مَن كان بالصَيدِ كسّاباً فقانِصُهُ
ذو مِرَّةٍ في سباعِ البيدِ مَعدودُ
He who hunts with arrows reaching far,
His quiver holds arrows that do not miss their mark.
لكنَّهُ كفتاةِ الحي بارِزةً
مِن خِدرِها مالئٌ للعَينِ مَودودُ
Yet he is like a girl peering out from her tent,
Her tent opening filled attractively to the eye.
حلوُ الشمائلِ في أَجفانِهِ وَطَفٌ
صافي الأديم هَضيمُ الكشحِ مَمسودُ
Sweet of feature, down covers his eyelids,
Pure white skin, sturdy frame, perfectly formed.
فيه مِنَ البَدرِ أشباهٌ مُوافِقَةٌ
منها لَهُ سُفَعٌ في وَجههِ سودُ
In him the full moons find their likenesses,
From them his cheeks take on a darkened hue.
كوَجهِ ذا وَجهُ هذا في تَدوَّرِهِ
كأَنَّهُ مِنهُ في الأشكالِ مَقدودُ
His face turns just as that other face turns,
As if it were molded from the same form as his.
لَهُ مِنَ الليثِ ناباهُ وَمِخلبُهُ
وَمِن غَريرِ الظِباءِ النَحرُ والجيدُ
He has the fangs and claws of a lion
And the neck and shoulders of a wild doe.
فوَصفُهُ ببَديعِ الحُسنِ مُشتهرٌ
وَنَعتُهُ بشَديدِ البأسِ مَوجودُ
He is famed for beauty and comeliness;
His might and strength of arm are well-known.
يُصغي بأُذنَينِ يُبدي وَشكُ سَمعِها
لَهُ الذي غَيَّبَت في غَولها البيدُ
He cocks his ears, displaying their keen hearing,
For that which the arrows in their quivers have obscured.
كآسَتَينِ عَلى غُصنٍ تَعَطَّفتا
من جانبَيهِ وفي الرأسَينِ تَحديدُ
Like two branches bending over,
Framing his head, the ears distinct and clear.
أغَرَّ يصبيك أَو يلهيك مِن دَعَجٍ
في مُقلَتَيهِ عَلى الخدَّينِ تَخديدُ
Does some fanciful notion make you smile
At the dimples indenting his cheeks?
كَعَنبَرٍ عَوَّجَتهُ في سَوالِفها
مِن بَعدما قَوَّمَتهُ الغادَةُ الرودُ
Like amber the smoothing stones have straightened
After the twisting branches distorted it at first.
كأَنَّهُ لابِسٌ مِن جِلدِهِ فَنَكاً
في لينِهِ لبنانِ الكفِّ تَمهيدُ
As if he is wearing a coat of his own skin,
Its softness makes his palms appear to be clad in white kid gloves.
مُلمَّعٌ أَخصَفُ العَينَينِ مُنتَدِبٌ
كَأَنَّهُ بِبَديع مَقصودُ
Blinking, narrow-eyed, being coy,
As if by some clever design.
يحكيه في أربِهِ زَمرُ الغطاط وَفي
لُطفِ المكائدِ مِنهُ السمعُ والسيدُ
The twittering Francolins tell of him in their songs,
As do the subtle snares―both hearing and tracker.
إذا رأى الصيد أخفى شخصَه أَرَباً
وقلبُهُ باقتناص الصيدِ معمودُ
When he spies his quarry, he hides his person and waits;
His heart is set on seizing his prey.
يكادُ من سَدكهِ بالأرضِ يخرقُها
كأَنَّهُ بحثيثِ الذُعرِ مَزؤودُ
As he hugs the ground so tightly in ambush
It is as if the ground will split from his fervent desire.
ينسابُ كالأَديمِ هَبّالاً لبُغيَتِهِ
حَتّى إذا أمكنَتهُ وَهوَ مَكدودُ
He flows towards his intent like a piece of white cloth,
Until, when he nears his prey and lies in wait,
سَطَت عَلَيهِ بها كفُّ المنونِ فما
تَبغي نجاءً ووردُ الحينِ مَورودُ
The hand of death is stretched out over it, so it cannot
Escape, while the flowers this day are in full bloom.
