يشيرُ بِأُذْنيهِ إليَّ مُخاطِباً

فأفَهمُ فَهْمَ الخُرس فَحواهُ والطُّرشِ

He gestures to me with his ears as if to speak

So I understand like a deaf person his muteness

وأقسِمُ إنّي ما تَوَخّيْتُ لَزِّهُ

بِمِقْرَعةٍ تنكيهِ بالضّربِ والخَدْشِ

And I swear I never intended any harm for him

With a goad that would poke and scratch

سَلوا عنهُ أَصحابَ المراغةِ إنّهُمْ

رأوه معي ما زالَ يُحْبَبُ كالكبشِ

Ask his barn mates - they saw him with me

He remained beloved like a lamb

إذا نامَ فوقَ الرَّمِاْلِ واختَبَط الثرى

لهُ الذَّنَبُ الذَّيالُ أَبدى سَطا قَرْشِ

When he slept on the sand and kicked up dust

His long tail always showing white underneath

وَكَمْ مَوْقفٍ نَقّيتُ فيهِ ذُبابَهُ

مُفَرِّقُه منْ ذلكَ الدَّنِّ والنّشِّ

And how many times did I shoo away the flies for him

Driving them from him in care and affection

وَكُنتُ كَجَنيْ الياسمينِ نَثَرتَهُ

على المخزنِ المعمورِ بالكنس والرَّشِّ

I was like a gardener strewing jasmine on him

In the packed stable, sweeping and sprinkling

وما زالَ يُلهيني بترجيعِ صّوْتهِ

نَهيقاً عنِ الورقاءِ تهتفُ في العُشِّ

And he would entertain me with his loud neighing

Calling from the meadows, voices echoing from the stalls

كما كانَ يُلهيني بِسَيْرِ عِذارهِ

الصَقيلِ إذا ما لاحَ عن لَعَطِ الحُبْشِ

As he entertained me with the smooth gait of his trot

When his polished hooves flashed under the saddle

عِذارٌ به قد قامَ عُذري بِحُبِّهِ

فيا حُسْنَهُ في عُصْبَةِ القُشُب الرُّقْشِ

With a trot that justified my love for him

What beauty he had among the slender sorrels!

فيا لَيْتَهُمْ إذْ حمّلوهُ متاعَهُمْ

حُمِلتُ ولا عاينتُ ذاك على النّعشِ

Would that they had taken me along when they loaded his belongings

Instead of leaving me to witness him on the bier

وما ساءَني لمّا نطقتُ بِبَيْعهِ

سِوَى وَحْشَتَي من ذلكَ المنظَرِ الهَشِّ

Nothing saddened me when I spoke of selling him

Except seeing his frightened, trembling form

وقد سالَ من همي الغداةَِ وَعَينه

منَ الدِّمْعِ ما يُعمي المتّيمَ أو يَعسي

Tears streamed from him in the morning from sorrow

Enough to blind the blinking one or make the sleeper wake

ولم أنسَهُ إذْ حَنَّ نَحوي وَكُلّما

تَجافاهُ مولاهُ تشاغَلَ بالقُشِّ

I cannot forget him leaning towards me, speaking

Whenever his master ignored him, busy with the hay

لَقَد كانَ ذُخري في الدَّواب وَعُمدَتي

وَمَوْثل آمالي وَعَوْني على بَطْشي

Truly he was my wealth among the livestock and my pillar

My hopes, my aid against adversity

إخالُ بهِ الأَرضينَ يُطوى بَعيدُها

فَوا أَسفي إذْ صرْتُ منْ بَعْدِهِ أمشي

With him I crossed vast lands effortlessly

Alas that after him I walk on my own two feet!

وما بالَ تحتي قَطُّ مذْ كُنْتُ أَغتَدى

عليهِ ولم يَبْحَثْ عن الأَكلِ بالنَبشِ

No longer does my coat brush the ground as when

I used to ride him high, unconcerned with food or crumbs

وما كانَ ذا جُبْنٍ على أنَّ بولَهُ

تراهُ إذا ما بالَ أبيضَ كالمشِّ

He was no coward, his urine you could see

Was white when he discharged it copiously

وما كانَ ممّنْ يَنْشُقُ البولَ كالذي

يتوقُ إذا لاحَتْ أتانٌ إلى الفُحش

He was not one to dribble urine like a jackass

Aroused when any jenny came into heat

وما كانَ يُدلي قَطُّ يوماً بحُجَة

إلى القَفْزِ إلاَّ خَلتُهُ نابلاً أَقْشِ

Never did he on a whim bound off

Unless I left him unbridled and unchecked

وما كانَ ممَنْ يُسرعُ الخطوَ نَهمةً

ولا يَتَمَطّى إلاَ كلَ للْحَبِّ إذْ عُشتي

He was not one to rush his pace greedily

Or prance, except when passion bound us mutually

ولا كانَ رفَاساً ولا كانَ شامساً

ولا كانَ كَدَّاماً يُكَلِّمُ بالنّهْشِ

He was neither tricky nor mischievous

Nor would he bite aggressively with his big teeth

ولا كنَ همّازاً ولا كانَ غامزاً

ولا بأحصَّ أزعَنَ واسعِ الكَرِشِ

He was gentle, though lively if hay was heaped

I would share that food with him in delight

وقد كانَ مَهما حُشَّ فَرْطاً أو دلُّو

أُشارِكُهُ في ذلكَ الأًَكلِ للْحش

What companion like him if he was aloof, would

Ignore my secrets and not gossip or tell

وَهَلْ من ندِيمٍ مثلهِ وَهْوَ إن جَفَا

تغاضى ولا يومي بسرِّيْ ولا يُفْشي

Most difficult after he left were the words

That if I but sighed, people said "Be Gone!"

وأصعَبُ ما لاقيتُ بعدَ فِراقه

مقالَ الذي إن قلتُ آه يَقُلْ مَشِّي

They see me eat fenugreek the day I bought him

Yet now I am feeble, overpowered by worries

تَراني أكَلْتُ البنجَ يوم ابتياعه

وأصبحتُ يَكَاً إذْ غُلِبتُ بِشاسِشِّي

I paid his price in barley but they said to me

“His sale price would be bonds if he could be returned”

ضَرَبْتُ عليهِ بالشَعيرِ فقيلَ لي

يُردُّ ودُوِّي لو يَرُدُّوهُ بالأرش

I will complain, now that I have marked the days of separation

In grief, to the Dweller of the Throne.

سأشكو وقد صَرَّمْتُ أيّامَ هجرِهِ

بموقفِ أحزاني إلى ساكن العرش