صَدَقَت مُعَيَّةُ نَفسُهُ فَتَرَحَّلا
وَرَأى اليَقينَ وَلَم يَجِد مُتَعَلَّلا
Mu'ayyah's soul was truthful, so it set out,
And saw the certainty, finding no excuses.
وَقَضى لُبانَتَهُ مُعَيَّةُ مِنكُمُ
وَرَأى عَزيمَةَ أَمرِهِ أَن يَفعَلا
Mu'ayyah fulfilled his duty to you,
And saw that his affair was resolute.
وَرَأى أَبا حَسّانَ دونَ عَطائِهِ
فَتَبَيَّنَتهُ العَينَ أَسمَرَ مُقفَلا
He saw Abu Hassaan with little to give,
So his eyes discerned him, a closed, dark-skinned man.
فَشَرى حَريبَتَهُ بِكُلِّ طُوالَةٍ
دَهماءَ سابِغَةٍ تُوَفّي المِكيَلا
He bought his she-camel fully grown,
A dusky smooth rider that fills the bushel.
وَغَدا مِنَ الأَرضِ الَّتي لَم يَرضَها
وَاِختارَ وَرثاناً عَلَيها مَنزِلا
He left in the morning, from land he disliked,
And chose Wurthan as a place to settle.
فَطَوى الجِبالَ عَلى رَحالَةِ بازِلٍ
لا يَشتَكي أَبَداً بِخُفٍّ جَندَلا
He crossed mountains on his traveling she-camel,
Never complaining of her worn-out sandals.
تَغتالُ كُلَّ تَنوفَةٍ عَرَضَت لَها
بِتَقاذُفٍ يَدَعُ الجَديلَ مُوَصَّلا
She attacks every long-necked ostrich she faces,
With a tossing that leaves the ostrich sprawling.
بِجَنوبِ لينَةَ ما تَزالُ بِراكِبٍ
تُذري مَناسِمُها بِهِنَّ الحَنظَلا
With her gentle, smooth sides that still bear a rider,
She scatters her hairpins, bending flexibly.
تَدَعُ الفِراخَ الزُغبَ في آثارِها
مِن بَينِ مَكسورِ الجَناحِ وَأَقزَلا
She leaves the young ostriches in her tracks,
Between broken wings and plucked, naked bodies.
نُحُّ الحَناجِرِ ما يَكادُ يُقيمُها
تَدَعُ القَعودَ مِنَ التَصَرُّفِ أَجزَلا
She strains her throat until she can barely stand,
Leaving the sitting ostrich unable to move.
آلى إِذا بَلَغَت مَدافِعَ تَلعَةً
وَعَلا لِيُبلِغها المَكانَ الأَطوَلا
When she reaches the shooting-grounds of Tal'ah,
She rises up to take her to the furthest place.
وَكَأَنَّهُنَّ أَشاءُ يَثرِبَ حَولَها
جُرفٌ أَضَرَّ بِهِنَّ نِهيٌ بُهَّلا
It is as though they are the outskirts of Yathrib around her,
A forbidden, ruined land that she roams unrestrained.
وَكَأَنَّ جِزيَةَ تاجِرٍ وُهِبَت لَهُ
يَوماً إِذا اِستَقبَلنَ غَيثاً مُبقِلا
It is as though the tribute of a merchant was granted to him
One day when they met a pouring rain.
وَتَرى أَوابِيَها بِكُلِّ قَرارَةٍ
يَكرُفنَ شِقشِقَةً وَناباً أَعصَلا
You can see her molars, with every settlement,
Crunching and gnashing, unbroken by the years.
وَإِذا سَمِعنَ هَديرَ أَكلَفَ مُحنِقٍ
عَدَلَت سَوالِفُها إِذا ما جَلجَلا
When they hear the snort of an angry bull-camel,
Her front teeth protrude if he brays loudly.
فَالعَبدُ قَد أَعنَتنَ أَسفَلَ ساقِهِ
وَعَدَلنَ رُكبَتَهُ سِواها مَعدِلا
The slave's legs gave way beneath him
And straightened his knee, realigning it.
فَتَرَكنَهُ حَلَقَ الأَديمِ مُكَسِّراً
كَالمِسحِ أُلقِيَ ما يُحَرِّكُ مَفصِلا
She left him with his neck skin torn,
Like a relaxed body unable to move its joints.
دَسِمَ الثِيابِ كَأَنَّ فَروَةَ رَأسِهِ
زُرِعَت فَأَنبَتَ جانِباها فُلفُلا
His clothes are thick, as though the hair on his head
Had been planted and sprouted violets around it.
لا يَسمَعُ الحَبَشِيُّ وَسطَ عِراكِها
صَوتاً إِذا ما العَبدُ أَورَدَ مَنهَلا
The Abyssinian in the midst of the commotion
Hears no sound when the slave approaches the water-hole,
إِلّا تَجاوُبَهُنَّ حَولَ سَوادِهِ
بِحَناجِرٍ نُحٍّ وَصَوتٍ أَهدَلا
Except their echoing around his blackness
With straining throats and muffled voices.
وَلَقَد تَرى الحَبَشِيَّ وَهوَ يَصُكُّها
أَشِراً إِذا ما نالَ يَوماً مَأكَلا
You can see the Abyssinian hitting her
Fiercely when she finds a place with food.
يَرمَدُّ مِن حَذَرِ الخِلاطِ كَما اِزدَهَت
ريحٌ يَمانِيَةٌ ظَليماً مُجفِلا
Blinking from fear of the mixed herd, as though
A hot Yemeni wind had blinded him.
لا خَيرَ في طولِ الإِقامَةِ لِلفَتى
إِلّا إِذا ما لَم يَجِد مُتَحَوَّلا
No good comes from a young man staying long
Unless he is unable to move on.
