كَأَنِّيas though I وَرَحْلِيand my saddle رَوَّحَتْنَاbore us along at evening نَعَامَةٌan ostrich
كَأَنِّي وَرَحْلِي رَوَّحَتْنَا نَعَامَةٌ
تَجَرَّمَparted عَنْهَاfrom her بالقفَيْرat al-Qufayr رِئَالُهَاher ostrich chicks
تَجَرَّمَ عَنْهَا بالقفَيْر رِئَالُهَا
As though an ostrich bore my saddle and me onward at evening—
As though an ostrich bore me and my saddle along at evening,
her chicks having left her at al-Qufayr—
Whose chicks had parted from her at al-Qufayr.
وتَهْوِىand she plunges إِذَاwhen العِيسُthe pale camels العِتَاقُthe purebred تَفَاضَلَتْvied in speed
وتَهْوِى إِذَا العِيسُ العِتَاقُ تَفَاضَلَتْ
هُوِيَّthe plunging قَدُومِof an adze القَيْنِof the craftsman حَالَhas aged a year فِعَالُهَاits making
هُوِيَّ قَدُومِ القَيْنِ حَالَ فِعَالُهَا
she plunges ahead when the noble white camels vie with one another,
And she plunges onward when the purebred pale camels vie in speed,
with the downward sweep of the smith’s adze as its stroke shifts.
Like the plunging of a craftsman’s adze, a year since its making.
