وَخَلقٍ غَريبِ الشَكلِ في مصرَ ناشيء
وَما هُوَ في أَرضٍ سِوى مِصرَ يُوجَدُ
A creature of strange form in Egypt arising
Found nowhere on earth except in Egypt abiding
هُوَ السَبُعُ العادي بِنيلِ صَعيدِها
يُقافِصُ مَن للماءِ في النيلِ يقصدُ
The crocodile common in her Upper Nile
Who lies in wait for any water in the Nile providing
وَيخطُفُهُ خَطف العُقابِ لِصَيدها
وَيفصلُه عُضواً فَعُضواً وَيزرَدُ
And snatches them up with a hawk's abrupt violence
Ripping them member from member and swallowing
وَما مِن شُخوصِ النيلِ خَلقٌ لَهُ يَدٌ
وَرجلٌ سواهُ وَهوَ في البَرِ يصعَدُ
Of all the Nile's creatures none but he is found
With hands and feet on land upright and bounding
وَربَّتَما يَلقى لَدى البر كاسِراً
وَيجري كَمثلِ الطرفِ أَو هُوَ أَزيَدُ
Oft he is found on land a terror
Darting as swift as a whip or faster yet sounding
لَهُ ذَنبٌ مُرخىً طَويلٌ يُقيمُهُ
يلُفُّ بِهِ مَن كانَ في الناسِ يفقدُ
With swaying tail long he keeps erect
To entwine any among men he finds astounding
وَأَسنانُهُ أُنثى عَلى ذكرٍ أَتَت
لِكَسرِ العِظامِ الصُلبِ مِنها تفقّدُ
His teeth are female set in male
To break the sturdy bones their power demanding
وَيحفُرُ في رَملٍ وَيدفنُ بيضَهُ
يُعاهِدُها غِباً إِلى حين تولَدُ
He digs in the sand and buries his eggs
Leaving them secretly until they are hatching
وَلا تَعمَلُ الأَسيافُ فيهِ كَأَنَّما
عَلى جلدِهِ مِنهُ صَفيحٌ مُسرَّدُ
Swords do him no harm as though
His skin were iron armor fully enfolding
وَلَكنَّ تَحتَ الإبطِ ليِّنَ جلدةٍ
فَمِنها المَنايا دونَهُ تَتَصَعَّدُ
But under the armpit lies a soft spot
Whence death creeps up while he lies there reposing
وَلَيسَ لَهُ دُبرٌ فَيُخرِج نَجوَهُ
وَلَكن إِلى حُلقومِهِ يَتَرَدَّدُ
No tail has he to eject his waste
But to his gullet it keeps on forwarding
فَيفتَح فاهُ ثُم يَدخُلُ طائِرٌ
فَيلفظ ما قَد كانَ فيهِ يدودُ
He opens his mouth and in flies a bird
To take what filth in his stomach was goading
فَإِن رامَ إِطباقاً عَليه فَإِنَّه
يَكونُ لسقفِ الحلقِ بِالريشِ يُفصَدُ
Would he snap shut the bird meets its doom
As the feathers close off his throat palisading
وَيقتُلُه الجاموسُ فَهوَ إِذا دَرى
بِهِ فَرَّ مِنهُ وَهوَ في السِبحِ يُجهَدُ
The hippo kills him though when it spies
Him floundering in the marsh his strength degrading
وَيَخدَعُهُ الإِنسانُ حَتّى يَصيدَهُ
وَيَربُطُهُ كَالعَنزِ بِالحَبلِ تُصفَدُ
Man tricks him and hunts him down
Tying his legs like a goat securely braiding
رَأَيناهُ مَحمولاً عَلى جَمَلٍ وَقَد
أَتَت طرفاهُ الأَرضَ فيها يخددُ
We've seen him hauled on a camel's back
His limbs trailing the ground on either side grading
وَللعقلِ في صَيدِ التَماسيحِ صَنعَةٌ
يُرتِّبُها الفكرُ المُصِيبُ فَتُحمَدُ
The mind has cunning for catching crocodiles
Which thoughtful wit carefully premeditating
وَذو العَقلِ مَقدورٌ عَلَيهِ وَقادِرٌ
عَلى كُلِّ ذي روحٍ رَقيبٌ مُؤيدُ
He who has wit has power over creatures all
Each living thing by a vigilant lord created
فَلا الطَيرُ في جَوٍّ وَلا الوَحشُ في الفَلا
وَلا سافِحٌ إِلّا لَهُ مُتَرَدّدُ
Neither birds in the air nor beasts in the wild
Nor the mountains except to his will relegated
فَيقهَرهُ قَتلاً وَذَبحاً وَخدمةً
وَفي آخرٍ ذو العَقلِ في الرَمسِ يُلحَدُ
He subdues them killing and slaughtering
And in the end only man's grave is never waiting
