زَعَمَت رَبِيعَةُ وَهىَ غَيرُ مَلُومَةٍ

أَنَّى كَبِرتُ وَأَنَّ رَأسِى أَشيَبُ

Rabia claimed, and she is blameless,

That I had grown old and my head turned grey,

وَرَأَت عَذَارَى أَدرَكَت فِى بَارِقٍ

فَتَخَافُ مِن هَولِ الجنَانِ وَتَرهَبُ

And she saw young women reach maturity suddenly

So she fears the madness of youth and is filled with awe.

وَيَشُفُّهَا أَن لاَ تَزَالُ يَرُوعُهَا

بِكرٌ تُعَرِّضُ نَفسَهَا أَو ثَيِّبُ

It irritates her that there is still

An unmarried girl who offers herself or a widow.

وَكَأَنَّهُنَّ إِذَا خَرَجنَ لِزِينَةٍ

وَبَرزنَ مِن غَمِّ الحَوَائِطِ رَبرَبُ

It's as if when they go out adorned

And emerge from the gloom of the chambers fluttering,

مِن كُلِّ غَرَّاءِ الجَبِينِ كَأَنَّهَا

رَشَأٌ أَحَمُّ المُقلَتَينِ مُرَبَّبُ

Each smooth-browed one's forehead is like

A Pigeon whose eyes are painted.

تُجرِى السِّوَاكَ على نَقِىٍّ لَونُهُ

مِثلُ المُدَامَةِ رِيحُهُ أَو أَطيَبُ

She brushes her teeth with a twig whose color

Is like spearmint, its fragrance even sweeter.

وَتَقُولُ قَد أَهلَكتَ مَالَكَ كُلهُ

فَلَبِئسَمَا تَشرِى الإِمَاءَ وَتخطِبُ

And she says, “You have squandered all your money,

So evil is what you spend on slave women and seek to marry.”

لم تَدرِ فيما قد مَضَى من عُمرِها

أَنَّ الجوادَ يَصيد وهو مُثَلَّبُ

She did not know in her past life

That the generous man hunts though saddled with debt.

وَالمَرءُ بَعدَ الشَّيبِ يَغشَى رَأسَهُ

يَلهُو إِلَى غَزَلِ الشَّبَابِ وَيَطرَبُ

And after old age covers a man's head

He inclines to the flirting of youth and is thrilled.

وَالخَيلَ تَعذُلُنِى على إمسَاكِهَا

وَتَقُولُ قَد أَهلَكتَ مَالاَ يُحسَبُ

And the horses reproach me for restraining them,

Saying, “You have wasted immeasurable wealth.”

فَحَلَفتُ لاَ تَنفَكُّ عِندِى شَطبَةٌ

جَردَاءُ أو سَبطُ المَشَدَّةِ سَلهَبُ

So I swore that I will never be without

A smooth-coated steed or one whose gall is bitter.

سَهبُ الجِرَاءِ إِذَا عَوَيتُ عِنَانَهُ

سُحُقٌ إِذَا هُضِمَ الرَّعِيلُ المُطنِبُ

Grey Suhub, when I loosen his reins,

Is destruction when the pack is disrupted.

أَمَّا إِذا استَقَبلتَهُ فَيَقُودُهُ

جِذعٌ عَلاَ فَوقَ النَّخِيلِ مُشَذَّبُ

Yet if you face him, a smooth palm trunk guides him

Topping the date palms, trimmed.

وَمُعَرَّقُ الخدَّينِ رُكِّبَ فَوقَهُ

خُصَلٌ وَسَامِعَةٌ تَظَلُّ تَقَلّبُ

The cheek-pieced one is mounted on him

A forelock and ear flickering and tossing.

وَتَرَى اللِّجامَ يَضِلُّ فِى أشداقِهِ

حَتَّى يَكادَ الفَأسُ فِيهِ يَذهَبُ

And you see the bit nearly disappearing in his mouth

As if the axe would vanish in it.

وَتَرَى مَكانَ الرَّبوِ مِنهُ وَاسِعاً

مُتَنَفَّسٌ رَحبٌ وَجَنبٌ حَوشَبُ

And you see his neck-opening is spacious,

Ample, open-chested, and broad-shouldered.

وَلَهُ جِرَانٌ كالقَمِيصِ يَزِينُهُ

رَهَلٌ بِهِ أَثَرُ الجِلاَلِ وَمَنكِبُ

He has smooth neck arteries adorning him

Like a shirt, bearing marks of majesty and neck muscles.

وَكَأنَّ فَارِسَهُ عَلَى زُحلُوفَةٍ

جَردَاءَ لِلوِلدَانِ فِيهَا مَلعَبُ

It's as if his rider sits on patterned cloth

Playfully, on which boys frolic.

أَمّا إِذا استَدبَرتَهُ فَتَسُوقُهُ

رِجلٌ يُقَمِّصُهَا وَظَيفٌ أَحدَبُ

But if you face his rear, his legs propel him,

Worked by a groom, humpbacked.

زَجاءُ عَارِيَةٌ كَأَنَّ حَمَاتَهَا

لمّا سَرَوتُ الجلَّ عَنها أَرنَبُ

Bare Zaja, as if when her protector

Uncovered her thigh, he unveiled a gazelle.

وَإِذَا تَصَفَّحَهُ الفَوارِسُ مُعرِضاً

فَيُقَالُ سِرحَانُ الغَضى المُتَذَئِّبُ

And when horsemen inspect him walking by,

It is said, “Sihrān of the meadow, who snorts and brays.”

وَإِذا يُقَادُ عَلَى الجِنيبَةِ بَلَّهُ

حَتَّى يُحَمَّ مِنَ العِنَانِ المُجنَبُ

And when he is led at a canter that shakes him,

The supple bridle nearly slips from the browband.

وَتَرَى الحَصى يَشقَى إِذَا مَا قُدتَهُ

مِنهُ بِجَندَلِ لاَبَةٍ لاَ يقُلَبُ

And you see the pebbles suffer when you lead him

With the smooth-sided purse that does not jingle.

صُمٌّ حَوَامِيهَا كَاَنَّ نُسُورَهَا

مِن نِقسِ مِصرٍ عن أمير يُحجَبُ

Deaf are its sides, as if its eagles

Were from the shell of an Egyptian ruler secluded.

وكَأَنَّمَا يَستَنُّ فَوقَ مُتُونِهَا

بَينَ السَّنَابِكِ وَالأَشَاعِرِ طُحلَبُ

And it's as if he sniffs above their barrels

Between the pommels and cantles - Ṭuḥlab.

أَخلَصتُهُ حَولاً أُمَسِّحُ وَجهَهُ

وَأَخُو المَوَاطِنِ مَن يَصُونُ وَيندُبُ

I kept him a year, wiping his face

And brother of the lairs - who will care for and lament him?

وَجَعلتُهُ دُونض العِيَالِ شِتَاءَهُ

حَتَّى انجَلَى وَهُوَ الدَّخِيلُ المُقرَبُ

And I made him, in winter, the prize of the family,

Until he was sleek, though at first neglected.

وَالقَيظَ حِينَ أَصُونُهُ فى ظُلَّةٍ

وَحشِيُّهَا قَبلَ الغُرُوبِ مُثَقَّبُ

And in summer, when I shelter him in shade

Whose enclosure, before sunset, is pierced.

وَلَهُ ثَلاَثُ لَقَائِحٍ فى يَومِهِ

وَنَخِيرُهُ مَعَ لَيلِهِ مُتَأَوِّبُ

And he has three feeds a day,

And I pasture him at night, returning.

حَتَّى إِذَا أَثنَى وصَارَ كَأنَّهُ

وَحَدٌ بِرَابيةٍ مُدِلٌّ أحقَبُ

Until when he weakens and becomes like

A hyena in Rabia, submissive, humpbacked.

رَاهَنتُ قَومِى والرِّهَانُ لَجَاجَةٌ

أحمَى لِمُهرِى أَن يُسَبَّ وَأَرغَبُ

I wagered my people - and the wager was contentious -

That my stud fee, though high, would be accepted and sought.

فى سَبقَةٍ جَادُوا بِهَا أو دَعوَةٍ

يَومَ الرِّهَانِ وَكُلَّ ذَلِكَ أَطلُبُ

In a race they entered, challenging on the day

Of wager, and I seek all of that.

فَنَقَلتُهُ تَقلَ البصِيرِ ولَم أَكُن

مِمَّن يُخَادِعُ نَفسَهُ ويُكَذِّبُ

So I moved him with the insight of the discerning, and I wasn’t

One who deceives himself and lies.

أُلقِى عَلَيهِ القَرَّتينِ جِلاَلَهُ

فَيفِيضُ مِنهُ كُلُّ قَرنٍ يَسكُبُ

I cast the two saddlebags, his majesty overflowing,

Until every saddlebag was pouring over.

وَأرُدُّ فِيهِ المَاءَ بَعدَ ذُبُولِهِ

حَتَّى يَعُودَ كَاَنَّهُ مُستَصعَبُ

And I returned water to him after his fatigue

Until he became as if naturally disposed to flight.

قَرِدُ الخَصِيلِ وفى العِظَامَ بَقِيَّةٌ

مِن صَنعَةٍ قَدَّمتُهَا لاَ تَذهَبُ

Ape of the wasteland, yet with remnants still

Of workmanship I presented, lasting.

وتَوَاقَفُوا بِالخَيلِ وهِىَ شَوَازِبٌ

وَبلاَؤُهُنَّ عَلَيهِمُ مُتَغَيِّبُ

And they lined up with the horses, which were darting off,

And their ordeal upon them was concealed.

بِتنَا بِرَأسِ الخَطِّ نَقسِمُ أَمرَنَا

لَيلاً يَجُولُ بِنَا المِرَاءُ وَيَهضِبُ

We passed the night at the head of the line dividing our matter

While the contention wandered among us, probing.

حَتَّى إِذَا طَمَسَ النُّجومَ وغَمَّهَا

وَردٌ يُغَيِّبُ لَونَهَا مُتَجَوِّبُ

Until, when the stars faded and their beauty was obscured

By a returning cloud that hid their movements,

صَاحُوا بِهَا لِيَخِفَّ حَشوُ بُطُونِها

وقُلُوبُهُم مِن هَولِ ذَلِكَ تَضرِبُ

They shouted at them to lighten their bellies’ burden

And their hearts beat fearfully at that spectacle.

وسَرَوا أَجِلَّتَهَا وسُرِّى صَفُّهَا

وكَأَنَّمَا يَجرِى عَلَيهَا المُذهَبُ

And they paraded them, necks extended, line straight

As if gold were flowing over them.

وجَرَت لَهُ طَيرُ الأَيَامِنِ غُدوَةً

وَلَهُنَّ طَيرٌ بِالأَشَائِمِ تَنعَبُ

And the birds of good omen flew for him at daybreak

While for them the birds of bad omens croaked.

صَاحَ ابنُ آوَى عَنِ شِمال خُدُودِهَا

وجَرَى لَهُ قِبَل اليَمينن الثَّعلَبُ

The son of Awa cried out, away from their left cheeks,

And the fox ran to his right.

عَجَلتُ دَفعَتَهَا وقُلتُ لِفَارِسى

رَاكض به إنَّ الجَوادَ المُسهَبُ

I hurried and spurred it on, and said to my rider,

“Race him, for the steed is unleashed!”

وأَبى عَلَىّ وقَد جَرَى نِصفَ المدَى

والخَيلُ تَأخُذُهاَ السِّيَاطُ وتُكلَبُ

But he refused me, though halfway down the track,

As the horses were seized by the whips, snapping.

وغلامُهُ مُتَقَبِّضٌ فى مَتنِهِ

بمكانِهِ مِنهُنَّ رَأىٌ مُعجَبُ

And his boy steadied himself in the saddle

Fixed in his place - an amazing sight!

حَتّى أَتَى الصَّفَّينِ وهُوَ مَبَرِّزٌ

بِمَكَانِهِ رَأىُ البَصِيرِ مُغَرِّبُ

Until he came to the two lines, displaying

The insight of the discerning, from his position veering.

إستأنَسَ الشَّرَفَ البَعِيدَ بَطَرفِهِ

وكَأَنَّهُ سِرحَانُ بِيدٍ يَلحَبُ

He drew near the distant nobility with a glance

As if he were Sihrān with a waving tail.

ولِكُلِّهِنَّ عِصَابَةٌ مِن قَومِهِ

ولَهُ منَ ابنَاءِ القَبَائِلِ مَوكِبُ

And for each was a band of his people

And he had a procession of tribal scions attending him.

يَغشَونَهُ ويَقُولُ هَذَا سَابِقٌ

مُتَفَرِّسٌ فى الخَلقِ أو مُتَعَجِّبُ

They overtook him, saying, “This is a racer,

A scrutinizer of lineage, or one amazed.”

وَأَذُبُّ عَنهُ المُرقِصِين وَرَاءَهُ

حَذَرَ الفَوَارِسِ وَهُوَ رِيحٌ يُجنَبُ

And I kept away the prancers behind him

Fearing for the horsemen - he was a gentle wind.

هَذَا لِتَعلَمَ بَارِقٌ أَنِّى امرُؤٌ

لِى فِى السَّوَابِقِ نَظرَةٌ لاَ تَكذِبُ

This is so you may know, Bāriq, that I am a man

For whom there is insight in racing, no deceit.

وَتبَيّنَ الأَقيَالُ مَا أحلاَمُهُم

وَالحِلمُ أَردَؤُهُ المُسَامُالمُعزَبُ

And the heavies saw their dreams were in vain

While the dreamer - his cloak is the well-cut, embroidered.

وَالناسُ مِنهُم مَن يُعَاشُ بِرَأيِهِ

وَمُعَذَّبٌ يَشقَى بِهِ وَيُعَذَّبُ

And of the people are those who live by his opinion

And those who suffer misery through him and are tormented.

فَدَعِ المِرَاءَ وَوَافِ يَومَ رِهَانِنَا

بِطِمِرَّةٍ أَو ضَامِرٍ لاَ يَتعَبُ

Leave off contention and attend on our wager day

With a five-year-old or a defective old mare.