أَفاطِمُ قَبلَ بَينِكِ مَتِّعيني
وَمَنعُكِ ما سَأَلتُكِ أَن تَبيني
Afatim before you two have delighted me,
And your refusal of what I asked you to show me,
فَلا تَعِدي مَواعِدَ كاذِباتٍ
تَمُرُّ بِها رِياحُ الصَيفِ دوني
So do not make false promises
That summer winds pass by below me.
فَإِنّي لَو تُخالِفُني شِمالي
خِلافَكِ ما وَصَلتُ بِها يَميني
If my left hand were to oppose me
I would cut it off and say between me and it -
إِذاً لَقَطَعتُها وَلَقُلتُ بِيني
كَذَلِكَ أَجتَوي مَن يَجتَويني
That's how I deal with whoever opposes me.
To the one with a grudge who looked from behind the veil -
لِمَن ظُعُنٌ تَطَلَّعَ مِن ضُبَيبٍ
فَما خَرَجَت مِنَ الوادي لِحينِ
She did not leave the valley for a time.
They passed by rugged cliffs and smooth dunes
مَرَرنَ عَلى شَرافٍ فَذاتِ هَجلٍ
وَنَكَّبنَ الذَرانِحَ بِاليَمينِ
And bent the branches to the right.
And they were likewise when they crossed a valley,
وَهُنَّ كَذاكَ حينَ قَطَعنَ فَلجاً
كَأَنَّ حُدوجَهُنَّ عَلى سَفينِ
As if their necks were on a boat.
They resembled the boat while they are good fortune -
يُشَبَّهنَ السَفينَ وَهُنَّ بُختٌ
عُراضاتُ الأَباهِرِ وَالشُؤونِ
High-chested, large-eyed fillies.
And they on the coaches, settled
وَهُنَّ عَلى الرَجائِزِ واكِناتٌ
قَواتِلُ كُلَّ أَشجَعَ مُستَكينِ
Slayers of every valiant weakling.
Like gazelles who strayed with no guide
كَغُزلانٍ خَذَلنَ بِذاتِ ضالٍ
تَنوشُ الدانِياتِ مِنَ الغُصونِ
Drinking dew from the branches.
They appeared with anklets and let down braids
ظَهَرنَ بِكِلَّةٍ وَسَدَلنَ رَقماً
وَثَقَّبنَ الوَصاوِصَ لِلعُيونِ
And pierced veils for their eyes.
And of gold that shines on a necklace
وَمِن ذَهَبٍ يَلوحُ عَلى تَريبٍ
كَلَونِ العاجِ لَيسَ بِذي غُضونِ
The color of ivory, without any greenness.
And they in the darkness, wrapped up
وَهُنَّ عَلى الظِلام مُطَلَّبَاتٌ
طَويلاتُ الذَوائِبِ وَالقُرونِ
Long-tailed, long-horned.
They showed beauty while others concealed it
أَرَينَ مَحاسِناً وَكَنَنَّ أُخرى
مِنَ الأَجيادِ وَالبَشَرِ المَصونِ
Of excellent lineage and guarded honor.
If one is tempted by a glance one day
إِذا ما فُتنَهُ يَوماً بِرَهنٍ
يَعِزُّ عَلَيهِ لَم يَرجِع بِحينِ
It's hard for him - he won't come back for a time.
With a toy I entertain myself, shooting my arrows
بِتَلهِيَةٍ أَريشُ بِها سِهامي
تَبُذُّ المُرشِقاتِ مِنَ القَطينِ
That pierce brilliant stars from the bow.
They ascended the skies and descended unseen
عَلَونَ رَباوَةً وَهَبَطنَ غَيباً
فَلَم يَرجِعنَ قائِلَةً لِحينِ
And did not come back saying anything for a time.
So I said to one of them as I loaded my belongings
فَقُلتُ لِبَعضِهِنَّ وَشُدَّ رَحلي
لِهاجِرَةٍ عَصَبتُ لَها جَبيني
For a migrant, binding my forehead for her:
Perhaps if you cut the rope from me
لَعَلَّكِ إِن صَرَمتِ الحَبلَ مِنّي
أَكونُ كَذاكَ مُصحِبَتي قَروني
I would then be your companion for lifetimes.
So cast off your worries with one filthy
فَسَلِّ الهَمَّ عَنكَ بِذاتِ لَوثٍ
عُذافِرةٍ كَمِطرَقَةِ القُيونِ
With matted hair like the hammer of a blacksmith.
With her truthful shank that seemed to compete with
بِصادِقَةِ الوَجيفِ كَأَنَّ هِرّاً
يُباريها وَيَأخُذُ بِالوَضينِ
And take on the valley washing.
As if its hide made a perfect garment,
كَساها تامِكاً قَرِداً عَلَيها
سَوادِيُّ الرَضيحِ مِنَ اللَجينِ
The black digger from the mud.
When it twitches, I hold its tether tighter
إِذا قَلِقَت أَشُدُّ لَها سِنافاً
أَمامَ الزَورِ مِن قَلَقِ الوَضينِ
In front of visitors than the valley's twitching.
As if the places her breath comes out
كَأَنَّ مَواقِعَ الثَفِناتِ مِنها
مُعَرَّسُ باكِراتِ الوِردِ جُونِ
Are perfumed with early wild roses.
The breath of asthma from her strengthens
يَجُدُّ تَنَفُّسُ الصُعَداءِ مِنها
قُوى النِسعِ المُحَرَّمِ ذي المُتونِ
The forbidden biting with tusks.
She pounds both flanks with a splitter
تَصُكُّ الجَانِبَينِ بِمُشفَتِرٍّ
لَهُ صَوتٌ أَبَحُّ مِنَ الرَنينِ
Whose sound is louder than the groan.
As if her breath's expulsion were both hands
كَأَنَّ نَفِيَّ ما تَنفي يَداها
قِذافُ غَريبَةٍ بِيَدَي مُعينِ
Throwing a strange ball with helping hands.
She closes with everlasting peril a chaste
تَسُدُّ بِدائِمِ الخَطَرانِ جَثلٍ
خَوايَةَ فَرجِ مِقلاتٍ دَهينِ
Vulva's yearning for the thick rods.
And you can hear when a fly sings
وَتَسمَعُ لِلذُبابِ إِذا تَغَنّى
كَتَغريدِ الحَمامِ عَلى الوُكونِ
Like the cooing of doves on the roof corners.
And I let her tether go and she slept
وَأَلقَيتُ الزِمامَ لَها فَنامَت
لِعادَتِها مِنَ السَدَفِ المُبينِ
As was her habit, openly.
As if her resting place was a bowl
كَأَنَّ مُناخَها مُلقى لِجامٍ
عَلى مَعزائِها وَعَلى الوَجينِ
Poured on her goats and on the valley.
As if the balls and anklets on her
كَأَنَّ الكورَ وَالأَنساعَ مِنها
عَلى قَرواءَ ماهِرَةٍ دَهينِ
Were on skilled, thick-necked horses.
Her mass splits the water, rising over
يَشُقُّ الماءَ جُؤجُؤُها وَتَعلو
غَوارِبَ كُلِّ ذي حَدَبٍ بَطينِ
The dunes of every hump-backed valley.
Her shoulder blades have become cracked, forgetting her -
غَدَت قَوداءَ مُنشَقّاً نَساها
تَجاسَرُ بِالنُخاعِ وَبِالوَتينِ
Impudent in the marrow and muscles.
When I get up to make her depart by night,
إِذا ما قُمتُ أَرحَلُها بِلَيلٍ
تَأَوَّهُ آهَةَ الرَجُلِ الحَزينِ
She moans the moan of a grieving man.
She says, when I turn my valley from her:
تَقولُ إِذا دَرَأتُ لَها وَضيني
أَهَذا دِينُهُ أَبَداً وَديني
"Is this his religion, ever, and mine?
Is all of time easy departure and travel,
أَكُلُّ الدَهرِ حَلٌّ وَاِرتِحالٌ
أَما يُبقي عَلَيَّ وَما يَقيني
Never leaving me as I am, or securing me?
So I spend my useless time while earnestness from her
فَأَبقى باطِلي وَالجِدُّ مِنها
كَدُكّانِ الدَرابِنَةِ المَطينِ
Is like the shops of counterfeit sellers."
I bent her tether and placed my belongings
ثَنَيتُ زِمامَها وَوَضَعتُ رَحلي
وَنُمرُقَةً رَفَدتُ بِها يَميني
And a drinking flask I clasped in my right hand.
So I was happy with her challenging an intoxicated man
فَرُحتُ بِها تُعارِضُ مُسبَكِرّاً
عَلى ضَحضاحِهِ وَعَلى المُتونِ
On his camel-litter and on the mounts.
To and from Amr - she brought me
إِلى عَمرٍو وَمِن عَمرٍو أَتَتني
أَخى النَجداتِ وَالحِلمِ الرَصينِ
The most judicious and wisest brother.
"Either be my true brother
فَإِمّا أَن تَكونَ أَخي بِحَقٍّ
فَأَعرِفَ مِنكَ غَثّي مِن سَميني
And take my impurity and purity from me,
Or cast me off and make me
وَإِلّا فَاِطَّرِحني وَاِتَّخِذني
عَدُوّاً أَتَّقيكَ وَتَتَّقيني
An enemy, each avoiding the other.
And I don't know, when I set out
وَما أَدري إِذا يَمَّمتُ وَجهاً
أُريدُ الخَيرَ أَيُّهُما يَليني
Which I want - good or ill for me.
Is the good that I seek
أَأَلخَيرُ الَّذي أَنا أَبتَغيهِ
أَمِ الشَرُّ الَّذي هُوَ يَبتَغيني
Or the evil that seeks me?
Leave off - tell me what I have known
دَعى ماذا عَلِمتُ سَأَتَّقيهِ
وَلَكِن بِالمَغيبِ نَبِّئيني
And I will avoid it, but inform me of what is hidden."
