لَعَمري لَقَد راعَت أُمَيمَةَ طَلعَتي
وَإِنَّ ثَوائي عِندَها لَقَليلُ
By my life, Umayma has surely noticed my ascent,
Yet my visits to her are few.
تَقولُ أَراهُ بَعدَ عُروَةَ لاهِياً
وَذلِكَ رُزءٌ لَو عَلِمتِ جَليلُ
She says, “I see him, after Urwa, distracted in play,”
That is an insult, if she but knew my worth.
وَلا تَحسَبي أَنّي تَناسَيتُ عَهدَهُ
وَلكِنَّ صَبري يا أُمَيمَ جَميلُ
Do not think I have forgotten his promise,
But my patience, O Umayma, is beautiful.
أَلَم تَعلَمي أَن قَد تَفَرَّقَ قَبلَنا
خَليلا صَفاءٍ مالِكٌ وَعَقيلُ
Do you not know that before us parted
Dear friends - Malik, Safwan and Aqil?
أَبى الصَبرَ أَنّي لا يَزالُ يَهيجُني
مَبيتٌ لَنا فيما خَلا وَمَقيلُ
Patience refused that it should cease to stir me
A night lodging for us, while others rest.
وَأَنّي إِذا ما الصُبحُ آنَستُ ضَوءَهُ
يُعاوِدُني قِطعٌ عَلَيَّ ثَقيلُ
When dawn lights I glimpse at first,
Sorrow returns, weighing heavy on me.
أَرى الدَهرَ لا يَبقى عَلى حَدَثانِهِ
أَقَبُّ تُباريهِ جَدائِدُ حولُ
I see time does not stay with its renewals,
New moons succeeding those gone by.
أَبَنَّ عِقاقاً ثُمَّ يَرمَحنَ ظَلمَهُ
إِباءً وَفيهِ صَولَةٌ وَذَميلُ
The son of Uqba turned stubborn, but his darkness dissipated,
Wilfullness, fury and spite left in him.
يَظَلُّ عَلى البَرزِ اليَفاعِ كَأَنَّهُ
مِنَ الغارِ وَالخَوفِ المُحِمِّ وَبيلُ
He remained above the lofty dunes as though
From the cave, fear, confusion and trial.
وَظَلَّ لَها يَومٌ كَأَنَّ أُوارَهُ
ذَكا النارِ مِن فَيحِ الفُروغِ طَويلُ
A day lingered as if its shadows
Were flames from the burning sparks lasting long.
فَلَمّا رَأَينَ الشَمسَ صارَت كَأَنَّها
فُوَيقَ البَضيعِ في الشُعاعِ خَميلُ
When he saw the sun, it was as if
A sheep skin in the rays, wrinkled.
فَهَيَّجَها وَاِنشامَ نَقعاً كَأَنَّهُ
إِذا لَفَّها ثُمَّ اِستَمَرَّ سَحيلُ
It roused her, and the she-camel grunted as if
When kneaded, the sour milk flows.
مُنيباً وَقَد أَمسى تَقَدَّمَ وِردَها
أُقَيدِرُ مَحموزُ القِطاعِ نَذيلُ
Returning, he had approached her usual watering place,
The well rope its pulley creaking.
فَلَمّا دَنَت بَعدَ اِستِماعٍ رَهَفنَهُ
بِنَقبِ الحِجابِ وَقعُهُنَّ رَجيلُ
As she drew near, after hearing the soft sound
Of her anklet within her skirt as she walked gracefully.
يُفَجّينَ بِالأَيدي عَلى ظَهرِ آجِنٍ
لَهُ عَرمَضٌ مُستَأسِدٌ وَنَجيلُ
They startled her with their hands on the back
Of a he-camel, fierce, with a thick neck.
فَلَمّا رَأى أَن لا نَجاءَ وَضَمَّهُ
إِلى المَوتِ لِصبٌ حافِظٌ وَقَفيلُ
When he saw no escape, and it drew him
To death, a devoted, firm guardian.
وَكانَ هُوَ الأَدنى فَخَلَّ فُؤادَهُ
مِنَ النَبلِ مَفتوقُ الغِرارِ بَجيلُ
He was the closest, so his heart was emptied
Of arrows, split open, the leather quiver.
كَأَنَّ النَضِيَّ بَعدَ ما طاشَ مارِقاً
وَراءَ يَدَيهِ بِالخَلاءِ طَميلُ
As if the wild ass, when it bolted away,
Left behind the remnant of its tail.
وَلا أَمعَرُ الساقَينِ ظَلَّ كَأَنَّهُ
عَلى مُحزَئِلّاتِ الإِكامِ نَصيلُ
Not straightening its legs, its shadow still as if
It climbed the sandy hills slowly.
رَأى أَرنَباً مِن دونِها غَولُ أَشرُجٍ
بَعيدٌ عَلَيهِنَّ السَرابُ يَزولُ
It saw a rabbit, beyond it the deceitful mirage
Of a hyena, distant, soon to disappear.
فَضَمَّ جَناحَيهِ وَمِن دونِ ما يَرى
بِلادٌ وُحوشٌ أَمرُعٌ وَمُحولُ
So it folded its wings, and beyond what it saw,
A wilderness, beasts fleeter and swifter.
تُوائِلُ مِنهُ بِالضَراءِ كَأَنَّها
سَفاةٌ لَها فَوقَ التُرابِ زَليلُ
The vanguards among them in the barren land as if
They were insolent, above the soil, despised.
يُقَرِّبُهُ النَهضُ النَجيحُ لِما يَرى
وَمِنهُ بُدُوٌّ مَرَّةً وَمُثولُ
Success in its endeavor brought it close to what it saw,
While farther off, a nomad, pausing and moving on.
فَأَهوى لَها في الجَوِّ فَاِختَلَّ قَلبَها
صَيودٌ لِحَبّاتِ القُلوبِ قَتولُ
Then it swooped down from the air, and its heart wavered,
Hunting the hearts of doves, destructive.
