1. أَمِن دِمنَةِ الدارِ أَقوَت سِنينا

    بَكَيتَ فَظَلتَ كَئيباً حَزينا

    Was it over the dwelling's traces, deserted for years,

    that you wept and remained downcast and sorrowful?

  2. بِها جَرَّتِ الريحُ أَذيالَها

    فَلَم تُبقِِ مِن رَسمِها مُستَبينا

    There the wind dragged its skirts,

    and left none of its traces discernible.

  3. وَذَكَّرَنيها عَلى نَأيِها

    خَيالٌ لَها طارِقٌ يَعترينا

    And, despite her distance, I was reminded of her

    by her phantom, a night-visitor that comes upon us.

  4. فَلَمّا رَأَيتُ بَأَنَّ البُكاءَ

    سَفاهٌ لَدى دِمَنٍ قَد بَلينا

    So when I realized that weeping

    beside ruins already decayed was folly,

  5. زَجَرتُ عَلى ما لَدَيَّ القَلو

    صَ مِن حَزَنٍ وَعَصَيتُ الشُؤونا

    I urged the young she-camel on, despite what I bore

    of sorrow, and defied my tear ducts.

  6. وَكُنتُ إِذا ما اِعتَرَتني الهُمومُ

    أُكَلِّفُها ذاتَ لَوثٍ أَمونا

    And whenever cares beset me,

    I laid them on a strong, trusty she-camel,

  7. عُذافِرَةً حُرَّةَ الليطِ لا

    سَقوطاً وَلا ذاتَ ضِغنٍ لَجونا

    powerfully built and fine-skinned, neither

    faltering nor spiteful and obstinate.

  8. كَأَنّي شَدَدتُ بِأَنساعِها

    قُوَيرِحَ عامَينِ جَأباً شَنونا

    As though I had bound with her girths

    a lean, stout-bodied wild ass, two years past maturity.

  9. يُقَلِّبُ حُقباً تَرى كُلَّهُنَّ

    قَد حَمَلَت وَأَسَرَّت جَنينا

    He herds white-bellied mares, each of which you see

    has conceived and hidden a foal within.

  10. وَحَلاهُنَّ وَخَبَّ السَفا

    وَهَيَّجَهُنَّ فَلَمّا صَدينا

    And he drove them on, and the awned grass grew tall,

    and roused them; then, when they grew thirsty,

  11. وَأَخلَفَهُنَّ ثِمادَ الغِمارِ

    وَما كُنَّ مِن ثَادِقٍ يَحتَسينا

    and the pools' scant water had failed them,

    and they had no drink from Thādiq,

  12. جَعَلنَ القَنانَ بِإِبطِ الشَمالِ

    وَماءَ العُنابِ جَعَلنَ اليَمينا

    they set al-Qanān at their left armpit,

    and kept al-ʿUnāb's water to their right.

  13. وَبَصبَصنَ بَينَ أَداني الغَضا

    وَبَينَ عُنَيزَةَ شَأواً بَطينا

    And they flicked their tails between the nearer reaches of al-Ghaḍā

    and ʿUnayzah, across a far-reaching stretch.

  14. فَأَبقَينَ مِنهُ وَأَبقى الطِرا

    دُ بَطناً خَميصاً وَصُلباً سَمينا

    They left him—and so did the chase—

    a hollow belly and a well-fleshed back,

  15. وَعوجاً خِفافاً سَلامُ الشَظى

    وَميظَبَ أُكمٍ صَليباً رَزينا

    and light, bowed legs with sound shank-bones,

    and a hard, weighty haunch-joint.

  16. إِذا ما اِنتَحاهُنَّ شُؤبوبُهُ

    رَأَيتَ لِجاعِرَتَيهِ غُضونا

    Whenever his storming charge bore down on them,

    you would see folds on either side of his rump.

  17. يُعَضِّضُهُنَّ عَضيضَ الثِقا

    فِ بِالسَمهَرِيَةِ حَتّى تَلينا

    He bites them as the straightening clamp grips

    a Samharī spear until it grows pliant.

  18. وَيَكدِمُ أَكفالَها عابِساً

    فَبِالشَدِّ مِن شَرِّه يَتَّقينا

    And he gnaws their rumps, scowling,

    so they guard against his harm by running hard.

  19. إِذا ما اِنتَحَت ذاتُ ضِغنٍ لَهُ

    أَصَرَّ فَقَد سَلَّ مِنها ضُغونا

    Whenever a spiteful mare turns toward him,

    he pins back his ears, for he has drawn her rancor out.

  20. لهُ خَلفَ أَدبارِها أَزمَلٌ

    مَكانَ الرَقيبِ مِنَ الياسَرينا

    Behind their hindquarters he raises a clamor,

    in the overseer's place among the arrow-gamblers.

  21. يُحَشرِجُ مِنهُنَّ قَيدَ الذِراعِ

    وَيَضرِبنَ خَيشومَهُ وَالجَبينا

    He rattles his cry an arm's length from them,

    and they strike his muzzle and forehead.

  22. فَأَورَدَها طامِياتِ الجِمامِ

    وَقَد كُنَّ يَأجِنَّ أَو كُنَّ جونا

    He brought them to pools brimming with water,

    whose waters had grown stagnant, or were dark.

  23. يُثِرنَ الغُبارَ عَلى وَجهِهِ

    كَلَونِ الدَواخِنِ فَوقَ الإِرينا

    They raise dust across his face,

    the color of smoke above the hearths.

  24. وَيَشرَبنَ مِن بارِدٍ قَد عَلِم

    أَن لا دِخالَ وَأَن لا عُطونا

    And they drink cool water; he knew

    there was no second watering and no resting by the pool.

  25. وَتَنفي الضَفادِعَ أَنفاسُها

    فَهُنَّ فُوَيقَ الرَجا يَرتَقينا

    Their breath drives the frogs away,

    so they climb just above the water's rim.

  26. فَصادَفنَ ذا حَنَقٍ لاصِقٍ

    لُصوقَ البُرامِ يَظُنُّ الظُنونا

    They encountered a wrathful man, clinging close,

    as stone cooking pots cling, turning over his guesses.

  27. قَصيرَ البِنانِ دَقيقَ الشَوى

    يَقولُ أَيَأتينَ أَم لا يُجينا

    Short-fingered and slender-limbed,

    he says, 'Will they come, or will they not arrive?'

  28. يَؤُمُّ الغَيابَة مُستَبشِراً

    يُصيبُ المَقاتِلَ حَتفاً رَصينا

    He heads for his hiding place, rejoicing,

    one who strikes the vital parts with certain death.

  29. فَجِئنَ فَأَوجَسنَ مِن خَشيَةٍ

    وَلَم يَعتَرِفنَ لِنَفَرٍ يَقينا

    They came and felt a stir of fear,

    yet had no certain sign of men.

  30. وَتُلقى الأَكارِعَ في بارِدٍ

    شَهِيٍّ مَذاقَتُهُ تَحتَسينا

    Their lower legs are plunged into cool water,

    delicious to taste, which you sip.

  31. يُبادِرن جَرعاً يُواتِرنَهُ

    كَقَرعِ القَليبِ حَصى القاذِفينا

    They hasten their gulps, taking them one after another,

    like throwers' pebbles rattling in a well.

  32. فَأَمسَكَ يَنظُرُ حَتّى إِذا

    دَنونَ مِنَ الرِيِّ أَو قَد رَوينا

    He held back, watching, until

    they neared their fill, or had already quenched their thirst.

  33. تَنَحّى بِصَفراءَ مِن نَبعَةٍ

    عَلى الكَفِّ تَجمَع أَرزاً وَلينا

    He drew aside with a yellow bow of nabʿ wood,

    which in the palm combines firmness and suppleness,

  34. مُعِدّاً عَلى عَجسِها مُرهَفاً

    فَتيقَ الغِرارَينِ حَشراً سَنينا

    readying on its grip a sharpened arrow,

    broad in both edges, fine-tipped and keen.

  35. فَأَرسَلَ سَهماً عَلى فُقرَةٍ

    وَهُنَّ شوارِعُ ما يَتَّقينا

    Then he loosed an arrow at an opening,

    while they drank, taking no precaution.

  36. فَمَرّ عَلى نَحرِهِ وَالذِراعِ

    وَلَم يَكُ ذاكَ لَهُ الفِعلُ دينا

    It passed across his upper chest and foreleg,

    and such a shot was not his usual practice.

  37. فَلَهَّفَ مِن حَسرَةٍ أُمَّهُ

    وَوَلَّينَ مِن رَهَجٍ يَكتَسينا

    In regret he cried, 'Alas for my mother!'

    and they turned away, clothing themselves in dust.

  38. تَهادى حَوافِرُهُنَّ الحَصى

    وَصُمُّ الصُخورِ بِها يَرتَمينا

    Their hooves pass pebbles back and forth,

    and they pelt one another with solid rocks.

  39. فَقَلقَلَهُنَّ سَراةَ العِشاءِ

    أَسرَعَ مِن صَدَرِ المُصدِرينا

    He drove them on through the heart of evening,

    faster than men driving their beasts back from water.

  40. يَزُرُّ وَيَلفِظُ أَوبارَها

    وَيَقرو بِهِنَّ حُزوناً حُزونا

    He bites and spits out their fur,

    and leads them over one rugged tract after another.

  41. وَتَحسَبُ في البَحرِ تَعشيرَهُ

    تَغَرُّدَ أَهوَجَ في مُنتَشينا

    In the open plain you would take his tenfold braying

    for a reckless fool's song among tipsy men.

  42. فَأَصبَحَ بِالجِزعِ مُستَجذِلاً

    وَأَصبَحنَ مُجتمِعاتٍ سُكونا

    By morning he was rejoicing at the valley bend,

    and they were gathered together, at rest.