إِنَّ الخَليطَ نَسّاكَ أَجمَعُهُ

وَنَسّاكَ بَعدَ البَينِ مَربَعُهُ

The separation has made you forget them all,

And the distance after parting has squared it.

وَأَجَنَّ قَلبُكَ مِن فِراقِهِمُ

شَوقاً فَكادَ الوَجهُ يَصدَعُهُ

Your heart has become distressed at their separation,

Yearning, until your face almost cracks from it.

أَو كُلَّما دَعَتِ الحَبيبَ نَوىً

جادَت مَسارِبَهُنَّ أَدمُعُهُ

Or whenever the beloved called an intention,

Their tear ducts were generous and their tears overflowed.

فَكَأَنَّ سُنَّةُ مُحَلِّفٍ حَلَفا

فَالدَمعُ يَسبِقُهُ وَتَقرَعُهُ

So it was as if the oath of a sworn oath-taker,

The tears precede him and knock him down.

وَإِذا أَقولُ صَحَت عَمايَتُهُ

عادَ الهَوى لِلقَلبِ يَردَعُهُ

And if I say it healed his blindness,

Love returned to the heart to check it.

فَرَمَيتُ بِالعَينَينِ ظَعنَهُمُ

فَدَنا فَأَروى الشِعرَ رَعرَعُهُ

So I threw a glance at them,

And it came close, so I could water the hair of my breast.

وَالبيدُ قَد نَشَرَت سَباسِبَها

آلاً تُسَربِلُهُ وَتَخلَعُهُ

And the desert spread its garments,

As if to dress it and undress it.

وَكَأَنَّهُم فَوقَ العُيونِ ضَحىً

نَخلٌ يَهابُ البَسرَ مونِعُهُ

And they are above the eyes in the morning,

Date palms that fear the cropper because of their bounty.

هَبَّت لَهُ شَآمِيَةٌ

فَالآلُ يَخفَضُهُ وَيَرفَعُهُ

A north wind blew against it

And the branches bend it down and raise it up.

فَوقَ الهَوادِجِ رَبرَبٌ كَنُسٌ

مَيلَ الفُروعِ يَميدُ خِروَعُهُ

Above the ponds is a twittering as if of starlings

The leaning of the branches makes its humility sway.

هيفٌ خَراعِبُ يَأتَزِرنَ عَلى

رَملٍ تَميلُ بِهِنَّ أَكرُعُهُ

Short rugged undershrubs cover

Sand dunes which their twisting makes them limp.

وَإِذا اِبتَسَمنَ جَلَونَ عَن بَرَدٍ

عَذبٍ كَأَنَّ الراحَ مَكرَعُهُ

And when they smile, their cheeks uncover

Sweet cool water, as if the wind filtered it.

فيهِ جَوىً وَبِهِ الشِفاءُ لَهُ

مِن غُلَّةِ الحَرّانِ يَنقَعُهُ

In it is moisture, and in it is the cure for him

Of the sediment of heated passions that are filtered in it.

وَعَسلاً بِالعَشِيِّ وَحادِراً

أَمسى بِلَونيّهِنَّ مَردُعهُ مُكرَّرُ

And honey in the evening, and veils

That take on its colors have turned them orange.

فَأَرَجنَ مِن قَطَنٍ وَعَنبَرِهِ

وَذكِيُّ فَأَرِ المِسكِ يَسفَعُهُ

So they exuded cotton and ambergris,

And the perfume of fine musk elevates it.

فَسَقى بِلاداً هُنَّ ساكِنُها

غَيثٌ رُكامُ المِسكِ يَرفَعُهُ

So, lands where they live were watered

By a rain whose musk scent carries it.

جَودٌ تَزَجّي الريحُ عارِضَهُ

غَيثٌ كَثيرُ النَجدِ يُطلِعُهُ

Kindness which the wind blows on its sides,

A rain whose abundance makes it overflow.

وَأَلَحَّ يَكسو الأُكمَ وابِلُهُ

بِصَدى مِنَ الأَعباءِ يُقلِعُهُ

And it insisted on covering the dunes, and its downpour

With an echo of moaning stripped them bare.

جافٍ عَنِ الدَفَّينِ مَرفَقُهُ

غَوجُ اللَبانِ أُمِرَّ مَصنَعُهُ

Dry of udders its teats,

Billowing with gum that its workmanship perfected.

وَكَأَنَّ فَوقَ مُتونِهِ رَخَماً

أَوفى عَلى الأُذُنَينِ مَوضِعُهُ

And it is as if above its back there is bristling

That has fulfilled over the two ears its place.

لِكَ المَصعُ أَعظَمُهُ

وَنَما عَلَيهِ النَيُّ يَقرَعُهُ

For it that vessel is mightiest,

And the wefts have germinated on it with tapping.

رَحبُ الفُروجِ كَأَنَّ قَنطَرَةً

حَيثُ التَقى في الصُلبِ أَضلُعُهُ

Spacious of ankles as if it has a little bridge

Where the shanks met in its purebred stoutness.

مِن سِرِّ أَرحَبَ جانِبٌ سَدِسٌ

أَو بارِكٌ قَد مُدَّ مَضبَعُهُ

Of its secret the ample side is a sixth

Or a blessed one whose length is squared.

شَظى المَروُ مَنسَمَهُ

صَكّاً يُغَنّي الشَدوَ وَعوَعُهُ

The brittle palm branch, its fruits

Rattle to accompany the singing and tremolo.

فَكَأَنَّهُ بَعدَ الكَلالِ وَقَد

جَفَّ الثَميلُ وَماجَ أَنسُعُهُ

So it is as if after weariness, when

The camel saddle had dried and its flap loosened.

حَنَّت لَهُ نُصُعٌ مُجَلَّلَةٌ

حادٍ عَنِ الرُكبانِ مَدرَعُهُ

Two saddlebags, decorated, deviated

From the riders, its skin coat links knitted together.

مِن وَحشِ حَومَلَ مُفرَدٌ لَهِقٌ

أَحوى الفَرا وَالخَدُّ أَسفَعُهُ

Of beasts a lonely hyena, sly

Who has misshapen cheeks and twisted hands.

سَلِبٌ قَشيبُ الرَوقِ أَسحَمُهُ

وَمُشَبَّهٌ بِالقارِ أَكرَعُهُ

A fox, gray of mane, snub-nosed,

Resembling the wild ass, oldest of its herd.

ظَلَّ النَهارَ يَرودُ مُؤتَنِفاً

أَفغى يَقودُ العَينَ مَربَعُهُ

It spent the day coming and going restlessly

Eyes roaming misled by its squareness.

حَتّى إِذا أَفِدَ الزَمانُ رَأى

بَرقاً أَحالَ عَلَيهِ لُمَّعُهُ

Until when the time was up, it saw

Lightning that turned its brightness toward it.

فَنَمى إِلى سَدِرٍ بِمَربَكَةٍ

قَد كانَ يَلويهِ وَيَصنَعُهُ

So it made its way to a lotus tree bent with fruit

That had been twisting and bending it.

في غَرقَدٍ هُدبٍ جَوانِبُهُ

نَجَفٍ يَلوذُ بِهِ وَيَمنَعُهُ

In a dense thicket whose sides

Are a copse in which it can take refuge and be protected.

حَتّى إِذا أَلقى أَكارِعَهُ

لِمَبيتِهِ فَأَطاعَ مَضجَعُهُ

Until when it laid down its elbows

For its night’s rest, and its lying down obeyed it.

هَدَمَ الشَمالُ عَلَيهِ بُنيَتَهُ

فَاِبتُزَّ عَن عَينَيهِ مَهجَعُهُ

The north wind destroyed its structure over it

So the shelter over its eyes was stripped bare.

فَاِحتَمَّ يَكحَلُ عَينَهِ سَهَدٌ

وَالماءُ يَركَبُهُ وَيَدفَعُهُ

It had to use the sediment of the night for kohl,

And the water mounted it and pushed it away.

يُسدي بِهِ وَيَبيتُ لَيلَتَهُ

خَضِلاً مِنَ التَهتانِ أَزمُعُهُ

It provided it and spent the night in its disaster

Slippery from the darkness, its gathering weak.

وَيُثيرُ رَونَقَهُ وَيُفزِعُهُ

وَقعٌ مِنَ الثُعبانِ يَسمَعُهُ

And a thump of snakes startles and terrifies it,

A hiss that it can hear.

وَيَظَلُّ يَركَبُ أَنفَهُ عَرَصاً

بِمبيتِهِ طَوراً وَيَتبَعُهُ

And it continues to ride on its snout vigilantly

For a bit in its night and pursues it.

وَأَفاقَ بَعدَ النَحسِ طائِرُهُ

وَجَلا ظَلامَ اللَيلِ يَقشَعُهُ

And it awoke from the bad omen and its luck

Dissipated the darkness of the night it could peel back.

فَغَدا كَنَصلِ السَيفِ مُضطَمِراً

وَحشاً بِظَهرِ الغَيبِ يَسمَعُهُ

So it went in the morning, concealing

A beast at the back of the absent one it could hear.

فَكَأَنَّ سُندُسَةً لَها كَنَفٌ

جيبَت بِحَيثُ الرَوقُ يَرفَعُهُ

So it was as if a lark with wings

Was chirping where the riders were raising their voices.

فَغَدا لَهُ مِن سِنبِسٍ لَحمٌ

كَالسيدِ صَعلُ الرَأسِ أَصمَعُهُ

And there was for it in the wilderness a piece of meat

Like the chief’s, whose head was hairless.

مُتَقَلِّداً قَوساً وَأَرشِيَةً

وَالنَبلُ في قَرنٍ يُقَعقِعُهُ

Wearing a bow and quiver,

And arrows in a container that rattles as it moves.

مَعَهُ ضَوارٍ مِن سَلوقَ لَهُ

طَوراً تُعانِدُهُ وَتَتبَعُهُ

With it were hunting hounds, for it

Those it sometimes resisted and pursued.

أَشلاؤُها فَإِذا سَبَقنَ مَعاً

وَعَدا وَقورُ القَلبِ أَصمَعُهُ

Their company, so when they went forth together

And the stouthearted one bred for war raced ahead,

دونَ المُجِدِّ وَفَوقَ مَهزِلُهُ

مُستَغرِزٌ لِلكَرِّ مُزمِعُهُ

Beneath glory and above its halt,

Trying to avoid fate, though it was intent to meet it.

فَلَحِقنَهُ هُبّى وَقَد طَمِعَت

غَضبانُ ثاني الجيدِ أَخضَعُهُ

So the swooping ones, desiring it, caught up with it

The angry, secondary feathers subduing it.

يَنحو لَها الرَوقَينِ عَن سَرَبٍ

صَدقٌ بِجَلحِ الطَعنِ مُسرِعُهُ

It inclines its forelegs away from a herd,

A truth-teller whose quick spear-thrust hurried it.

فَتَرى لَها طَمَعاً فَتَركَبُهُ

وَالمَرءُ أَحمَرُ حَيثُ مَطمَعُهُ

So you see it has greedy hopes and mounts it

And man is reddest where his hopes lie.

فَلَهُ بَراثِنُ بَينَها وَبِها

نَضحٌ مِنَ الأَجوافِ تَدسَعُهُ

So it had talons among which were

Spurts of blood from the belly that gushed from it.

وَرَأى المُكَلَّفُ طَيرَهُ بَرَحَت

نَحساً وَلاقى المَوتَ أَجدَعُهُ

And the burdened one saw that its luck had

Departed ominously and it met a loss that lopped it off.

وَتَرَمَّلَت بِدَمٍ قَداماهُ وَقَد

أَوفى اللِحاقُ وَحانَ مَصرَعُهُ

And it was widowed with blood before it, as

The overtaking fulfilled its destiny and time of death.

وَمَضى عَلى صَدرٍ كَأَنَّ بِهِ

جِنّاً يَطيفُ بِهِ وَيَنسَعُهُ

And it went on a chest as if on it

Was a jinn wandering on it and scattering it apart.

كَالكَوكَبِ الدُرِّيُّ مُسَّدِلاً

سَدّاً كَحِسِّ النارِ مَقمَعُهُ

Like a bright star, humbled,

Lowering a barrier like the sparks of fire brandished from it.

وَاِرفَضَّ عَن أَظلافِهِ وَبِها

فِلَقُ الحَصى وَيَطيرُ يَرمُعُهُ

And it tossed off its shoulders, and with them

Were flakes of pebbles flying and shooting from it.

مُستَقبِلاً وَجهَ الشَمالِ لَهُ

زَجَلٌ عَلى رَوقَيهِ يَقرَعُهُ

Facing the direction of north for it

Was hobbling on its two forelegs, knocking it.

وَكَأَنَّما جَهَدَت أَلِيَّتُهُ

أَلّا تَمَسَّ الأَرضَ أَربَعُهُ

And it was as if its shanks strained

That its four not touch the ground.

وَيلَ أُمِّهِ حَمِشاً بِصَعدَتِهِ

وَمُوائِلاً إِذ جَدَّ مَفزَعُهُ

Woe to its mother, heavily laden with its packsaddle

And blameworthy, when its panic intensified!

وَمُلَعَّنٍ يَنأى بِسافِيَةٍ

غُفُلِ الصُوى حَدبٍ مُجَعجَعُهُ

And cursed is one who steps aside with smooth rocks

On an ignoramus, the twists of which wound it!

سُدمٌ مَناهِلَهُ تَهيمُ بِهِ

سِربُ القَطا الجَونِيِّ مَوقِعُهُ

A plateau whose waters wild cats roam around

Whose dens are its resting places.

نَفَرَت عَلى أَرجاءِ مَنهَلِهِ

خُلُطاً مِنَ الوُرّادِ يَجمَعُهُ

They scattered in the areas of its watering hole

A mix of lark, which gathered.

وَاللَيلُ قَد أَلقى بَوانِيَهُ

وَالصُبحُ ذو طُرُقَينِ مَقنَعُهُ

And the night had let down its locks

And morning is veiled, though it has two paths.

فَكَشَفتُ عَن ذي جَمَّةٍ عُصُباً

تَنزو عَلى بَرَّيهِ ضَفدَعُهُ

So I uncovered one wearing strips of cloth

Dripping on its purity their loose ends.

فَثَنى لَهُ الرُكبَينِ ثُمَّ حَنا

فَاِستَدَّ بِالعَلباءِ أَخدَعُهُ

Then it bent its two knees and leaned

Supporting itself by the rocks to deceive it.

وَكَأَنَّما اِرتَجَسَت مَلاغِمُهُ

بِالصَخرِ هَذا الماءَ يَجرَعُهُ

And it was as if its jugs had clashed

Against the boulder - this water he gulps and drinks.

فَنَحا إِلى الحَيزومِ فَنَحا

الضَفيرُ وَكادَ يَقطَعُهُ

So it inclined toward the jowl, so the thick hair

Inclined, and it almost cut it off.

فَحَمَيتُ مُقلَتَهُ وَقَد وَهَمَت

دَولاً يَصَبُّ بِهِ وَيُمنَعُهُ

And I stayed its swaying, as it imagined

Buckets by which to pour it and forbid it.

وَغَدا لَهُ بِالبيدِ خَطرَفَةٌ

مُتَرَغِّماً غَضبانَ أَقدَعُهُ

And it had in the wilderness some confusion

Distressed, angry, destructive in its desolation.

تَكسو مَشافِرَهُ مُكَرَّرَةٌ

هَذا يَطيرُ عَلَيهِ خُرفُعُهُ

Covering its claws, repeated

Is that which flutters over it, its flapping.

وَعُدولَةٍ عُنُدٍ مُبَرَّكَةٍ

حَيرانَ يَعوي حَيثُ مَشرَعُهُ

And some that are recalcitrant, stubborn, blessed

Perplexed, howling wherever its opening is.