جُلُبّانَةٌ وَرهاءُ تَخصي حمارَها
بِفي مَن بَغى خَيراً إِليها الجَلامِدُ
A mother donkey and her filly decorate themselves,
With hoofs that injure those who wish them good.
عُرَيبِيةٌ لا ناحضٌ مِن قَدامَةٍ
وَلا مُعصِرٌ تَجري عَليها القَلائِدُ
A she-ass neither ridden at the front or back,
Nor worked at the olive press with the cattle.
إِزاءُ مَعاشٍ لا يَزالُ نِطاقُها
شَديداً وَفيها سَورَةٌ وَهيَ قاعِدُ
Always tightening her belt against hardship,
Tough, keeping her legs folded beneath her.
مُداخَلَةُ الأَرساغِ في كلِّ إِصبَعٍ
من الرجل مِنها واليَدين زَوائِدُ
Her fetlocks are interwoven on every toe,
With plaits running down both legs from each.
كأَن مَكانَ العِقدِ مِنها إِذا بَدا
صفاً مِنَ حَزيزٍ سهَّلَتهُ الموارِدُ
When her anklets appear it's as though they were
A washed stream bed smoothed by the running brook.
تَتابَعَ أَعوامٌ عَليها هَزَلنَها
وأَقبلَ عامٌ يُنعِشُ النّاسَ واحِدُ
Years passed over her, mocking,
Then came one that revived men and was unique.
عَضَمَّرةٌ فيها بقاءٌ وَشِدَّةٌ
وَوالٍ لَها بادي النَّصيحَةِ جاهِدُ
Old but lasting, hardy,
With a guardian watching over her, his advice intent.
إِذا ما دعا أَجيادَ جاءت خَناجِرٌ
لَهاميمُ لا يَمشي إِليهن قائِدُ
When the noble ladies came, swords flashing,
Uncontrolled, with no chief to guide them.
فَجاءَت بِمعيوفِ الشَّريعَةِ مُكلِعٍ
أُرِسّت عَليهِ بِالأَكفِّ السَّواعِدُ
She brought forth, following religious law,
Hands all smeared from the birthing fluid.
فَما زالَ يُسقي المَحضَ حَتى كأَنّهُ
أَجيرُ أُناسٍ أَغضَبوهُ مُباعدُ
Her teats continued dripping milk, until
She seemed a hired hand whose absence they resented.
فَجاءَت بِذي أَونَين أُعبِرَ شاتُهُ
وَعُمر حَتى قيلَ هَل هوَ خالِدُ
Then she brought one whose crossing she announced by her trot,
And he lived until it was said he would never die.
وَغرّرَه حَتى استَدارَ كأَنَّهُ
عَلى القَروِ عُلفوفٌ مِن التُّركِ راقِدُ
She pampered him until he rounded out, as though
He was a foal from Turkey's horses stabled on the hill.
فَلمّا أَدى واستَربَعته تَرنَّمت
أَلا كلُّ شيءٍ ما خَلا اللَّهَ بائِدُ
When she had trained him and taught him manners, she sang,
"All things perish, but Allah does not."
فَذاقَتهُ مِن تَحتِ اللِّفافِ فَسرَّها
جَراجِرُ مِنهُ وَهوَ ملآنُ سانِدُ
She tasted him gently beneath the coverings, and it delighted her
To hear his soft groans, though she was fully sated.
إِذا مالَ مِن نَحو العراقي أَمَّرَهُ
إِلى نَحرِها مِنهُ عِنانٌ مناكِدُ
If he inclined away, toward Iraq, she turned his head
Toward her chest, pulling the reins against his neck.
يَميلُ عَلى وَحشيّه فيُميلُهُ
لإِنسيه مِنها عِراكٌ مناجِدُ
He would lean toward his wild side, and she
Inclined him to her gentle, human, domesticated nature.
فَلمّا تَجلّى اللَّيلُ عَنها وأَبصَرَت
وَفي سُدَف اللَّيلِ الشُّخوصُ الأَباعِدُ
When night revealed itself to them and she saw
The distant stars shining in night's dome,
يُقالُ لَها جِدّي هَوَيتِ وَبادِري
غِناءَ الحَمامِ أَن تَميعَ المَزايِدُ
She was told, "Come, rouse yourself and hurry!
Rival the moaning doves before the other hens respond!"
فَعضّت تَراقيهِ بصَفراءَ جَعدَةٍ
فَعَنها تُصاديهِ وَعنها تُراوِدُ
She snapped her yellow plaits against his flank
Answering his call, enticing and inviting him.
تأوَّبها في لَيلِ نَحسٍ وَقِرَّةٍ
خَليلي أَبو الخَشخاشِ واللَّيلُ بارِدُ
She led him on an unlucky, cold night
To meet her lover Abu Khushkhush while the night was cold.
فَقامَ يُصاديها فَقالَت تُريدُني
عَلى الزّادِ شَكلٌ بَينَنا مُتَباعِدُ
He came to her and she said, "You would trick me
out of my food! There should be distance between us!"
إِذا قالَ مَهلاً أَسجِحي حَملَقت لَهُ
بِزرقاءَ لَم تَدخُل عَليها المراودُ
When he said "Wait!" she looked at him sadly
With blazing blue eyes untouched by his entreaty.
كأَن حِجاجَي رأَسِها في مثلَّمٍ
مِنَ الصَّخرِ جَونٍ خَلَّقته المواردُ
As though the stones of her hooves were the old
rough rock split by the running brooks.
إِذا الحَملُ الرِّبعِي عارضَ أُمَّه
عَدَت وَكَرى حَتّى تحنّ الفراقدُ
When the three month old foal rivaled his mother,
She returned to her stall, moaning for her absent one.
فَقامَت بِأثناءٍ مِنَ اللَّيلِ ساعةً
سَراها الدَّواهي واستنامَ الخرائِدُ
She stood for a time in the night, an hour
Gladdened by the glow-worms while the mourners slept.
فَظَلَّ نِساءُ الحيِّ يَحشون كُرسُفاً
رؤوسَ عظامٍ أَوضحتها القَصائِدُ
The women of the tribe came crowding round
With the skulls of titanic beasts bared by the elegies.
وَجاءَت بِضِئنِيٍّ كأَنَّ دَوِيَّه
تَرنمُ رَعدٍ جاوَبته الرَّواعِدُ
She brought forth one whose roar was like
The rumbling thunder answered by lightning's brilliant veins.
