أَجَدَّ الرَكبُ بعدَ غَدٍ خُفوفُ
وأضحَت لا تواصِلُكَ الألوفُ
The caravan hastened at dawn with ease,
And thousands no longer kept you company.
وَكانَ القَلبُ جُنَّ بِها جُنوناً
وَلَم أَرَ مِثلَها فيمن يَطوفُ
My heart was obsessed with madness over you,
And I saw no one like you among those who wandered.
تَراءَت يَومَ نَخلَ بمُسبَكِرٍّ
تَرَبَّبَهُ الذَريرَةُ وَالنَصيفُ
You appeared one day, date palms in Musabkar,
The breeze softly rustling through its branches,
وَمَشمولٍ عليه الظَلمُ غُرٍّ
عِذابش لا أَكَسُّ وَلا خَلوفُ
Enveloped in darkness, a tender sprig,
Whose torment I cannot lessen or appease.
كأَنَّ فَضيض رُمّانٍ جَنيٍّ
وَأُترُجٍ لأيكَتِهِ حَفيفُ
Like the gurgling of a ripe pomegranate
And the cooing of a dove to its mate.
عَلى فيها إِذا دَنَت الثُرَيّا
دُنوَّ الدَلو أَسلَمَها الضَعيفُ
When she draws near the breast, the weakling
Submits the bucket to her readily.
أَجادَت أُمّ عَبدَةَ يَومَ لاقوا
وَثارَ النَقعُ وأَختَلفَ الأُلوفُ
Umm 'Abda did well when they met.
The camels roared and thousands milled about.
يُقَدِّمُ حَبتَراً بأفَلَّ عَضبٍ
لَهُ ظُبَةٌ لما نالَت قُطوفُ
He brings Habtar in violent anger.
He has a gazelle when the plucking is done.
فَغادَرَ خَلفَهُ يَكبو لَقيطاً
لَهُ من حَدِّ واكِفَةٍ نَصيفُ
He left behind him a foundling crying out,
Whimpering to him from the shelter of the overhang.
كأَنَّ جَماجِمَ الأَبطالِ لَمّا
تَلاقينا ضُحىً حَدَجٌ نَقيفُ
As though the skulls of heroes when
We met at dawn were ominous and unlucky.
وَحامى كُلّ قَومٍ عَن أَبيهم
وَصارَت كالمَخاريقِ السُيوفُ
Each tribe's protector defended their father,
And the swords became like piercing pickaxes.
تَرى يُمنى الكَتيبةِ مَن يَليها
يَخِرُّ عَلى مرافِقَها الكُثوفُ
You see the right side of the brigade, whoever faces it,
Stumbling over their shoulders, the bumpy ground.
لَنا شَهباءُ تَنفي من يَلينا
مُضَرَّجَةٌ لَها لَونٌ خَصيفُ
We have a gray she-camel who wards off those facing us,
Bloodstained, whose color is autumnal.
وَذُبيانيَّةٍ أَوصَت بَنيها
بأن كذَبَ القَراطِفُ وَالقُروفُ
And a Doe, who instructed her sons,
"The belts and saddles have lied."
تُجَهِّزُهم بما وَجدَت وَقالَت
بَنيَّ فَكُلُّكُم بَطَلٌ مُسيفُ
She equipped them as she could and said,
"My sons, each of you is a polished sword."
فأخلَفنا مودَّتَها فَقاظَت
وَماقيءُ عينَها حَذِلٌ نَطوفُ
But we betrayed her affection, so she stayed awake
And the overflow of her eyes was ceaseless circling.
إِذا ما أَبصَرت نَوحاً أَتَتهُ
تُرِنُّ وَرضجعُ كَفَّيها خَنوفُ
Whenever she saw lament, she came to him,
Moaning, while her palms slapped her thighs.
لِيَبكِ أَبا رَواحَةَ جَملُ خَيلٍ
وَقَومٌ قَد أَعزَّهمُ المُضيفُ
To mourn Abu Rawaha, a band of horses
And people the guest had honored.
يُنادي الجانِبانِ بأن أَنيخوا
وَقَد عَرَسَ الإِناخَةُ وَالوقوفُ
Both sides cry to dismount and stand still,
As settling down and halting has become virtuous.
وَكانَ الأيمنونَ بَني نُمَيرٍ
يَسيرُ بِنا أَمامَهُمُ الخَليفُ
The right-hand helpers were the Banu Numayr,
Walking before them was the Caliph.
فَلا جُبنٌ فَيَنكَلُ إِن لَقينا
وَلا هَزمُ الجيوش لَنا طَريفُ
No cowardice to make us shrink if we meet,
Nor does the rout of armies touch us.
تَرَكنا الشِعبَ لَم نَعقِل إِلَيهِ
وَأَسهَلنا كَما عَلِمَ الحَليفُ
We left the valley, not heeding it,
And descended as our confidante knew.
نَسوقُ به النِساءَ مشَمِّراتٍ
يُخالِطُها مَع العَرَقِ الخَشيفُ
We drive the girdled women ahead of us,
Mingled with the dripping sweat.
إِذا أَستَرخَت حِبالُ القَوم شُدَّت
وَلا يَثني لقائِمَةٍ وَظيفُ
When the tribe's ropes are slackened, they are pulled tight,
And no towering woman can withstand them.
تَركنَ بطونَ صاراتٍ بِلَيلٍ
مطافيلُ الرَباعِ بِها خُلوفُ
They left the bellies of maidens by night,
The coolness of shelter caressing them.
فَظَلَّ بِذي معاركَ كلّ مُرباً
وَنجّى ربَّهُ الهَزمُ الخَفيفُ
So he who has battlefields remains with each
Skirmish, and his Lord saved him from defeat.
من اللائي سنابِكُهنَّ شُمٌ
أضخَفَّ مُشاشَهُ لَبَنٌ وَريفُ
Of those whose teats are poison, milk mingled
With curdled milk and licorice root.
يؤيَّهُ وَاللَهيفَ بوارداتٍ
كَما يَتغاوثُ الحِسي النَزيفُ
It sucks and is perfumed with aromatics,
As blood gushes forth from the wound.
فَلمّا أَن هزَمنا الناسَ جاءَت
وفودٌ من رَبيعَتِنا تَزيفُ
When we routed the people, delegations came
From our league, presenting gifts.
وَشِقٌّ ساقِطٌ بضلوعِ جَنبٍ
رَجوفُ الرِجلِ منطِقُهُ نَسيفُ
And a chief fallen, his ribs alongside his flank,
Hollow-legged, his logic forgotten and abandoned.
أَغَرُّ كأَنَّ جبهَتَهُ هِلالٌ
لِظُلمِ الجارِ وَالمَولى عَيوفُ
Delirious, as though his forehead were a crescent
In the darkness of a neighbor and protector.
