هَل يُبلِغَنَّ الجارَتَينِ تَحِيَّةً

ذَوا سَفَرٍ قَد أَجمَعاهُ كِلاهُما

Shall I convey to the two neighbors a greeting,

Both going on a journey they have agreed upon,

عَلى حُرَّتَينِ اِستَعلَيا كُلَّ قَفرَةٍ

سَديسَينِ قَد تَنفي الرِجالَ ذُراهُما

On two she-camels they mounted, climbing every highland,

Two gray she-camels that make men disappear into the far horizon,

كأنّ القطوعَ والأَشِلَّةَ عُلَّقَت

على آبِدَينِ لاحقٍ إِطِلاهُما

As if amputation and lameness were hanging

On two ever-moving bodies, following them,

يَكادانِ بَعدَ الأَينِ وَالشَأوِ مِنهُما

تَفُضُّ قُوى نِسعَيهِما زَفرَتاهُما

They were about to lose strength after the where and when,

Their breathing almost bursting out of their chests,

يَبوسانِ لَم تَطمِثهُما كَفُّ حالِبٍ

عَلى السَوطِ وَالأَنساعِ كانَ مِراهُما

Kissing she-camels whose udders were not milked by a milker

With a bucket and udder cloth, as was their habit,

كَأَنَّ عَمودَي قامَتَين تَدانَتا

بِمَنزِلَةٍ أُهوِيَّةٍ عُنُقاهُما

As if two pillars of their bodies leaned

To the stature of two deep valleys, their necks,

كَأَنَّ مُبيتاً مِن ثَمانٍ مِنَ القَطا

مُناخُهُما يَنفي الحَصى كَلكَلاهُما

As if an abode of eight houses of Qata

Was their resting place, rubbing away the pebbles under their hooves,

هُما جارَتايَ لا تَعودانِ هالِكاً

عَلى سَفَرٍ فَكُلُّ حَيٍّ يَطاهُما

They are my two neighbors who shall not return perished

From a journey, thus every living being misses them,

هُما نَعجَتانِ مِن نِعاجِ قَصيمَةٍ

إِذا مارَتا يَأتيهِما جُؤذَراهُما

They are two ewes from the sheep of Qasimah

When they pass, their little lambs follow them.

هُما ظَبيَتانِ مِن ظِباءِ تَبالَةٍ

يُساقِطُ مَرداً يانِعاً مِدرَياهُما

They are two gazelles from the gazelles of Tabalah

Whose flowing milk rains down abundantly from their udders,

إِذا هَزَّتا قَرنَيهِما مِن ذُبابَةٍ

يُصيبُ الغُصونَ الدَنِيّاتِ نَساهُما

When they shake their horns free of flies

Their swinging hits the low hanging branches.