Among the tribe is a gazelle,

a wine dark yearling

shaking down the Arak berries and draped

string on string in chrysolite and pearl

 

She lags. From a dune thicket

she watches the herd.

She pulls at the Arak branches

until they clothe her.

 

From a deep red mouth she smiles,

a camomile blossom,

dew-moistened,

breaking through a crest of pure sand,

 

As if the sun had loosed

its veil

over her face, glowing,

washed in light, smooth.

 

wa fi l-h.ayyi	ah.wa~		yanfudu	l-marda	sha~dinun
in the tribe	is a red-black	(gazelle)	shaking	the fruit	a fawn
	mudh.a~hiru	samt.a	lu'lu'in	wa		zabarjadi~
	clothing herself	in strings	of pearl	and		chrysolite
khudhu_lin		tura~`i~	rabraban		bi	kham~ilatin
standing apart		she grazes near	a herd	(of gazelles)	on a	verdant dune
	tana~wulu	at.r~af	al-bar~iri	wa		tartadi~
	she stretches for	the branches	of the arak tree	and		clothing herself
wa tabsimu		`an	alma~	ka'anna	munawwaran
she shows		from her	deep-red lips	as if	a camomile
	takhallala	h.urra	r-ramli	di`sun	lahu~	nadi~
	which sprouts	from the pure	sand	a dune	covered with	dew
saqathu	iya~tu		sh-shamsi . . .
watered	by the rays		of the sun . . .

How many a long night

like the wave of the sea

has dropped its curtain over me

in torment.

I said, when it had stretched

its loins, pulled back

its hindquarters and

arched its chest,

Long, long night, will you

not fade with the morn,

(though morning

would be no better)

What a night you are!

as if the stars were

anchored in bedrock

with flaxen chains.

 

wa	laylin	ka mawj	l-bahri	arkha~	sudu~lahu.
how many	a night	like the wave	of the sea	has loosed	its curtain
	`alayya	bi `anwa~'	il-humu~mi			li yabtali~
	over me	with all kinds of	cares			to try me
fa	qultu lahu~	lamma~	tamat.t.a~	bi s.ulbihi~
so	i said to it	when	it had stretched	its loins
	wa ardafa	a`ja~zan		wa na~'a		bi kalkali~
	and followed	with its flanks		and then moved	away	with its chest
ala~	ayyuha	l-laylu	t.-t.awi~lu		al	anjali~
oh	o you	night	long		will you not	clear away
	bi s.ubh.in	wa	ma	l-is.ba~h.u	minka	bi amthali~
	with morning	though	(no)	morning is	than you	no better
fa ya~	laka	min	laylin	ka'anna	nuju~mahu~
O	you		a night	as if	its stars
	bi imra~si	kitta~nin	`ala~		s.ummi	jandali~
	with ropes	of flax	to	(were anchored)	to hard silent	granite