وَدارٍ يَقولُ لَها الرائِدو

نَ وَيلُ اِمِّ دارِ الحُذاقِيِّ دارا

A house, the guide says: Alas for Umm House of Al-Huthaqi, house!

And an abode of which the scouts exclaim:

When we set up our tent there

"Woe to the mother of this skilled one's home, what a place!"

فَلَمّا وَضَعنا بِها بَيتَنا

نَتَجنا حُواراً وَصِدنا حِمارا

We struck up a dialogue and bought a donkey,

When we pitched our tent within its bounds,

And the oppressed one slept where the cat slept -

We delivered a camel-calf and hunted a wild ass.

وَباتَ الظَليمُ مَكانَ المِجَ

نَ تَسمَعُ بِاللَيلِ مِنهُ عِرارا

You hear him meowing at night,

The male ostrich spent the night where the shield lay,

Shepherds came upon us, they said: We saw a beautiful woman,

And through the night you could hear its shrill cry.

وَراحَ عَلَينا رِعاءٌ لَنا

فَقالوا رَأَينا بِهَجلٍ صُوارا

We spent the night naked by our tent poles,

Then our shepherds returned to us at evening,

Taking off her veil's tassels,

Saying, "We saw a herd in the valley lowlands."

فَبِتنا عُراةٌ لَدى مُهرِنا

نُنَزِّعُ مِن شَفَتَيهِ الصُفارا

We spent the night bridling him with the halter,

So we passed the night sleepless beside our colt,

Wanting to hunt or raid with him,

Plucking the dry fodder from his lips,

وَبِتنا نُغَرِّثُهُ بِاللِجامِ

نُريدُ بِهِ قَنَصاً أَو غِوارا

When a cooking pot shone for us,

Keeping him hungry while bridled through the night,

And a thread of dawn's light appeared,

Intending him for the hunt or a raid.

فَلَمّا أَضاءَت لَنا سُدفَةٌ

وَلاحَ مِنَ الصُبحِ خَيطٌ أَنارا

We walked him briskly like bangles of halouh,

And when the darkness brightened for us,

Silently milking him,

And a thread of morning appeared and shone,

غَدَونا بِهِ كِسوارِ الهَلو

كِ مُضطَمِراً حالِباهُ اِضطِمارا

Prancing, competing with us in leading,

We set out early with him, sleek as a coquette's bracelet,

You'd think, from his spirit in him, he winged,

Lean and gaunt, his flanks drawn tight.

مَروحاً يُجاذِبنُا في القِيادِ

تَخالُ مِنَ الفُؤادِ فيهِ اِقوِرارا

A mount, sublime hilted, a garment, when the expert looked at it, a brocade,

Spirited, pulling against us on the lead rope,

When the boy mounted his back,

You would think his heart contained a wild madness.

ضَروحَ الحَماتَينِ سامي التَليلُ

وَثَوباً إِذا ما اِنتَحاهُ الخَبارا

And calmed him from bucking him off,

Propelling his legs, with a towering neck,

And was let loose like an Arabian mare

Leaping swiftly even when the soft earth gives way.

فَلَمّا عَلا مَتنتَيهِ الغُلامُ

وَسَكَّنَ مِن آلِهِ أَن يُطارا

In the trail of a flock, he sped fast as an eagle,

And when the lad mounted upon his back,

He hunted for us Kahlan of curved eyebrow, one mature, the other a gazelle,

And soothed his spirit lest he fly away,

وَسُرِّحَ كَالأَجدَلِ الفارِسي

يِ في إِثرِ سِربٍ أَجَدَّ النِقارا

And challenged three, so the spear points

He was unleashed like a Persian falcon,

Either pierced or broke,

Pursuing a flock, renewing the attack.

فَصادَ لَنا أَكحَلَ المُقلَتَ

ينِ فَحلاً وَأُخرى مَهاةً نَوارا

Is any man you think a man?

He hunted for us a dark-eyed buck,

A fire kindled in the night, fire!

And another, a wild doe, shy and fleeing.

وَعادى ثَلاثاً فَخَرَّ السِنا

نُ إِمّا نُصولا وَإِمّا اِنكِسارا

He ran down three in succession until the spearhead fell,

Either slipping from its shaft or shattering apart.

أَكُلُّ اِمرِئٍ تَحسَبينَ اِمرأً

وَنارٍ تَوَقَّدُ بِاللَيلِ نارا

Is every man you consider to be a true man?

And is every fire that burns at night a true fire?