ثَكلى عَوانٍ بِدُوّارٍ مُؤَلَّفَةٍ
هاجَ القَنيصُ عَلَيها بَعدَما اِقتَرَبا
My she-camel left me in the middle of spinning wells
The shirt clung to her after we drew near
ظَلَّت بِجَوٍّ رُؤافٍ وَهيَ مُجمِرَةٌ
تَعتادُ مَكراً لُعاعاً نَبتُهُ رُطَبا
She remained in a kind, compassionate air as embers glowed on her hide
She is accustomed to sly, slick grass whose growth is moist
عَن واضِحِ اللَوانِ كَالدينارِ مُنجَدِلٍ
لَم تَخشَ إِنساً وَلَم تَتَرُك بِهِ وَصَبا
With clear colors like gold coins dangling
She feared no human nor neglected to roam
فَاِفتَرَّتِ الجُدَّةَ البَيضاءَ وَاِجتَنَبَت
مِن رَملِ سَبّى العَذابِ الوَعثَ وَالكُثُبا
She shook her white neck and avoided
The painful, tiresome sands of Sabbá
ثُمَّ اِستَهَلَّ عَلَيهِ واكِفٌ هَمِعٌ
في لَيلَةٍ نَحَرَت شَعبانَ أَو رَجَبا
Then an impatient, zealous one set upon her
On a night when Sha’bân or Rajab was sacrificed
حَتّى إِذا ذَرَّ قَرنُ الشَمسِ صَبَّحَهُ
أَضري اِبنَ قُرّانَ باتَ الوَحشَ وَالعَزَبا
Until the horn of sunrise flashed upon him
He left the son of Qurrân in the night as game and stranger
تَعدو بِنا شَطرَ جَمعٍ وَهيَ موفِدَةٌ
قَد قارَبَ العَقدُ مِن إيفادِها الحَقَبا
She takes us on the way to a tribe, sent ahead
Her sending ahead almost reached long eras
حَتّى أَتَيتُ غُلامي وَهوَ مُمسِكُها
يَدعو يَساراً وَقَد جَرَّعتُهُ غَضَبا
Until I came to my boy who held her back
Calling to the left, and I had poured anger onto him
أَنشَأتُ أسأَلُهُ ما بالُ رُفقَتِهِ
حَيَّ الحُمولَ فَإِنَّ الرَكبَ قَد ذَهَبا
I began to ask what was with his company
Motivate the carriers as the riding company had gone
مِن شَعبِ هَمدانَ أَو سَعدِ العَشيرَةِ أَو
خَولانَ أَو مَذحِجٍ هاجوا لَهُ طَرَبا
Were they from the clan of Hamdân or Sa’d or
Khaulân or Mudhij excitedly aroused for him
عارَضتُهُم بِسؤالٍ هَل لَكُم خَبَرُ
مَن حَجَّ مِن أَهلِ عاذٍ إِنَّ لي أَرَبا
I met them with the question, “Do you have news
Of those who made the Hajj from the people of ‘Âd? I have cared for them”
قالوا عَيينا فَاِبدُري وَقَد زَعَموا
أَن قَد مَضى مِنهُمُ رَكبٌ فَقَد نَصَبا
They said, “Hurry to us,” and they claimed
That a riding company had set out from them and embarked
إِمّا الحِبالُ وَإِمّا ذو المَجازِ وَإِمّ
ما في مِنىً سَوفَ تَلقى مِنهُمُ سَبَبا
Whether Hibâl, or Dhu Al-Majâz, or indeed
In Minâ you will find a cause from them
وافَيتُ لَمّا أَتاني أَنَّها نَزَلَت
إِنَّ المَنازِلَ مِمّا يَجمَعُ العَجَبا
I found out when she descended that
Encampments are of those things that bring wonder
كَأَنَّها وَبَنو النَجّارِ رُفقَتُها
وَقَد عَلَونَ بِنا بَوباتَها الصَبَبا
As if she and the Banû Al-Najjâr were her company
And they had climbed her hilltops the preceding evening
في طَميَةِ الناسِ لَم يَشعُر بِنا أَحَدٌ
لَمّا اِغتَنَمنا جِبالَ اللَيلِ وَالصَخَبا
In the blindness of people, no one was aware of us
When we took advantage of the mountains of night and gloom
لا تُقمِرَنَّ عَلى قَمَرٍ وَلَيلَتِهِ
لا عَن رِضاكَ وَلا بِالكُرهِ مُغتَصِبا
Do not overpower yourself for a moonlit night
Not for your satisfaction nor wrongfully taken
أَدرَكتُ آلَ أَبي حَفصٍ وَأُسرَتَهُ
وَقَبلَ ذاكَ وَدَهراً بَعدَهُ كَلِبا
I came across the family of Abû Hafs and his women
Before that and ages after it dogs
قَد نَرتَمي بِقَوافٍ بَينَنا دُوَلٍ
بَينَ الهَباتَينِ لا جِدّاً وَلا لَعِبا
Who would pounce upon us through revolving time
Between the two encampments, neither serious nor playing
اللَهُ يَعلَمُ ما قَولي وَقَولُهُم
إِذ يَركَبونَ جَناناً مُسهَباً وَرَبا
God knows what I say and what they say
When they ride continuous, flowing mounts
