جاءَ بِها قالِصَةً عَن ساقِ
رَوعاءَ مِن إِرثِ أَبي الغَيداقِ
She came in a hurry, dragging her train
A she-camel, inherited from my father the munificent
تَحِنُّ وَالحَنَّةُ لِلمُشتاقِ
ما أَولَعَ الحَنينَ بِالنِياقِ
Yearning while yearning is for the ardent lover
How yearning has ravished the young she-camels!
تَمشي عَلى نَعلِ دَمٍ مُراقِ
لَيسَت بِذي هُلبٍ وَلا طِراقِ
She walks on bleeding hooves
She is neither skittish nor frisky
تَذَكَّري رَملَ النَقا وَاِشتاقي
وَبَردَ ماءِ أَلعَسٍ وَساقي
Remember the sands of An-Naqaa, and long for them
And the cool water of Al-A’las and its drawer
يَنزِغُ مِن أُثعوبِ جَمٍّ باقي
حَمَّضَها في قُلَّصٍ عِتاقِ
It drips from the skin bucket which still has some left
He curdled it in a small skin vessel
مَناشِطُ العُشبِ عَلى المَلّاقِ
أَشعَثُ بادي جِنجِنِ التَراقي
Browsing the fresh herbage at dusk
A disheveled Bedouin with jingling saddlebag
كَأَنَّهُ في السَمِلِ الأَخلاقِ
مِن تيهِهِ ذو التاجِ وَالأَطواقِ
As if he is lost in thoughts busy as ants
Lost in his wanders, wearing crown and necklaces
نَحّارَةٌ لِلإِبِلِ المَناقي
فُواقُها أَدنى مِنَ الفُواقِ
A she-camel marked for camels set loose
Her neigh is closer than the distant neigh
أَسفَعُ إِلّا مَوضِعُ النِطاقِ
يُنزِلُ حَدَّ الصارِمِ الذَلّاقِ
Smooth except for the place of the saddle girth
It brings down the edge of the sharp sword
مُنازِلُ العَقّالِ وَالرِباقِ
مُوَطِّنُ المَنزِلِ لِلرِفاقِ
The abodes of the one who fetters and sets free
The home of the one who settles for company
مَرَّت عَلى الأَقوارِ وَالبُراقِ
مَرَّ جَرورِ العارِضِ الشَهّاقِ
She passed the sand dunes and lightning bolts
She passed the plodding of the snorting camel
طائِرَةً بِالقُرُبِ الخَفّاقِ
مُنفَلِتِ الدَلوِ مِنَ العَراقي
Flying nearby flapping her wings
The bucket escaped from the drawer’s hand
تَحثو عَلى نَجدٍ ثَرى العِراقِ
كَأَنَّها بَعضُ الهَبابِ الباقي
Inciting to the soil of Nejd and Iraq
As if she is some remaining drizzle
وَاللَيلُ أَعمى شارِقَ الرَواقِ
نَذيرَ قَومٍ جَدَّ في اللَحاقِ
While the night is blind, with corridors lit
A warner of people who were very quick to meet
يُنذِرُ جَيشاً عَجِلَ الإِرهاقِ
أَقبَلَ لا يَحفِلُ ما يُلاقي
Warning an army who hastened exhaustion
He came heedless of what he would meet
