وَهَبتَ لَنا يا فَتى مِنقَرٍ

وَهَبتَ لَنا يا فَتى مِنقَرٍ

وَعِجلٍ وَأَكرَمَهُم أَوَّلا

وَعِجلٍ وَأَكرَمَهُم أَوَّلا

You gave us, O young man of Minqar

You gave us, O youth, from lean cattle,

and ʿIjl, foremost among them in nobility,

And camels, the most generous and first,

وَأَبسَطَهُم راحَةً في النَدى

وَأَبسَطَهُم راحَةً في النَدى

وَأَرفَعَهُم ذِروَةً في العُلا

وَأَرفَعَهُم ذِروَةً في العُلا

and the most open-handed of them in generosity,

The most spacious in comfort and dew,

and the loftiest of them in the heights of glory,

And the highest in peak and sublime.

عَجوزاً قَدَ اَورَدَها عُمرُها

عَجوزاً قَدَ اَورَدَها عُمرُها

وَأَسكَنَها الدَهرُ دارَ البِلى

وَأَسكَنَها الدَهرُ دارَ البِلى

an old beast, brought low by her years,

An old woman whose age has led her

and lodged by time in the abode of decay;

To the abode of ruin where she resides.

سَلوحاً تَوَهَّمتُ أَن الرِعا

سَلوحاً تَوَهَّمتُ أَن الرِعا

ءَ سَقَوها لِيُسهِلَها الحَنظَلا

ءَ سَقَوها لِيُسهِلَها الحَنظَلا

a creature with the runs—I imagined that the shepherds

I thought the shepherd had watered her to facilitate her movement,

had made her drink colocynth to purge her.

And she was more barren than a bull of agriculture

وَأَجدَبَ مِن ثَورِ زِرّاعَةٍ

وَأَجدَبَ مِن ثَورِ زِرّاعَةٍ

أَصابَ عَلى جوعِهِ سُنبُلا

أَصابَ عَلى جوعِهِ سُنبُلا

And leaner than a ploughing ox

That in his hunger stumbled upon an ear of grain.

that found ears of grain in his hunger;

And more ascetic than a carcass that the sun did not spare a joint connecting joint.

وَأَزهَدَ مِن جيفَةٍ لَم تَدَع

وَأَزهَدَ مِن جيفَةٍ لَم تَدَع

لَها الشَمسُ مِن مَفصَلٍ مَفصَلا

لَها الشَمسُ مِن مَفصَلٍ مَفصَلا

and less desirable than a carcass of which

And more scabbed than a she-camel whose son bought it

the sun has left not one joint intact;

If she crossed a sacred place in early morning.

وَأَضرَطَ مِن أُمِّ مُبتاعِها

وَأَضرَطَ مِن أُمِّ مُبتاعِها

إِنِ اِقتَحَمَت بُكرَةً حَرمَلا

إِنِ اِقتَحَمَت بُكرَةً حَرمَلا

and more flatulent than her buyer's mother,

If she were to eat camphor with anemones

if she gulps wild rue early in the morning.

And knead together musk and jasmine,

فَلَو تَأكُلُ الزُبدَ بِالنِرسِيانِ

فَلَو تَأكُلُ الزُبدَ بِالنِرسِيانِ

وَتَدَّمِجُ المِسكَ وَالمَندَلا

وَتَدَّمِجُ المِسكَ وَالمَندَلا

Even if she ate butter with Nirsiyan dates

God would not have made her soul fragrant

and absorbed musk and mandal aloeswood,

Nor extracted from her bones the marrow.

لَما طَيَّبَ اللَهُ أَرواحَها

لَما طَيَّبَ اللَهُ أَرواحَها

وَلا بَلَّ مِن عَظمِها الأَنحَلا

وَلا بَلَّ مِن عَظمِها الأَنحَلا

God would not sweeten her odors,

I placed my right hand on her back

nor moisten the most wasted of her bones.

And found her shoulder blades to be fibrous.

وَضَعتُ يَميني عَلى ظَهرِها

وَضَعتُ يَميني عَلى ظَهرِها

فَخِلتُ حَراقِفَها جَندَلا

فَخِلتُ حَراقِفَها جَندَلا

I laid my right hand on her back

I thrust my left hand to her tail

and thought her hipbones were rocks;

And found her buttocks spindle-like.

وَأَهوَت شِمالي لِعُرقوبِها

وَأَهوَت شِمالي لِعُرقوبِها

فَخِلتُ عَراقيبَها مِغزلا

فَخِلتُ عَراقيبَها مِغزلا

and my left hand reached down toward her hock,

After this, I turned over her flank

and I thought her hocks a spindle.

And found her hip bone to resemble a sickle.

وَقَلَّبتُ أَليَتَها بَعدَ ذا

وَقَلَّبتُ أَليَتَها بَعدَ ذا

فَشَبَّهتُ عُصعُصَها مِنجلا

فَشَبَّهتُ عُصعُصَها مِنجلا

I turned over her fat tail after that,

So I said, “Shall I sell her, for neither drink

and likened her tailbone to a sickle.

Nor food do I expect or hope near her?”

فَقُلتُ أَبيعُ فَلا مَشرَباً

فَقُلتُ أَبيعُ فَلا مَشرَباً

أُرَجّي لَدَيها وَلا مَأكَلا

أُرَجّي لَدَيها وَلا مَأكَلا

So I said: Shall I sell her? For no drink

“Shall I roast and cook of her meat

do I hope for from her, nor any food.

And enjoy that more than gnawing bones?”

أَمَ اَشوي وَأَطبُخُ مِن لَحمِها

أَمَ اَشوي وَأَطبُخُ مِن لَحمِها

وَأَطيبُ مِن ذاكَ مَضغُ السَلا

وَأَطيبُ مِن ذاكَ مَضغُ السَلا

Or shall I roast and cook some of her flesh?

“Shall I make from her hide a vessel

Yet chewing afterbirth is tastier than that.

And with her vessel make vessels filthy?”

أَمَ اَجعَلُ مِن جِلدِها حَنبلاً

أَمَ اَجعَلُ مِن جِلدِها حَنبلاً

فَأَقذِر بِحَنبَلِها حَنبَلا

فَأَقذِر بِحَنبَلِها حَنبَلا

Or shall I make a fur cloak from her hide?

“If she passes by a gathering on command

How filthy a fur cloak hers would be!

Amazingly she may utter a hymn or chant”

إِذا ما أُمِرَّت عَلى مَجلِسٍ

إِذا ما أُمِرَّت عَلى مَجلِسٍ

مِنَ العُجبِ سَبَّحَ أَو هَلَّلا

مِنَ العُجبِ سَبَّحَ أَو هَلَّلا

Whenever she is led past a gathering,

“They would see behind her a driver prodding her

in wonder they glorify God or proclaim His oneness.

And though she runs, still run.”

رَأَوا آيةً خَلفَها سائِقٌ

رَأَوا آيةً خَلفَها سائِقٌ

يَحُثُّ وَإِن هَروَلَت هَروَلا

يَحُثُّ وَإِن هَروَلَت هَروَلا

They see a marvel, with a drover behind her

“You had commanded that she be stout

urging her on; if she trots, he trots too.

With flesh and fat now fully formed.”

وَكُنتَ أَمَرتَ بِها ضَخمَةٌ

وَكُنتَ أَمَرتَ بِها ضَخمَةٌ

بِلَحمٍ وَشَحمٍ قَد اِستَكمَلا

بِلَحمٍ وَشَحمٍ قَد اِستَكمَلا

You had ordered her to be stout,

“But her spirit exceeded its course,

with flesh and fat both fully filled out;

And never did I reckon it would so act.”

وَلَكِنَّ رَوحاً عَدا طَورَهُ

وَلَكِنَّ رَوحاً عَدا طَورَهُ

وَما كُنتُ أَحسَبُ أَن يَفعَلا

وَما كُنتُ أَحسَبُ أَن يَفعَلا

but Rawh overstepped his bounds,

So he who betrayed her trust

and I had not thought he would do so.

Rips from his mother’s breast her intestines.

فَعَضَّ الَّذي خانَ في أمرِها

فَعَضَّ الَّذي خانَ في أمرِها

مِنِ اِستِ اُمِّهِ بَظرَها الأَغرَلا

مِنِ اِستِ اُمِّهِ بَظرَها الأَغرَلا

So may the man who cheated in her affair bite

“Had I not your rank, I would have given him

his mother's uncircumcised clitoris from her arse!

Split hooves and cloven him with a knife.”

وَلَولا مَكانُكَ قَلَّدتُهُ

وَلَولا مَكانُكَ قَلَّدتُهُ

عِلاطاً وَأَنشَقتُهُ الخَردَلا

عِلاطاً وَأَنشَقتُهُ الخَردَلا

But for your standing, I would have hung around his neck

“Had I not been shy of you, I would have bloodied her

a halter, and made him inhale mustard.

And hung bells around her neck.”

وَلَولا اِستِحائيكَ خَضَّبتُها

وَلَولا اِستِحائيكَ خَضَّبتُها

وَعَلَّقتُ في جيدِها جُلجُلا

وَعَلَّقتُ في جيدِها جُلجُلا

And but for my deference to you, I would have dyed her

“She has come that you may see her state.

and hung a bell around her neck,

And learn that I with her am afflicted.”

فَجاءَتكَ حَتّى تَرى حالَها

فَجاءَتكَ حَتّى تَرى حالَها

فَتَعلَمُ أَنّي بِها مُبتَلى

فَتَعلَمُ أَنّي بِها مُبتَلى

so she would come to you, that you might see her state

“I asked you for meat for our children.

and know that I am afflicted with her.

Yet with it you have added to me a weakling.”

سَأَلتُكَ لَحماً لِصُبيانِنا

سَأَلتُكَ لَحماً لِصُبيانِنا

فَقَد زِدتَني فيهِمُ عَيِّلا

فَقَد زِدتَني فيهِمُ عَيِّلا

I asked you for meat for our little children,

“So take her while you are kind to us

yet you have added another dependent for me among them.

And never have you ceased being gracious and bountiful.”

فَخُذهَا وَأَنتَ بِنا مُحسِنٌ

فَخُذهَا وَأَنتَ بِنا مُحسِنٌ

وَما زِلتَ بي مُحسِناً مُجمِلا

وَما زِلتَ بي مُحسِناً مُجمِلا

So take her back, and you will be doing us a kindness;

and you have always been kind and gracious to me.