حَلَفتُ بِرَبِّ الراقِصاتِ إِلى مِنىً
رَفيقاً وَربِّ الواقِفينَ عَلى الحَبلِ
I swore by the Lord of those dancing to Minā,
A companion, and the Lord of those standing on the rope,
لَو انَّ لِيَ الدُّنيا وَما عُدِلَت بِهِ
وَجُملٌ لِغيري ما أَردتُ سِوى جُملِ
If I owned the world and whatever equals it,
And a camel for someone else, I would not want but a camel.
أَتَهجُر جُملاً أَم تُلِمُّ عَلى جُمل
وَجُملٌ عيوفُ الرِّيقِ جاذِبَةُ الوَصلِ
Would you shun a camel or blame it for being a camel?
A camel, soft-mouthed, drawing closer the connection.
فَوَجدي بِجُمل وَجدُ شَمطاءَ عالجَت
مِنَ العَيشِ أَزماناً عَلى مررِ القُلِّ
So I found solace in a camel, and found solace when Shamṭā’ cured
Many days of living with the bitterness of anguish.
فَعاشَت مُعافاةً بأَنزَح عيشَةٍ
تَرى حَسَناً أَن لا تَموتَ مِنَ الهُزلِ
She lived healthy with a life of ease,
Seeing beauty that she not die of jest.
قَضى رَبُّها بعلاً لَها فَتَزَوجت
حَليلاً وَما كانَت تؤمِّلُ من بعلِ
Her Lord decreed a husband for her, so she married
A lawful one, though she had not hoped for a husband.
وَعدَّت شهورَ الحَملِ حَتّى إِذا انقَضَت
وَجاءَت بِخِرقٍ لا دَنيء وَلا وَغلِ
She counted the months of pregnancy until they ended,
And she gave birth to a slit, no baseness, no defect.
فَهفَّ إِلَيها الخِلُّ واجتَمعت لَها
عيونُ العُفاةِ الطامِحينَ إِلى الفَضلِ
So the tribe rushed to her, and all the pure-eyed gathered for her,
Yearning for excellence.
إِذا راكِبٌ تَهوى بِهِ شَمَّرِيَّةٌ
غَريبٌ سِواهُم مِن أُناسٍ وَمِن شَكلِ
When a rider appeared whom a heroic woman loved,
A stranger, unlike them in people and form.
فقالَ لَهُم كيدوا بأَلفي مُقنَّعٍ
عِظامٍ طِوالٍ لا ضعافٍ وَلا عُزلِ
He said to them, “Conspire with a thousand masked men,
Tall bones, no weaklings or cowards.”
فَشَكوا طَبيقاً أَصلَهُم ثُمَ أَسلَموا
بِكَفِّ ابنِها أَمرَ الجَماعَةِ والفِعلِ
So they discussed in secret, then handed over
To her son command of the group and the deed.
وَقالَ لَهُم حَمَلتُمونِيَ أَمرَكُم
فَلا تَترُكوني لاشتِراكٍ وَلا خَذلِ
And he said to them, “You have burdened me,
So do not abandon me, neither associate nor let down.”
فَلمّا اكتَنى في بِزّةِ الحَربِ واستَوى
عَلى ظَهرِ شَيحانِ القَرا نَبَلٍ عَبلِ
When he was girded with the garb of war and stood
On the back of a nimble purebred steed,
وَساروا فأَعطَوهُ اللواءَ وَجَرّبوا
شَمائِلَ مَيمونٍ نَقيبَتُهُ مِثلي
They went, and gave him the banner, and tested
The auspices of the blessed, its guide like me.
فَسارَ بِهِم حَتّى لَوى مُرجَحِنَّةً
تَضيقُ بِها الصَّحراءُ صادِقةَ الفَتلِ
He marched with them until he turned aside at Murjaḥinna,
Where the desert narrows, sincere in slaughter.
فَلمّا التَقى الصفّانِ كانَ تَطارُدٌ
وَطَعنٌ بِهِ أَفواهُ مَعطوفَةٍ نُجلِ
When the two ranks met, there was charging
And stabbing by it—mouths conjoined, fierce.
نَهاراً طَويلاً ثُم دارَت هَزيمَةٌ
بأَصحابِهِ مِن غَيرِ ضَعفٍ وَلا خَذلِ
A long day, then defeat turned
His men, without weakness or desertion.
فَقالَ لَهُم والخَيلُ مُدبِرَةٌ بِهِم
وأَعيُنهُم مِمّا يَخافونَ كالقُبلِ
He said to them, with horses fleeing with them,
And their eyes, from what they fear, like hills:
عَلى رسلِكُم إِني سأَحمي ذِمارَكُم
وَهَل يَمنع الأَحسابَ إِلا فَتىً مِثلي
“On your mounts! I will protect your saddles,
And who can prevent fate but a man like me?”
فَبَيناه يَحميهم وَيعطِفُ خَلفَهُم
بَصيرٌ بِعوراتِ الفَوارسِ والرَّجلِ
While he protected them and wheeled behind them,
A keen judge of the gaps in horsemen and footmen,
هَوى ثائِرٌ حَرّانُ يعلَمُ أَنَّهُ
إِذا ما تَوارى القَوم مُنقَطِعُ النَّبلِ
A fiery stallion plunged, knowing that
When the people flee, spent are the arrows,
فَلَم يَستَطِع مِن نَفسِهِ غَيرَ طَعنَةٍ
سوى في ضُلوعِ الجَوفِ نافِذةِ الوَغلِ
He could not but stab once
Deep in the ribs, piercing the vitals.
فَخَرَّ وَكَرَّت خَيلُهُ يَندبونَهُ
ويُثنونَ خَيراً في الأَباعدِ والأَهلِ
He fell, and his horse wheeled, mourning him
And speaking well at a distance and to his kin.
فَلَمّا دَنَوا لِلحيِّ أُسمع هاتِفٌ
عَلى غَفلَةِ النِّسوانِ وَهيَ عَلى رَحلِ
As they approached the camp, a shouter called out
Upon the heedless women, who were on howdahs.
فَقامَت إِلى موسى لِتَذبَحَ نَفسَها
وأَعجَلَها وَشكُ الرزيئَةِ والثُّكلِ
She rose toward Moses, to slaughter herself,
Hastened by grief and fear for bereavement,
فَما بَرَحت حَتّى أَتاها كَما بَدا
وَراجَعها تَكليمَ ذي حُلُقٍ جَزلِ
She had barely risen before he came as he began,
Returning her address—one with a resonant voice.
فَوجدي بِجُملٍ وجدُ تيكَ وَفَرحَتي
بجُملٍ كَما قَد بابنِها فَرحت قَبلي
So I found solace in a camel, and my joy in Tīk,
As she before me joyed in her son.
أَتَشغَلُ عَنّا يا ابنَ عمِّ فَلا تَرى
مِنَ البُخلِ لاءً سَوفَ تَعتَلّ بِالشُّغلِ
Will you be distracted from us, O cousin, so you do not see
Miserliness as blameworthy? It will lead to preoccupation.
مهالَسةً والسترُ بَيني وَبَينَهُ
بِداراً كَتَحليلِ القطا جازَ بِالضَّحلِ
Joking and screening between me and him
With verses, like a cat passing through the bowels.
