نَأَت دارُ سَلمى فَشَطَّ المَزارُ
فَعَينايَ ما تَطعَمانِ الكَرى
We came to Salma's house, so it cheered up the place,
Yet my eyes don't enjoy pleasures anymore,
وَمَرَّ بِفُرقَتِها بارِحٌ
فَصَدَّقَ ذاكَ غُرابُ النَوى
And her separation passed by like a night visitor,
So the raven confirmed that suspicion.
فَأَضحَت بِبَغدانَ في مَنزِلٍ
لَهُ شُرُفاتٌ دُوَينَ السَما
It became morning in Baghdan in a house,
With lofty ceilings reaching the sky.
وَجَيشٌ وَرابِطَةٌ عِندَهُ
غِلاظُ الرِقابِ كَأُسدِ الشَرى
An army and guards are next to it,
With thick necks like lions hunting prey,
بِأَيديهِمُ مُحدَثاتُ الصِقالِ
سُرَيجِيَّةٌ يَختَلِبنَ الطُلى
In their hands are polished swords,
Smooth like the slipping twilight.
وَمِن دونِها بَلَدٌ نازِحٌ
يُجيبُ بِهِ البومُ رَجعَ الصَدا
And beyond it is an evacuated town
Where owls respond to the echoes.
وَمِن مَنهَلٍ آجِنٍ ماؤُهُ
سُدىً لا يُعاذُ بِهِ قَد طَمى
And a watering place with stagnant water,
Not fit to take cover next to after being blocked.
يَبيتُ الذِئابُ تَعاوى بِهِ
وَيُصبِحنَ في مَهَواتِ المَلا
Wolves howl next to it at night,
And morning finds them in the ravines.
وَكَم دونَ بَيتِكَ مِن مَهمَهٍ
وَمِن أَسَدٍ جاحِرٍ في مَكى
How many perils are near your house,
And how many cunning lions in the den!
وَمِن حَنَشٍ لا يُجيبُ الرُقا
ةَ أَسمَرَ ذي حُمَةٍ كَالرَشا
And how many Abyssinians not responding when called,
Dark-skinned with bodily strength like a young, virile man!
أَصَمَّ صَموتٍ طَويلِ السُبا
تِ مُنهَرِتِ الشِدِقِ عاري القَرا
Deaf mutes, with long weapons,
Baring their teeth, with wide nostrils.
لَهُ في اليَبيسِ نُفاثٌ يَطيرُ
عَلى جانِبَيهِ كَجَمرِ الغَضا
He has, when the air is still, a puffing breath
Flying on both his sides like burning coals.
وَعَينانِ حُمرٌ مَآقيهِا
نَبِصّانِ في هامَةٍ كَالرَحا
And two red eyes, their sockets
Peering out from a forehead like a meadow.
إِذا ما تَثاءَبَ أَبدى لَهُ
مُذَرَّبَةً عُصُلاً كَالمُدى
When he yawns, he reveals to him
Jagged teeth, as the handmill's creaking sounds
كَأَنَّ حَفيفَ الرَحى جَرسُهُ
إِذا اِصطَكَّ أَثناؤُهُ وَاِنطَوى
When its parts come together and fold over each other.
If he were to bite polished swords, his fangs would stick in the steel.
وَلَو عَضَّ حَفَي صَفاةٍ إِذاً
لَأَنشَبَ أَنيابَهُ في الصَفا
It's as if his claws are detached and scattered,
Single ones and pairs.
كَأَنَّ مَزاحِفَهُ أَنسُعٌ
خُرِزنَ فُرادى وَمِنها ثُنا
And the moaning of my crescent darling Qumriyya has hurt me,
At dusk, missing the morn.
وَقَد شاقَني نَوحُ قُمرِيَّةٍ
طَروبِ العَشِيِّ هَتوفِ الضُحى
She's a palm frond who began lamenting at dawn
Over a loved one gone in the thickets.
مِنَ الوُرقِ نَوّاحَةٍ باكَرَت
عَسيبَ أَشاءٍ بِذاتِ الغَصا
She sang a special melody for him
That provokes dormant passion.
فَغَنَّت عَلَيهِ بِلَحنٍ لَها
يُهيِّجُ لِلصَبِّ ما قَد مَضى
She's adorned as if dressed up
With the dress of a mourner when she calls the deceased.
مُطَوَّقَةٌ كَسِيَت زينَةً
بِدَعوَةِ نوحٍ لَها إِذ دَعا
I've never seen a mourner cry like her.
She weeps but her tears can't be seen.
فَلَم أَرَ باكِيَةً مِثلَها
تُبكي وَدَمعَتُها لا تُرى
She led a baby camel astray, wandering with him
While the ropes of loss clung to him.
أَضَلَّت فُرَيخاً فَطافَت لَهُ
وَقَد عَلِقَتهُ حِبالُ الرَدى
When despair of him was evident, she cried over him,
Though what will crying bring back?
فَلَما بَدا اليَأسُ مِنهُ بَكَت
عَلَيهِ وَماذا يَرُدُّ البُكا
A fierce, relentless eagle had hunted him,
With fluttering wings, swiftly seeking prey.
وَقَد صادَهُ ضَرِمٌ مُلحَمٌ
خَفوقُ الجَناحِ حَثيثُ النَجا
With claws of iron, feathers bare,
A harmful breed, bluish in color.
حَديدُ المَخالِبِ عاري الوَظي
فِ ضارٍ مِنَ الزُرقِ فيهِ قَنا
You'd see predators and birds frightened of him
When he shows aggression.
تَرى الوَحشَ وَالطَيرَ مِن خَوفِهِ
جَواحِرَ مِنهُ إِذا ما اِغتَدى
He spent the night sweetly on an observation post
On a towering, steep cliff.
فَباتَ عَذوباً عَلى مَرقَبٍ
بِشاهِقَةٍ صَعبَةِ المُرتَقى
When dawn broke for him
And dew rolled off his shoulders,
فَلَمّا أَضاءَ لَهُ صُبحَهُ
وَنَكَّبَ عَن مَنكِبَيهِ النَدى
He scratched dry blood on his beak
From the meat of the wildcats.
وَحَتَّ بِمِخَلَبِهِ قارِناً
عَلى خَطمِهِ مِن دِماءِ القَطا
Then he ascended into the air and turned around,
Flying rapidly when he swooped down.
فَصَعَدَ في الجَوِّ ثُمَّ اِستَدارَ
فَطارَ حَشيشاً إِذا ما اِنصَمى
He saw a flock of wildcats approaching
A watering place the floods didn't erase.
فَأَبصَرَ سِربَ قَطاً قارِبٍ
جَبى مَنهَلٍ لَم تَمِحه الدِلا
They had come early to drink
From leftover rainwater in the lowlands.
غَدَونَ بِأَسقِيَةٍ يَرتَوينَ
لِزُغبٍ مُطَرَّحَةٍ بِالفَلا
They took turns going first and didn't watch out
For what was behind or what was delayed.
يُبادِرنَ وِرداً فَلَم يَرعَوينَ
عَلى ما تَخَلَّفَ أَو ما وَنى
They were reminded of a sweeping flood
Encircling its banks with thickets.
تَذَكَّرنَ ذا عَرمَضٍ طامِياً
يَجولُ عَلى حافَتَيهِ الغُثا
With it was a group of wildcats coming
And another leaving after being sated.
بِهِ رُفقَةٌ مِن قَطا وارِدٍ
وَأُخرى صَوادِرُ عَنهُ رِوا
They filled a waterskin that wasn't tied up
With strings though its straps were attached.
فَمَلَّأنَ أَسقِيَةً لَم تُشَدَّ
بِخَرزٍ وَقَد شُدَّ مِنها العُرى
So he snatched away one of the plump ones
And tore its snout and tendons.
فَأَقعَصَ مِنهُنَّ كُدرِيَّةً
وَمَزَّقَ حَيزومَها وَالحَشا
He flew away and left its pieces behind
For the east and west winds to scatter.
فَطارَ وَغادَرَ أَشلاءَها
تَطيرُ الجَنوبُ بِها وَالصَبا
You'd hear the flutter of his wings when
He swooped down from the sky like sudden lightning.
يَخَلنَ حَفيفَ جَناحَيهِ إِذ
تَدَلّى مِنَ الجَوِّ بِرقاً بَدا
So they fled, exerting great effort to escape,
Groups plunged into the depths of the burrows.
فَوَلَّينَ مُجتَهِداتِ النَجا
جَوافِلَ في طامِساتِ الصُوى
He trapped them and quenched his thirst with them,
Slaughtering them like cascading water.
فَاِبنَ عِطاشاً فَسَقَّينَهُنَّ
مُجاجاتِهِنَّ كَماءِ السَلا
They spent the night mewing,
Red-groined, yellow-sided.
فَبِتنَ يُراطِنَّ رُقشَ الظُهو
رِ حُمرَ الحَواصِلِ صُفرَ اللُهى
That's how he was aggressive in the morning:
With a jerboa, like an owner gratified with hospitality.
فَذاكَ وَقَد إِغتَدي في الصَباحِ
بِأَجرَدَ كَالسَيِّدِ عَبلِ الشَوى
It had long forelegs, hunched back,
With curved incisors, bare upper teeth.
طَويلِ الذِراعَينِ ضامي الكُعو
بِ نابي الحَماتَينِ عاري النَسا
It has a broad temple and firm pillars
That don't complain of bending.
لَهُ كَفَلٌ أَيِّدٌ مُشرِفٌ
وَأَعمِدَةٌ لا تَشَكّى الوَجى
And a dangling ear, burrowed,
With a wide cheek and hollow interior.
وَأُذنٌ مُوَلَّلَةٌ حَشرَةٌ
وَشِدقٌ رُحابٌ وَجَوفٌ هَوا
And extended whiskers leading to a wide nose,
A capacious crotch, and long steps.
وَلَحيانِ مُدّا إِلى مَنخَرٍ
رَحيبٍ وَفَرجٌ طُوالُ الخُطى
It has nineteen burrows near each other
After its dwelling widened through burrowing.
لَهُ تِسعَةٌ طُلنَ مِن بَعدِ أَن
قَصُرنَ لَهُ بِسعَةٌ في الشَوى
And seven dens, seven nests,
Five reservoirs, five watering places.
وَسَبعٌ عَرينَ وَسَبعٌ كُسينَ
وَخَمسٌ ظِماءٌ وَخَمسٌ رِوا
Nine thickets, seven orchards,
A herd's drinking place, and a resting place.
وَتِسعٌ غِلاظٌ وَسَبعٌ رِقاقٌ
وَصَهوَةُ عَيرٍ وَمَتنٌ خَظا
Seven are near, seven are far from it,
No defect in it can be seen.
وَسَبعٌ قَرُبنَ وَسَبعٌ بَعُد
نَ مِنهُ فَما فيهِ عَيبٌ يُرى
Wide in its eight, solid in its eight,
Tight hoof, tight torso.
عَريضُ الثَماني حَديدُ الثَماني
شَديدُ الصِفاقِ شَديدُ المَطا
And it has five birds: two ravens
Above the wildcats belonging to it.
وَفيهِ مِنَ الطَيرِ خَمسٌ فَمَن
رَأى فَرَساً مِثلَهُ يُقتَنى
A griffin eagle and its chick appeared.
When it runs, it's as if its shoulder
غُرابانِ فَوقَ قَطاةٍ لَهُ
وَنَسرٌ وَيَعسوبُهُ قَد بَدا
Has a wing flipping it in the air.
We picked for it from the best of finds
كَأَنَّ بِمَنكِبِهِ إِن جَرى
جَناحاً يُقَلِّبُهُ في الهَوا
Five slaves - bodies like piled mounds.
One accompanies it continuously,
مَصَرنا لَهُ مِن خَيارِ اللِقا
حِ خَمساً مَجاليجَ كَومَ الذُرى
We water it from milk whenever it desires,
And we prefer to provide it provisions, not family,
يُغادي بِعُضٍّ لَهُ دائِباً
وَنَسقيهِ مِن حَلَبٍ ما اِشتَهى
And he follows it during every journey.
So it lived comfortably until it wanted
وَيُؤثَرُ بِالزادِ دونَ العِيالِ
وَفي كُلِّ سَيرٍ بِهِ يُقتَفى
For us to take it in closer.
We drove it insistently into the thickets -
فَقاظَ صَنيعاً فَلَمّا شَتا
أَخَذناهُ بِالقُربِ حَتّى اِنطوى
Large bellied, flawless constitution.
They kick up the dust with whips
فَهِجنا بِهِ عانَةً في الغُطاطِ
خِماصَ البُطونِ صِحاحَ العُجى
And ignite the shrubs with canes.
They fled like lightning in their escape,
يُثِرنَ الغُبارَ بِمَلثومَةٍ
وَيوقِدنَ بِالمَروِ نارَ الحَبا
Groups breaking through the impenetrable mountains.
The slave kept after it
فَوَلَّينَ كَالبَرقِ في نَفرِهِنَّ
جَوافِلَ يَكسِرنَ صُمَّ الصَفا
Appearing and disappearing.
It felled five - some crushed,
فَصَوَّبَهُ العَبدُ في إِثرِها
فَطَوراً يَغيبُ وَطَوراً يُرى
Others with bleeding kidneys.
Two had their forearms shattered
فَجَدَّلَ خَمساً فَمِن مُقعَصٍ
وَشاصٍ كُراعاهُ دامي الكُلى
And a third was covered in blood.
We were happy with the game for our families
وَثِنتانِ خُضخِضَ قُصبُهُما
وَثالِثَةٌ شُحِّطَت بِالدِما
After darkness had blanketed the land.
We stayed dividing its parts -
فَرُحنا بِصَيدٍ إِلى أَهلِنا
وَقَد جَلَّلَ الأَرضَ ثَوبُ الدُجى
Each neighbor eats what he is content with.
And we walked with it like erect spear shafts,
وَبِتنا نُقَسِّمُ أَعضاءَهُ
لِجارٍ وَيَأكُلُهُ مَن عَفا
Not bending from any weight.
The women spent the night feeding on it
وَرُحنا بِهِ مِثلَ وَقفِ العَرو
سِ أَهيَفَ لا يَتَشَكّى الوَجى
And eating the roasted game.
They had tied it up and cast spells on it,
وَباتَ النِساءُ يَغَدّينَهُ
وَيَأكُلنَ مِن صَيدِهِ المُشتَوى
Blowing incantations into amulets.
وَقَد قَيَّدوهُ وَغَلّوا لَهُ
تَمايِمَ يُنفَثُ فيها الرُقى
