1. I spend the night, with a man's worry weighing upon him,

    from the start of night until dawn breaks.

  2. When will a tireless she-camel carry us to the horizons,

    firmly built, as a stone cairn is piled in the wilderness?

  3. She traverses the night as long as its stars shine,

    as a gambler faces the wagered prize in view.

  4. Toward you, Abu Bakr, we drove our riding camels,

    traveling at evening, then by night, then setting out at dawn.

  5. So we did not reach you until sores had afflicted

    our camels' forefeet, and the provision bags had grown light.

  6. Until we came to Abu Bakr bearing praise for him,

    and neither distance nor exhaustion daunted me.

  7. I steered my sturdy she-camel toward one whose character is sweet,

    as though his face in the mosque were the moon.

  8. Two branches, each a man worthy of trust,

    as long as anyone lives among men—he and the young man Umar.

Sol 6.1