ثُمَّ إِن يُنزَع إِلى أَقصاهُما

يَخبِطِ الأَرضَ اِختِباطَ المُحتَفِرْ

Then if he is inclined to either extreme

He paws the ground, digging like one searching a pit

أَلِزٌ إِذ خَرَجَت سَلَّتُهُ

وَهِلاً نَمَسَحُهُ ما يَستَقِرّْ

Skittish when his bridle slips off,

Shying from whatever won’t stand still.

قَد بَلَوناهُ عَلَى عِلّاتِهِ

وَعَلى التَيسيرِ مِنهُ وَالضُّمُرْ

We have tried him out on difficult terrain

And on flat, easy ground.

فَإِذا هِجناهُ يَوماً بادِناً

فَحِضَارٌ كَالضِّرامِ المُستَعِرْ

When we startle him some day nearby,

He is lively as a sparkling firebrand.

وَإِذا نَحنُ حَمَصنا بُدنَهُ

وَعَصَرناهُ فَعَقبٌ وَحُضُرْ

When we fence in his ample body

And control him, consequence and effect follow.

يُؤْلِفُ الشَّدَّ عَلى الشَّدِّ كَما

حَفَشَ الوَابِلَ غَيثٌ مُسبكرّْ

He compounds tension on tension as

A pouring rain compounds a deluge.

صِفَةُ الثَّعلَبِ أَدنَى جَريِهِ

وَإِذا يُركَضُ يُعفُورٌ أَشِرْ

The fox’s character is to sneak in his running,

And the squirrel, when you startle it, scurries furtively.

وَنَشاصِيُّ إِذا تُفزِعُهُ

لَم يَكَد يُلجَمُ إِلّا ما قُسِرْ

When you alarm a young hare, it can barely

Be stopped except by force.

وَكَأَنّا كُلَّما نَغدُو بِهِ

نَبتَغي الصَيدَ بِبَازٍ مُنكَدِرْ

And it is as if, whenever we ride him out,

We seek game with an unmanageable goshawk

أَو بِمِرّيخٍ عَلَى شِريانَةٍ

حَشَّهُ الرَّامِي بِظُهرَانٍ حُشُرْ

Or a fierce, darting falcon

Which the bowman has provoked to fury.

ذو مِرَاحٍ فَإِذا وَقَّرتَهُ

فَذَلولٌ حَسَنُ الخُلْقِ يَسَرْ

He has a will of his own; then when you subdue him

He is gentle, sweet-tempered, and easy going

بَينَ أَفرَاسٍ تَناجَلنَ بِهِ

أَعْوَجِيّاتٍ مَحاضِيرَ ضُبُرْ

Among racers that vie with him—

Crooked, big-jointed mares with thick ankles.

وَلَقَد تَمرَحُ بي عِيديَّةٌ

رَسلَةُ السَّومِ سَبَنتاةٌ جُسُرْ

And many a dark-lipped she-camel,

Fleet, of unmixed stock, had sported with me,

راضَها الرَّائِضُ ثُمَّ اِستُعفِيَت

لِقِرَى الهَمِّ إِذا ما يَحْتَضِرْ

Which racers train, then when they are worn out,

Are sold off to pay the debt of anxiety.

بازِلٌ أَو أَخلَفَت بَازِلَها

عاقِرٌ لَم يُحْتَلَب مِنها فُطُرْ

A camel that miscarries or aborts

From which no baby camel is weaned.

تَتَّقي الأَرضَ وَصَوَّانَ الحَصَى

بِوَقَاحٍ مُجْمَرٍ غَيرِ مَعِرْ

She is wary of the earth and the pebbles’ sorrows

With a glossy, unmarked sole.