نَظَرتُ وَسَهبٌ مِن بُوانَةَ بَينَنا
وَأَفيَحُ مِن رَوضِ الرُبابِ عَميقُ
I gazed—though Buwāna’s broad plain lay between us,
and the wide, deep reaches of Rawḍ al-Rubāb—
إِلى ظُعُنٍ هاجَت عَلَيَّ صَبابَةً
لَهُنَّ بِأَعلى القُرنَتَينِ حَريقُ
toward departing camel-litters that stirred longing within me;
their fire blazed on the heights of al-Qarnatayn.
فَقُلتُ خَليلَيَّ اُنظُرا اليَومَ نَظرَةً
لِعَهدِ الصِبا إِذ كُنتُ لَستُ أَفيقُ
I said, “My two companions, look today—just one look—
at youth’s bygone days, when I could not come to my senses:
إِلى بَقَرٍ فيهِنَّ لِلعَينِ مَنظَرٌ
وَمَلهىً لِمَن يَلهو بِهِنَّ أَنيقُ
at wild-cow-eyed beauties—a spectacle for the eye,
an exquisite delight for anyone who dallies with them.”
رَعَينَ النَدى حَتّى إِذا وَقَدَ الحَصى
وَلَم يَبقَ مِن نَوءِ السِماكِ بُروقُ
They grazed upon the dew until the pebbles burned with heat,
and no lightning remained from al-Simāk’s rain.
تَصَدَّعَ فيهِ الحَيُّ وَاِنشَقَّتِ العَصا
كَذاكَ النَوى بَينَ الخَليطِ شَقوقُ
There the community broke apart, and the staff was split;
thus separation cleaves companions apart.
وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ الدارَ قَفراً تَبادَرَت
دُموعٌ لِلَومِ العاذِلاتِ سَبوقُ
When I saw the dwelling desolate, there hastened forth
my tears, racing ahead of the reproaching women.
فَظَلَّ غُرابُ البَينِ مُؤتَبِضَ النَسى
لَهُ في دِيارِ الجارَتَينِ نَعيقُ
The raven of parting remained, its leg-sinews drawn taut,
croaking among the dwellings of the two neighboring women.
خَليلَيَّ إِنّي لا يَزالُ تَروعُني
نَواعِبُ تَبدو بِالفِراقِ تَشوقُ
My two companions, my alarm is ceaselessly renewed
by calamities that appear with parting and reawaken longing.
إِذا أَنا عَزَّيتُ الفُؤادَ عَنِ الصَبا
أَبَت عَبَراتٌ بِالدُموعِ تَفوقُ
Whenever I console my heart for the days of youth,
surges of grief refuse anything but to overflow in tears.
وَأَغبَرَ وَرّادِ الثَنايا كَأَنَّهُ
إِذا اِشتَقَّ في جَوزِ الفَلاةِ فَليقُ
And many a dusty road of passersby—as though it,
when it cuts through the wasteland’s midst, were a cleft—
عَلَوتُ بِهَوجاءِ النَجاءِ شِمِلَّةٍ
بِها مِن عُلوبِ النِسعَتَينِ طُروقُ
I crossed on a lean, hard-cheeked she-camel, swift in escape,
bearing welt upon welt from her two girth-straps.
خَطورٍ بِرَيّانِ العَسيبِ كَأَنَّهُ
إِهانُ عُذوقٍ فَوقَهُنَّ عُذوقُ
Her full tail-stalk sways as she strides, as though it were
a young palm with clusters heaped above clusters.
تَلُطُّ بِهِ الحاذَينَ طَوراً وَتارَةً
لَهُ خَلفَ أَثوابِ الرَديفِ بُروقُ
With it she strikes both thighs again and again,
and behind the pillion-rider’s clothes it flashes brightly.
مُؤَتَّرَةِ الأَنساءِ مُعوَجَّةِ الشَوى
سَفينَةُ بَرٍّ بِالنَجاءِ دَفوقُ
Her haunch-sinews are taut, her lower legs curved:
a ship of the land, surging swiftly forward.
أُمِرَّت لِقاحاً عَن حِيالٍ فَدِرصُها
لِشَهرَينِ في ماءِ الحُلاقِ غَريقُ
She carried a pregnancy after going unbred, and her fetus
for two months lay immersed in the waters of the birth-sac.
كَأَنّي كَسَوتُ الرَحلَ أَحقَبَ سَهوَقاً
أَطاعَ لَهُ في رامَتَينِ حَديقُ
It is as though I had set the saddle upon a tall, white-girdled wild ass,
obeyed by a close-circling herd at Rāmatayn.
يُطَرِّدُ عاناتٍ وَيَنفي جِحاشَها
كَما كانَ شُذّانَ البِكارِ فَتيقُ
He drives whole herds before him and banishes their young,
like a virile stallion loosed among scattered young she-camels.
أَضَرَّ بِهِ التَعداءُ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ
مَنيحُ قِداحٍ في اليَدَينِ مَشيقُ
Relentless running has gaunted him until he seems
a gaming-arrow passed between two hands and polished sleek.
رَعَت بارِضَ الوَسمِيِّ حَتّى تَحَملَجَت
وَطُيِّرَ عَن أَقرابِهِنَّ عَقيقُ
They grazed the first growth of the seasonal rains until they grew heavy,
and reddish old hair was sent flying from their flanks.
كَأَنَّ نُسالاً في المَراغِ وَفَوقَهُ
شَماطيطُ سِربالٍ عَلَيهِ مَزيقُ
As though shed hair lay upon the wallowing-ground, and over him
hung strips of a garment torn across his body.
يُصادي ذَواتِ الضِغنِ مِنها بِثائِبٍ
مِنَ الشَدِّ مِلهابُ الحِضارِ فَتيقُ
He confronts the refractory females among them with a renewed charge,
a virile runner whose onrush makes the stones blaze.
قَطوفٌ شَحوجٌ بِاليَفاعِ كَأَنَّهُ
لِما رَدَّ لَحياهُ السَحيلَ خَنيقُ
Slow-stepping and harshly braying upon the heights, he seems,
when the rasping cry rolls back through his jaws, to be choking.
دَؤولٌ إِذا ما اِستافَ مِنها مَصامَةً
لَهُ مِن ثَرى أَبوالِهِنَّ نَشيقُ
Persistent whenever he scents a resolute female among them,
he draws a deep breath from soil dampened by their urine.
فَقَد لَصِقَت مِنها البُطونُ وَتارَةً
لَهُ حينَ يَستَولي بِهِنَّ نَهيقُ
Their bellies are drawn tightly toward their backs from exertion because of him; and at times,
when he gains mastery over them, he brays.
رَأَيتُ سَنا بَرقٍ فَقُلتُ لِصاحِبي
بَعيدٌ بِفَلجٍ ما رَأَيتُ سَحيقُ
I saw the gleam of lightning and said to my companion,
“Far off at Falj—what I have seen is distant indeed.”
فَباتَ مُهِمّاً لي يُذَكِّرُني الهَوى
كَأَنّي لِبَرقٍ بِالحِجازِ صَديقُ
I passed the night troubled; it kept reminding me of desire,
as though I were the intimate friend of that lightning in the Hijaz.
وَباتَ فُؤادي مُستَخَفّاً كَأَنَّهُ
خَوافي عُقابٍ بِالجَناحِ خَفوقُ
My heart passed the night made light and restless, as though it were
an eagle’s covert feathers, beating with the wing.
يُغَرِّدُ آناءَ النَهارِ كَأَنَّهُ
إِذا رَدَّ لَحياهُ السَحيلِ خَنيقُ
It trills throughout the hours of daylight, as though
the drawn-out rasp, recoiling through its jaws, were choking.
كَروفٌ إِذا ما اِستافَ مِنها مَصامَةً
لَهُ مِن ثَرى أَبوالِهِنَّ نَشوقُ
A keen sniffer whenever he scents a resolute female among them,
drawing an inhalation from soil dampened by their urine.
فَقَد لَحِقَ مِنهُ البَطنُ بِالصُلبِ غَيرَةً
لَهُ حينَ يَستَولي بِهِنَّ نَهيقُ
So their bellies cling, drawn up toward their backbones because of him;
when he gains mastery over them, he brays.
