1. I halted my she-camel at the door of Ibn Marwan's son
Thrice at evening she had been taken to a male for mating

2. His slaves walk her about every night
With two ropes of goat's hair twisted together

3. A boy took charge of her when still growing up
So she came to have ample forelegs, tame and familiar

4. Of pure stock, like the incensed Yemeni; easy to control
When refused provender, with restrained generosity

5. And we rode as though astride an ostrich
Over rugged ground where gum trees shed their scent

6. They packed her saddle until, unable to bear more
Of ornaments at her girth, she threw them off

7. She bolted at a mirage, hunched up her slender forearms
Decked with bracelets, flexible like osiers

8. Toying with trinkets; the running had polished her flesh
So she had no withers in summer, but was plump