كَثَمودَ الَّتي تَفتَكَت الدينَ

كَثَمودَ الَّتي تَفتَكَت الدينَ

عُتّياً وَأُمَّ سَقبٍ عَقيرا

عُتّياً وَأُمَّ سَقبٍ عَقيرا

Like Thamud, who assailed the faith,

Like Thamud whose faith was broken

Like Thamud who violated sacred faith

In arrogant defiance, and left a camel-calf's mother hamstrung.

And Utayyah and Umm Saqab forlorn

in haughty insolence, and hamstrung the mother of the calf,

ناقَةٌ لِلآِلَهِ تَسرَحُ في الأَرضِ

ناقَةٌ لِلآِلَهِ تَسرَحُ في الأَرضِ

وَتَنتابُ حَولَ ماءٍ قَديرا

وَتَنتابُ حَولَ ماءٍ قَديرا

A she-camel belonging to God, grazing freely on the earth,

A she-camel for gods to graze the land

A she-camel belonging to God, pasturing across the land,

And returning again around mighty waters.

And drink around ample waters pristine

and coming to drink from an allotted water.

فَأَتاها أُحَيمِرٌ كَأَخي السَهمِ

فَأَتاها أُحَيمِرٌ كَأَخي السَهمِ

بِعَضبٍ فَقالَ كوني عَقيرا

بِعَضبٍ فَقالَ كوني عَقيرا

Then Uhaymir came to her, like the arrow's brother,

To her came Ohaymir, arrow-like in wrath

Then Uhaymir approached her, swift as an arrow,

With a sharp sword, and said, "Be hamstrung!"

Demanding she be barren and hornless

with a sharp sword, saying: "Be thou slaughtered!"

فَأَبَتُّ العُرقوبَ وَالساقَ

فَأَبَتُّ العُرقوبَ وَالساقَ

وَمَضي في صَميمِهِ مَكسورا

وَمَضي في صَميمِهِ مَكسورا

Then I severed the hock tendon and the leg,

But she refused to be cut or struck

He severed the hock tendon and the shank,

And it passed into its very core, broken.

And went on, her core pierced and torn

and drove the blade deep to the bone, breaking it.

فَرَأى السَقبُ أُمَّهُ فارَقَتهُ

فَرَأى السَقبُ أُمَّهُ فارَقَتهُ

بَعدَ إِلفِ حَنيِيَّةً وَظَؤورا

بَعدَ إِلفِ حَنيِيَّةً وَظَؤورا

Then the camel-calf saw that its mother had left it,

Her son Saqab saw her leave him behind

And the calf saw that his mother had departed from him,

After their close bond—she, so tender and nurturing.

After familiarity and shelter were gone

after her tender affection and motherly love.

فَأَتى ضَخرَةً فَقامَ عَلَيهِم

فَأَتى ضَخرَةً فَقامَ عَلَيهِم

صَعقَةً في السَماءِ تَعلو الصُخورا

صَعقَةً في السَماءِ تَعلو الصُخورا

Then it came to a rock and stood above them,

He went atop a rock where lightning

So he climbed upon a rock and stood against them,

A thunderclap in the sky, rising above the rocks.

Struck from the sky above the cliffs

letting out a cry toward the sky that echoed over the crags.

فَرَغا رَغوَةً فَكانَت عَلَيهِم

فَرَغا رَغوَةً فَكانَت عَلَيهِم

رَغوَةُ السَقبِ دُمِّروا تَدميرا

رَغوَةُ السَقبِ دُمِّروا تَدميرا

Then it uttered a bellow, and it fell upon them—

He spat a spit that befell them all

He let out a wailing bellow, and it brought down upon them—

The camel-calf's bellow: they were utterly destroyed.

Saqab's spit destroyed them, made them ruins

that cry of the calf—total destruction and ruin.

فَأُصيبوا إِلا الذَريعَةَ فَاتَت

فَأُصيبوا إِلا الذَريعَةَ فَاتَت

مِن جَواريهِمُ وَكانَت جَرورا

مِن جَواريهِمُ وَكانَت جَرورا

So they were struck down, except al-Dhari'ah, who escaped,

All were struck down except one survivor

All were struck down, save for al-Dhari'ah who escaped,

One of their maidens, who had dragged herself along.

A slave girl who escaped their dwellings

one of their maidservants, who limped along as she fled.

سِنفَةٌ أُرسِلَت تُخبِرُ عَنهُم

سِنفَةٌ أُرسِلَت تُخبِرُ عَنهُم

أَهلَ قُرحٍ بِها قَد أَمسوا ثَغورا

أَهلَ قُرحٍ بِها قَد أَمسوا ثَغورا

A "sinfah" [unclear term] was sent to report on them,

Sinifah was sent to give news of them

A swift messenger was dispatched to bring news of their fate

To the people of Qurh: through it, they had become gaping breaches by evening.

To Qurh folk whose dams were all broken

to the people of Qurh, who by evening had become an exposed frontier.

فَسَقوها بَعدَ الحَديثِ فَماتَت

فَسَقوها بَعدَ الحَديثِ فَماتَت

وَاِنتَهى رَبُنَا وَأَوفى حَقيرا

وَاِنتَهى رَبُنَا وَأَوفى حَقيرا

They gave her drink after her account, and she died.

After her tale they gave her drink, she died

They gave her water after she spoke, and she died,

And our Lord reached the end and fulfilled [it]—"lowly" [syntax unclear].

Our Lord fulfilled and gave little one

and our Lord accomplished His decree, reducing them to naught.

سَنَةٌ أَزمَةٌ تُخَيَّلُ بِالناسِ

سَنَةٌ أَزمَةٌ تُخَيَّلُ بِالناسِ

تَرى لِلعِضاهِ فيها وَأَوفى صَريرا

تَرى لِلعِضاهِ فيها وَأَوفى صَريرا

A year of famine, looming in people's minds,

A year of crisis that makes men envision

In a year of harsh famine that bore down upon mankind,

You see the thorn trees' creaking in it, and it rises high [syntax unclear].

Hearing the grinders though they ate no grain

wherein you could hear the dry thorn-trees creaking,

إِذ يَسَفّونَ بِالدَقيقِ وَكانوا

إِذ يَسَفّونَ بِالدَقيقِ وَكانوا

قَبلُ لا يَأكُلونَ شَيئاً فَطيرا

قَبلُ لا يَأكُلونَ شَيئاً فَطيرا

When they swallow dry flour—though they had

They drive the camels to run the plains

When they were reduced to gulping dry flour,

Previously eaten nothing unbaked.

Lest emaciated they would waste away

though before they would never eat anything unleavened,

وَيَسوقونَ باقِراً يَطرُدُ السَهلَ

وَيَسوقونَ باقِراً يَطرُدُ السَهلَ

مَهازيلَ خَشيَةً أَن يَبوراً

مَهازيلَ خَشيَةً أَن يَبوراً

And they drive cattle sweeping across the plain,

Lighting fires of sweet canes to stir

And they drove their cattle across the barren plains,

Emaciated, for fear that they might perish,

The seas, though formerly eating naught refined

emaciated beasts, fearing that all would perish,

عاقِدينَ النيرانَ في شُكُرِ

عاقِدينَ النيرانَ في شُكُرِ

أَرذَنابٍ مِنها لِكَي تَهيجُ البُحورا

أَرذَنابٍ مِنها لِكَي تَهيجُ البُحورا

Binding fires in the fine tufts

Binding burning torches to the tufts of

Of their tails, so the fires might stir the seas.

the tails of the herd, so that rain-bearing clouds might swell.