بَكَرَت سُمَيَّةُ غُدوَةً فَتَمَتَّعِ

وَغَدَت غُدُوَّ مُفارِقٍ لَم يَرجِعِ

Sumayya awoke early to pleasure

And left at dawn, never to return

وَتَزَوَّدَت عَيني غَداةَ لَقيتُها

بِلِوى عُنَيزَةَ نَظرَةً لَم تَنفَعِ

My eyes provisioned themselves when I met her

With the bending of a gazelle-like Unayza - a glance that did no good

وَتَصَدَّفَت حَتّى اِستَبَتكَ بِواضِحٍ

صَلتٍ كَمُنتَصَبِ الغَزالِ الأَتلَعِ

She swayed until she froze, erect,

Like a smooth-coated gazelle taking startled stance

وَبِمُقلَتَي حَوراءَ تَحسُبُ طَرفَها

وَسنانَ حُرَّةِ مُستَهَلِّ الأَدمُعِ

With the eyes of a houri, you'd think her glances

And pearly teeth were shedding copious tears

وَإِذا تُنازِعُكَ الحَديثَ رَأَيتَها

حَسَناً تَبَسُّمُها لَذيذَ المَكرَعِ

And if you contend with her in talk, you will see

A beautiful smile, sweetly sly

كَغَريضِ سارِيَةٍ أَدَرَّتهُ الصَبا

مِن ماءِ أَسجَرَ طَيِّبِ المُستَنقَعِ

Like a morning draught an east wind had stirred

From clear sweet water in a meadow

ظَلَمَ البِطاحَ بِهِ اِنهِلالُ حَريصَةٍ

فَصَفا النِطافُ بِها بُعَيدَ المُقلَعِ

The plain was darkened by the descent of an avid rain cloud

And the pools were clarified by it, far from the watering place

لَعِبَ السُيولُ بِهِ فَأَصبَحَ ماؤُهُ

غَلَلاً تَقَطَّعَ في أُصولِ الخِروَعِ

The torrents played over it, till its water

Became tangled brambles in the bases of the brushwood

فَسُمَيَّ وَيحَكِ هَل سَمِعتِ بِغَدرَةٍ

رُفِعَ اللِواءُ بِها لَنا في مَجمَعِ

Sumayya, by your life! Have you heard of a raid

In which the banners were raised against us in assembly?

إِنّا نَعِفُّ فَلا نَريبُ حَليفَنا

وَنَكُفُّ شُحَّ نُفوسُنا في المَطمَعِ

We are too noble to mistrust an ally

And curb the stinginess of our souls when in need

وَنَقي بِآمِنِ مالِنا أَحسابَنا

وَنُجِرُّ في الهَيجا الرِماحَ وَنَدَّعي

We purify our possessions and accounts with security

And hurl our spears into the fray with bold war cries

وَنَخوضُ غَمرَةَ كُلِّ يَومِ كَريهَةٍ

تُردي النُفوسَ وَغُنمُها لِلأَشجَعِ

And plunge into the gloom of every miserable day

That brings souls to ruin while the bold profit

وَنُقيمُ في دارِ الحِفاظِ بُيوتَنا

زَمَناً وَيَظعَنُ غَيرُنا لِلأَمرَعِ

And in the Abode of Guardians we pitch our tents

For a time, while others pine in poverty

بِسَبيلِ ثَغرٍ لا يُسَرِّحُ أَهلُهُ

سَقِمٍ يُشارُ لِقاؤُهُ بِالإِصبَعِ

By way of a frontier whose people never

Let up from the sickness that is pointed to with fingers

فَسُمَيَّ ما يُدريكِ أَن رُبَ فِتيَةٍ

باكَرتُ لَذَّتَهُم بِأَدكَنَ مُترَعِ

Sumayya, how do you know that the Lord of some youths

Has not ruined their pleasures at the darkest meadow

مُحمَرَّةٍ عَقِبَ الصَبوحُ عُيونُهُم

بِمَرىً هُناكَ مِنَ الحَياةِ وَمَسمَعِ

Their eyes reddened after daybreak

With visions of life and hearing there

مُتَبَطِّحينَ عَلى الكَنيفِ كَأَنَّهُم

يَبكونَ حَولَ جَنازَةٍ لَم تُرفَعِ

Sprawled on the couch as though grieving

Around a bier that has not been lifted

بَكَروا عَلَيَّ بِسُحرَةٍ فَصَبَحتُهُم

مِن عاتِقٍ كَدَمِ الذَبيحِ مُشَعشَعِ

They took me by surprise at dawn and I made them

A morning feast of slaughtered meat dripping crimson

وَمُعَرَّضٍ تَغلي المَراجِلُ تَحتَهُ

عَجَّلتُ طَبخَتَهُ لِرَهطٍ جُوَّعِ

With a roasting spit that seethed beneath it

I hurried its cooking for a famished clan

وَلَدَيَّ أَشعَثُ باذِلٌ لِيَمينِهِ

قَسَماً لَقَد أَنضَجتَ لَم يَتَوَرَّعِ

Before me, a disheveled oath-taker extends his right hand -

By God, you have perfectly cooked it, he did not refrain

وَمُسَهَّدينَ مِنَ الكَلالِ بَعَثتُهُم

بَعدَ الرُقادِ إِلى سَواهِمَ ظُلَّعِ

And lying down in weariness, I roused them up

After sleep, back to their comrades in the shade

أَودى السِفارُ بِرِمِّها فَتَخالُها

هيماً مُقَطَّعَةً حِبالَ الأَذرُعِ

The saddles wore away their straps till they swung

Adrift, their girths cut from the saddle pads

تَخِدُ الفَيافي بِالرِحالِ وَكُلُّها

يَعدو بِمُنخَرِقِ القَميصِ سَمَيدَعِ

My mounts play with the saddlebags, each one

Running with a torn shirt and split seam

وَمَطِيَّةٍ حَمَّلتُ رَحلَ مَطِيَّةٍ

حَرَجٍ تُتَمُّ مِنَ العِثارِ بِدَعدَعِ

And a she-camel I loaded that bore the burden

Of a litter that trips over every irregularity

وَمُناخِ غَيرِ تَئِيَّةٍ عَرَّستُهُ

قَمِنٍ مِنَ الحِدثانِ نابي المَضجَعِ

I married her to a stallion, less than a year old,

A lively young foal with erect member

عَرَّستُهُ وَوِسادُ رَأسِيَ ساعِدٌ

خاظي البَضيعِ عُروقُهُ لَم تَدسَعِ

I married her off, and my pillow was my forearm -

Tough, its veins unflinching

فَرَفَعتُ عَنهُ وَهوَ أَحمَرُ فاتِرٌ

قَد بانَ مِنّي غَيرَ أَن لَم يُقطَعِ

So I lifted myself off him, and he was listless, red

It was clear he could do no more with me

فَتَرى بِحَيثُ تَوَكَّأَت ثِفناتُها

أَثَراً كَمُفتَحَصِ القَطا لِلمَضجَعِ

Wherever her hips rested you could see

Traces like a wild cat’s on the marital bed