The daughters of time have shot me, from where, I cannot see

Ramatnī banātu d-dahri min ḥayṯu lā arā

نوع الشعر: مأخوذا من شعر "إِنْ أَكُ قَدْ أَقْصَرْتُ عَنْ طُولِ رِحْلَةٍ" على بحر الطويل
الشاعر: عمرو بن قَمِيئَة بن سعد بن مالك بن ضبيعة بن قيس بن ثعلبة
منطقته: الحيرة
عصر: جاهلي - قرن الخامس-السادس

رَمَتني بَناتُ الدَهرِ مِن حَيثُ لا أَرى
فَكَيفَ لِمَن يُرمى وَلَيسَ بِرامِ

فَلَو أَنَّها نَبلٌ إِذاً لَاتَّقَيتُها
وَلَكِنَّما أَرمي بِغَيرِ سِهامِ

اِِذَا مَا رَاَني النَاسُ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ
حَدِيثًا جَدِيدَ البَزِّ غَيرَ كَهَامِ

وَأَفْنى وَما أُفْنى مِن الدَهرِ لَيلةً
وَلَم يُفْنِ ما أَفْنَيتُ سِلكَ نِظامِ

وَأَهْلَكْني تَأميلُ يَومٍ ولَيلةٍ
وَتَأميلُ عَامٍ بَعدَ ذاك وَعَامِ

Type of poem: taken from the poem "In aku qad aqṣartu ʕan ṭūli riḥlatin" in metre Ṭawīl
Name of poet: ʕamrū b. Qamīʔah b. Saʕd b. Mālik b. Ḍabīʕah b. Qays b. Ṯaʕlabah
Region of poet: al-Ḥīrah (in Mesopotamia, the Laḫmid capital)
Era: Pre-Islāmic - 5th-6th century

The daughters of time[1] have shot me, from where, I cannot see
and what of him who is shot when he is not shooting?

And had they shot me with arrows, I would've guarded against them
but I am shot at with that which is not arrow nor dart!

When my people would see me, they'd say: were you not
vigorous, young, of sharp and bright armour, and no sluggish fighter!

I am taken and cannot take of time a single night[2]
for what I take does not take from time but a thread[3]

So I wear out in hope for that[4] day, for that night
and in hope for that year, and then year after year