وَمِرنانٍ مُعَبِّسَةٍ ضَحوك
مُهَذَّبَةِ الطَبائِعِ وَالكَيانِ
With frowning smiles and tempers refined
Bearing, but moving not, and striking, but handless
مُغالِبَةٍ وَلَيسَ بِها حَراكٌ
وَباطِشَةٍ وَلَيسَ لَها يَدانِ
The lineage in her is nobly designed
Though she's not akin in her meanings
لَها في الجارِحِ النَسَبُّ المُعَلّى
وَإِن هِيَ خالَفَتهُ في المَعاني
She flies with the swift, without wings to assist her
And beats them to the goal of the race as she ran
تَطيرُ مَعَ البُزاةِ بِلا جَناحٍ
فَتَسبِقُها إِلى قَصَبِ الرِهانِ
She reaches whatever she wills without legs
No camel has she, no ostrich to carry her plan
وَتُدرِكُ ما تَشاءُ بِغَيرِ رِجلٍ
وَلا باعٍ يَطولُ وَلا بَنانِ
She sees what no glance can take in at a time
No vision has she, she's sightless, and yet
وَتَلحَظُ ما يَكِلُّ الطُرفُ عَنهُ
بِلا نَظَرٍ يَصِحُّ وَلا عيانِ
She has members of sinew, of flesh, and the like
All the rest of her frame's made of lignum vitae
لَها عُضوان مِن عَصَبٍ وَلَحمٍ
وَسائِرُ جِسمِها مِن خَيزُرانِ
The birds speak to her out of the air
In a tongue not a word of it comes from the lips
يُخاطِبُ في الهَواءِ الطَيرُ مِنها
بِلَفظٍ لَيسَ يَصدُرُ عَن لِسانِ
If she does not incline to them, frowning dissent
Then of mud she can shape her a beak and eclipse
فَإِن لَم تُصغِ أَردَتها بِطَعنٍ
يَنوبُ الطينُ فيهِ عَنِ السِنانِ
Decked out, begirt, with a mantle and robes
Well-guarded, light-weighted; of neighbours the joy
مُقَرطَفَةٌ مُمَنطَقَةٌ خَلوبٌ
مُهَفهَفَةً مُخَفَّفَةً الجِرانِ
Now female, now male, changing hues
In the dresses she borrows from each in her ply
مُذَكَّرَةٌ مُؤُنَّثَةٌ تَهادى
مِنَ الأَصباغِ في حُلَلِ القِيانِ
Ageing, yet daily her youth renewed
Till Time himself falters in following her track
مُعَمِّرَةٌ تَزايَدُ كُلَّ يَومٍ
شَبيبِتُها عَلى مَرِّ الزَمانِ
As if God the Most Surety underwrote life for her
She stands pledged to us always to take nothing back
كَأَنَّ اللَهَ ضَمَنَها فَبانَت
لَنا في الرِّزقِ عَن أَوفى ضَمانِ
Harder to reach than horizons remote
Sweeter to hold than all other delights
أَعَزَّ عَلى العُيونِ مِنَ المَآقى
وَأَحلى في النُفوسِ مِنَ الأَماني
Whenever she comes and makes home in a place
The dearth and the arid must surely take flight
إِذا ما اِستَوطَنَت يَوماً مَكاناً
تَوَلّى الجَدبُ عَن ذاك المَكانِ
