying on feet over the sands
As though their towering necks
As if their necks were the skies
أَراقِمٌspeckled serpents قَدalready قُمنَthey rose لِلخِصامِto fight
أَراقِمٌ قَد قُمنَ لِلخِصامِ
فَحينَthen when هَمَّwas about to السِربُthe flock بِاِنهِزامِflee
فَحينَ هَمَّ السِربُ بِاِنهِزامِ
Were speckled serpents that had risen to fight.
Adversaries risen for battle
Then, when the flock was about to flee,
So when the flock made to flee
أُلجِمَتِwere bridled القِسِيُّthe bows بِالسِهامِwith arrows
أُلجِمَتِ القِسِيُّ بِالسِهامِ
فَأُرسِلَthen were loosed النَبلُthe arrows كَوَبلٍlike a downpour هامِstreaming
فَأُرسِلَ النَبلُ كَوَبلٍ هامِ
The bows were bridled with arrows,
The archer was silenced by arrows
And the shafts were loosed like streaming rain.
The shafts unleashed like downpour
فَعَنَّthen appeared رَألٌa young ostrich عارِضٌcrossing أَماميbefore me
فَعَنَّ رَألٌ عارِضٌ أَمامي
كَأَنَّماas though دُرِّعَit was armored بِالظَلامِin darkness
كَأَنَّما دُرِّعَ بِالظَلامِ
Then a young ostrich appeared, crossing before me,
When a stallion appeared before me
As though armored in darkness.
As if armored by the darkness
نيطَتwere suspended جَناحاهُits two wings بِعُنقٍfrom a neck سامِlofty
نيطَت جَناحاهُ بِعُنقٍ سامِ
كَأَنَّهاas though it were مِنthrough حُسنِthe beauty الاِلتِئامِof the joining
كَأَنَّها مِن حُسنِ الاِلتِئامِ
Its two wings hung from a towering neck,
Its wings bound to a lofty neck
As though, so beautifully joined, it were
As if a brotherly “Ha” joined to a “Lam”
هاءُthe letter hāʾ شَقيقٍShaqiq's وُصِلَتwas joined بِلامِto a lām
هاءُ شَقيقٍ وُصِلَت بِلامِ
عارَضتُهُI intercepted it تَحتَbeneath العَجاجِthe dust cloud الساميrising
عارَضتُهُ تَحتَ العَجاجِ السامي
Shaqiq's hāʾ joined to a lām.
I glimpsed it below the towering saddle
I intercepted it beneath the rising dust,
With a charger pouncing like a whirlwind
بِسابِقٍon a swift steed يَنقَضُّswooping كَالقَطاميlike a falcon
بِسابِقٍ يَنقَضُّ كَالقَطامي
خِلوِfree of العِنانِthe rein مُفعَمِfull الحِزامِthe girth
خِلوِ العِنانِ مُفعَمِ الحِزامِ
On a swift steed swooping like a falcon,
Reins slack, saddle stuffed
Loose-reined, full beneath the girth,
It nearly bends the cheek-strap
يَكادُalmost يَلويtwists حَلَقَthe rings اللِجامِof the bridle
يَكادُ يَلوي حَلَقَ اللِجامِ
ذيwith كَفَلٍa rump رابٍhigh وَشِدقٍand a mouth-corner دامِbleeding
ذي كَفَلٍ رابٍ وَشِدقٍ دامِ
Almost twisting the bridle's rings,
With sturdy jowl and flowing mane
With a high rump and a bleeding mouth,
And polished brow and blackened forelock
وَصَفحَةٍand a flank رَيّاwell-fleshed وَرِسغٍand a pastern ظامِlean
وَصَفحَةٍ رَيّا وَرِسغٍ ظامِ
فَحينَthen when وافىit came عارِضاًbroadside قُداميbefore me
فَحينَ وافى عارِضاً قُدامي
And a well-watered flank and a thirsty pastern.
When it came opposite me
Then, when it came broadside before me,
I lodged my arrow in its fetlock
أَثبَتُّI planted فيin كَلكَلِهِits breast سِهاميmy arrows
أَثبَتُّ في كَلكَلِهِ سِهامي
فَمَرَقَتthen they pierced through فيthrough اللِحمِthe flesh وَالعِظامِand the bones
فَمَرَقَت في اللِحمِ وَالعِظامِ
I planted my arrows in its breast,
Piercing flesh and bone
And they passed through the flesh and bones.
It collapsed dead on the sand
فَخَرَّthen it fell مَصروعاًstruck down عَلىupon الرُغامِthe dust
فَخَرَّ مَصروعاً عَلى الرُغامِ
قَدalready ساقَهُhad driven it الخَوفُfear إِلىto الحِمامِdeath
قَد ساقَهُ الخَوفُ إِلى الحِمامِ
Then it fell, struck down upon the dust;
Fear had driven it to the enclosure
Fear had driven it to death.
And its fall amazed the companions
فَأَعجَبَand impressed الصَحبَthe companions بِهِto it اِهتِمامِmy attention
فَأَعجَبَ الصَحبَ بِهِ اِهتِمامِ
حَتّىuntil اِغتَدىcame to be كُلٌّeveryone مِنَamong الأَقوامِthe people
حَتّى اِغتَدى كُلٌّ مِنَ الأَقوامِ
And my attention to it impressed my companions,
Until each of the folk began to say
Until every one of the company began
No hand truer than the archer's
يَقولُsays لاmay not شَلَّتbecome paralyzed يَمينُthe right hand الراميof the archer
يَقولُ لا شَلَّت يَمينُ الرامي
To say: 'May the archer's right hand never be palsied!'
Partial English translation: 40 of 41 Arabic lines translated.