يوم قفت حمولهم فتولوا — Al Asha

يَومَ قَفَّت حُمولُهُم فَتَوَلَّوا

قَطَّعوا مَعهَدَ الخَليطِ فَشاقوا

The day their laden camels set off and they departed,

they abandoned the companions' camping-place and stirred longing.

جاعِلاتٍ جَوزَ اليَمامَةِ بِالأَش

مُلِ سَيراً يَحُثُّهُنَّ اِنطِلاقُ

Keeping the heart of al-Yamamah on their left,

they journeyed, with swift motion spurring them on.

جازِعاتٍ بَطنَ العَتيقِ كَما تَم

ضي رِقاقٌ أَمامَهُنَّ رِقاقُ

Crossing the valley-floor of al-'Atiq, as

fleet camels pass, with fleet camels before them.

بَعدَ قُربٍ مِن دارِهِم وَاِئتِلافٍ

صَرَموا حَبلَكَ الغَداةَ وَساقوا

After nearness to their dwelling and companionship,

they severed your bond that morning and drove away.

يَومَ أَبدَت لَنا قُتَيلَةُ عَن جي

دٍ تَليعٍ تَزينُهُ الأَطواقُ

The day Qutaylah bared for us a neck—

long and slender, adorned with necklaces—

وَشَتيتٍ كَالأُقحُوانِ جَلاهُ ال

طَلُّ فيهِ عُذوبَةٌ وَاِتِّساقُ

and well-spaced teeth, like chrysanthemum washed by

dew, sweet and evenly set;

وَأَثيثٍ جَثلِ النَباتِ تُرَوّي

هِ لَعوبٌ غَريرَةٌ مِفناقُ

and luxuriant hair, thick-grown, moistened

by a playful, innocent, pampered girl;

حُرَّةٌ طَفلَةُ الأَنامِلِ كَالدُم

يَةِ لا عانِسٌ وَلا مِهزاقُ

noble-born, tender-fingered, like a statuette,

neither an aging maiden nor a raucous laugher.

كَخَذولٍ تَرعى النَواصِفَ مِن تَث

ليثَ قَفراً خَلا لَها الأَسلاقُ

Like a doe apart from her herd, grazing the midlands of Tathlith—

a desert waste, its open tracts empty for her.

تَنفُضُ المَردَ وَالكَباثَ بِحِملا

جٍ لَطيفٍ في جانِبَيهِ اِنفِراقُ

She shakes down unripe and ripe arak berries with a

slender horn, with separation on either side.

في أَراكٍ مَردٍ يَكادُ إِذا ما

ذَرَّتِ الشَمسُ ساعَةً يُهراقُ

Among berry-laden arak that almost,

when the sun has risen a little, spills its fruit.

وَهيَ تَتلو رَخصَ العِظامِ ضَئيلاً

فاتِرَ الطَرفِ في قُواهُ اِنسِراقُ

She follows a small, delicate-boned young one,

languid-eyed, its strength quietly dwindling.

ما تَعادى عَنهُ النَهارَ وَلا تَع

جوهُ إِلّا عُفافَةٌ أَو فُواقُ

She never strays from him by day; nothing nourishes

him but residual milk or milk gathered between feeds.

مُشفِقاً قَلبُها عَلَيهِ فَما تَع

دوهُ قَد شَفَّ جِسمَها الإِشفاقُ

Her heart anxious for him, she never leaves

him; anxiety has worn her body thin.

وَإِذا خافَتِ السِباعَ مِنَ الغي

لِ وَأَمسَت وَحانَ مِنها اِنطِلاقُ

When she fears beasts of prey from the thicket,

and evening comes, and her departure is due,

رَوَّحَتهُ جَيداءُ ذاهِبَةُ المَر

تَعِ لا خَبَّةٌ وَلا مِملاقُ

she brings him home at dusk, long-necked and far-ranging

at pasture, neither sly nor headlong.

فَاِصبِري النَفسَ إِنَّ ما حُمَّ حَقٌّ

لَيسَ لِلصَدعِ في الزُجاجِ اِتِّفاقُ

So hold your soul steadfast: what is decreed is certain.

There is no mending a crack in glass.

وَفَلاةٍ كَأَنَّها ظَهرُ تُرسٍ

لَيسَ إِلّا الرَجيعَ فيها عَلاقُ

And a desert like the back of a shield,

with no sustenance there except regurgitated cud,

قَد تَجاوَزتُها وَتَحتي مَروحٌ

عَنتَريسٌ نَعّابَةٌ مِعناقُ

I have crossed, with a spirited mount beneath me,

powerfully built, long-striding, swift of gait;

عِرمِسٌ تَرجُمُ الإِكامَ بِأَخفا

فٍ صِلابٍ مِنها الحَصى أَفلاقُ

a hardy she-camel pelting the hills with

hard footpads that smash the pebbles into shards.

وَلَقَد أَقطَعُ الخَليلَ إِذا لَم

أَرجُ وَصلاً إِنَّ الإِخاءَ الصِداقُ

Indeed, I cut off a friend when I do not

hope for closeness: brotherhood is sincere friendship.

بِكُمَيتٍ عَرفاءَ مُجمَرَةِ الخُف

فِ غَذَتها عَوانَةٌ وَفِتاقُ

On a dark reddish-brown, high-humped camel with compact

footpads, nourished at 'Awanah and Fitaq;

ذاتِ غَربٍ تَرمي المُقَدَّمَ بِالرَد

فِ إِذا ما تَدافَعَ الأَرواقُ

full of mettle, propelling her forequarters with her hindquarters,

when the foreparts surge against one another,

في مَقيلِ الكِناسِ إِذ وَقَدَ اليَو

مُ إِذا الظِلُّ أَحرَزَتهُ الساقُ

at the beasts' noonday shelter, when the day blazes

and the trunk has gathered the shade to itself.

وَكَأَنَّ القُتودَ وَالعِجلَةَ وَال

وَفرَ لَمّا تَلاحَقَ السُوّاقُ

As though the saddle-frames, the waterskin, and

the baggage, when the drivers caught up with one another,

فَوقَ مُستَبقِلٍ أَضَرَّ بِهِ الصَي

فُ وَزَرُّ الفُحولِ وَالتَنهاقُ

were upon a grass-seeking wild ass, worn down by summer

and the stallions' biting and braying;

أَو فَريدٍ طاوٍ تَضَيَّفَ أَرطا

ةً يَبيتُ في دَفِّها وَيُضاقُ

or a solitary, hungry bull, sheltering at an arta

bush, spending the night beside it, hemmed in.

أَخرَجَتهُ قَهباءُ مُسبِلَةُ الوَد

قِ رَجوسٌ قُدّامُها فُرّاقُ

A gray cloud drove him out, trailing down

rain, thundering, with scattered clouds before it.

لَم يَنَم لَيلَةَ التَمامِ لِكَي يُص

بِحَ حَتّى أَضائَهُ الإِشراقُ

A hunter did not sleep through the longest night, waiting

for morning, until sunrise shone upon him—

ساهِمَ الوَجهِ مِن جَديلَةَ أَو لِح

يانَ أَفنى ضِرائَهُ الإِطلاقُ

gaunt-faced, from Jadilah or Lihyan,

his hounds worn out by being loosed.

وَتَعادى عَنهُ النَهارَ تُواري

هِ عِراضُ الرِمالِ وَالدَرداقُ

The bull kept away from him all day, concealed

by broad stretches of sand and gravel.

وَتَلَتهُ غُضفٌ طَوارِدُ كَالنَح

لِ مَغاريثُ هَمُّهُنَّ اللُحاقُ

Flop-eared hounds followed him, pursuing like

bees, famished, intent on catching him.

ذاكَ شَبَّهتُ ناقَتي إِذ تَرامَت

بي عَلَيها بَعدَ البِراقِ البِراقُ

To that I likened my she-camel, as I was flung

upon her from one stony rise to another.

فَعَلى مِثلِها أَزورُ بَني قَي

سٍ إِذا شَطَّ بِالحَبيبِ الفِراقُ

On one like her I visit the sons of Qays,

when separation carries the beloved far away.

إِنَّني مِنهُمُ وَإِنَّهُمُ قَو

مي وَإِنّي إِلَيهِمُ مُشتاقُ

Indeed, I am one of them, and they are

my people, and I yearn for them.

وَهُمُ ما هُمُ إِذا عَزَّتِ الخَم

رُ وَقامَت زِقاقُهُم وَالحِقاقُ

And what men they are, when wine grows scarce

and their wineskins and jars stand ready!

المُهينينَ مالَهُم لِزَمانِ ال

سَوءِ حَتّى إِذا أَفاقَ أَفاقوا

Those who hold their wealth cheap in times of

hardship, recovering when the times recover.

وَإِذا ذو الفُضولِ ضَنَّ عَلى المَو

لى وَصارَت لِخَيمِها الأَخلاقُ

And when a man with surplus withholds from his

kinsman, and manners revert to their innate nature,

وَمَشى القَومُ بِالعِمادِ إِلى الرَز

حى وَأَعيا المُسيمُ أَينَ المَساقُ

and the men go out with supporting poles toward the

exhausted camels, and the grazier knows not where to drive them,

أَخَذوا فَضلَهُم هُناكَ وَقَد تَج

ري عَلى فَضلِها القِداحُ العِتاقُ

there they claim their distinction, while

the time-honored gaming arrows are cast for the surplus.

فَإِذا جادَتِ الدُجى وَضَعوا القِد

حَ وَجُنَّ التِلاعُ وَالآفاقُ

Then, when the dark nights rain generously, they set down the gaming

arrow, and darkness veils the valleys and horizons.

لَم يَزِدهُم سَفاهَةً شَربَةُ الكَأ

سِ وَلا اللَهوُ بَينَهُم وَالسِباقُ

A draught from the cup does not make them more foolish,

nor merrymaking among them and racing.

وَإِذا ما الأَكَسُّ شُبِّهَ بِالأَر

وَقِ عِندَ الهَيجا وَقَلَّ البُصاقُ

And when the short-horned is likened to the long-horned

amid battle, and spittle grows scarce,

رُكِبَت مِنهُمُ إِلى الرَوعِ خَيلٌ

غَيرُ ميلٍ إِذ يُخطَأُ الإيفاقُ

their horses are ridden into danger

by unshaken riders, when arrow-nocking goes awry.

واضِعاً في سَراةِ نَجرانَ رَحلي

ناعِماً غَيرَ أَنَّني مُشتاقُ

Setting down my saddle among the nobles of Najran,

living at ease, except that I am full of longing,

في مَطايا أَربابُهُنَّ عِجالٌ

عَن ثَواءٍ وَهَمُّهُنَّ العِراقُ

among mounts whose masters are eager

to leave, the mounts intent on Iraq.

دَرمَكٌ لَنا غُدوَةً وَنَشيلٌ

وَصَبوحٌ مُباكِرٌ وَاِغتِباقُ

Fine white flour for us at dawn, and boiled meat,

and an early morning draught, and evening drinking;

وَنَدامى بيضُ الوُجوهِ كَأَنَّ ال

شَربَ مِنهُم مَصاعِبٌ أَفناقُ

and fair-faced drinking companions, as though

the drinkers among them were unbroken, pampered camel stallions.

فيهِمُ الخِصبُ وَالسَماحَةُ وَالنَج

دَةُ فيهِم وَالخاطِبُ المِصلاقُ

Among them are abundance and generosity, and

courage; among them too, the strong-voiced orator.

وَأَبِيّونَ ما يُسامونَ ضَيماً

وَمَكيثونَ وَالحُلومُ وِثاقُ

And proud men, never subjected to humiliation,

and deliberate men, their judgment a restraining bond.

وَتَرى مَجلِساً يَغَصُّ بِهِ المِح

رابُ كَالأُسدِ وَالثِيابُ رِقاقُ

You see an assembly filling the great

hall to bursting—men like lions, their garments fine and thin.