أَعَينِ أَلا فَاِبكي لِصَخرٍ بِدَرَّةٍ

إِذا الخَيلُ مِن طولِ الوَجيفِ اِقشَعَرَّتِ

O eye, will you not weep for Sakhr in a streaming flood,

when the horses' coats bristled from their long, pounding gallop;

إِذا زَجَروها في الصَريخِ وَطابَقَت

طِباقَ كِلابٍ في الهِراشِ وَهَرَّتِ

when they were urged on amid the battle cry and pressed close,

packed like dogs in a brawl, snarling?

شَدَدتَ عِصابَ الحَربِ إِذ هِيَ مانِعٌ

فَأَلقَت بِرِجلَيها مَرِيّاً فَدَرَّتِ

You tightened your grip on war's udder-band when she withheld;

she set down her legs, ready for milking, and her milk flowed.

وَكانَت إِذا ما رامَها قَبلُ حالِبٌ

تَقَتهُ بِإيزاغٍ دَماً وَاِقمَطَرَّتِ

Before you, whenever any milker tried her,

she met him with a gush of blood and a grim scowl.

وَكانَ أَبو حَسّانَ صَخرٌ أَصابَها

فَأَرغَثَها بِالرُمحِ حَتّى أَقَرَّتِ

But Abu Hassan—Sakhr—laid hold of her

and made her froth beneath his spear until she yielded,

كَراهِيَّةٌ وَالصَبرُ مِنكَ سَجِيَّةٌ

إِذا ما رَحى الحَربِ العَوانِ اِستَدَرَّتِ

unwillingly; for steadfastness in you was second nature

whenever the millstone of seasoned war began to turn.

أَقاموا جَنابَي رَأسِها وَتَرافَدوا

عَلى صَعبِها يَومَ الوَغى فَاِسبَطَرَّتِ

They took their stand on either side of her head and lent one another aid

against her fierceness on battle-day—then she raged violently unchecked:

عَوانٌ ضَروسٌ ما يُنادى وَليدُها

تَلَقَّحُ بِالمُرّانِ حَتّى اِستَمَرَّتِ

a seasoned, biting war whose young one no one summons,

impregnated by supple spear-shafts until she grew relentless.

حَلَفتَ عَلى أَهلِ اللِواءِ لَيوضَعَن

فَما أَحنَثَتكَ الخَيلُ حَتّى أَبَرَّتِ

You swore that the bearers of the standard would surely be laid low,

and the horses did not make you break your oath: you fulfilled it.

وَخَيلٌ تُنادى لا هَوادَةَ بَينَها

مَرَرتَ لَها دونَ السَوامِ وَمُرَّتِ

And cavalry called out to one another, with no truce between them;

you rode to meet them before the grazing herds, as they swept on,

كَأَنَّ مُدِلّاً مِن أُسودٍ تَبالَةٍ

يَكونُ لَها حَيثُ اِستَدارَت وَكَرَّتِ

as though a lion, proud of his strength, one of Tabala's lions,

was there against them wherever they wheeled and charged again.