هَجَرتَ أُمامَةَ هَجراً طَويلا

وَحَمَّلَكَ النَأيُ عِبئاً ثَقيلا

You deserted Ummama with a long desertion

And separation burdened you with heavy burdens

وَحُمِّلتَ مِنها عَلى نَأيِها

خَيالاً يُوافي وَنَيلا قَليلا

And you were burdened with her separation

With little attainment and brief imaginary intimacy

وَنَظرَةَ ذي شَجَنٍ وامِقٍ

إِذا ما الرَكائِبُ جاوَزنَ ميلا

And the look of one who has intense yearning

When the riders crossed over a mile

أَتَتنا تُسائِلُ ما بَثُّنا

فَقُلنا لَها قَد عَزَمنا الرَحيلا

She came to us asking what we scattered

So we told her that we were determined to depart

وَقُلتُ لَها كُنتِ قَد تَعلَميـ

ـنَ مُنذُ ثَوى الرَكبُ عَنّا غَفولا

And I told her that you must have known

That when the caravan turned away from us we were heedless

فَبادَرَتاها بِمُستَعجِلٍ

مِنَ الدَمعِ يَنضَحُ خَدّاً أَسيلا

So she confronted me hastily

With tears flowing down her cheeks

وَما كانَ أَكثَرَ ما نَوَّلَت

مِنَ القَولِ إِلّا صِفاحاً وَقيلا

And most of what she said as she turned away

Was just murmuring and saying farewell

وَعِذرَتُها أَنَّ كُلَّ اِمرِئٍ

مُعِدٌّ لَهُ كُلَّ يَومٍ شُكولا

And her excuse was that every person

Prepares for himself each day some worries

كَأَنَّ النَوى لَم تَكُن أَصقَبَت

وَلَم تَأتِ قَومَ أَديمٍ حُلولا

As if the resolve had not become barren

And the people of the valley did not come

فَقَرَّبتُ لِلرَحلِ عَيرانَةً

عُذافِرَةً عَنتَريساً ذَمولا

So I readied for travel a she-camel

Grayish white, lively, with split lips

مُداخَلَةَ الخَلقِ مَضبورَةً

إِذا أَخَذَ الحاقِفاتُ المَقيلا

Penetrating through people crammed together

When the anklets were put on at nightfall

لَها قِردٌ تامِكٌ نَيُّهُ

تَزِلُّ الوَلِيَّةُ عَنهُ زَليلا

She has a monkey constantly glancing around

Fickleness slips away from him

تَطَرَّدُ أَطرافَ عامٍ خَصيبٍ

وَلَم يُشلِ عَبدٌ إِلَيها فَصيلا

She roams about on the edges of a fertile year

And no servant takes her to pasture

تَوَقَّرُ شازِرَةً طَرفَها

إِذا ما ثَنَيتُ إِلَيها الجَديلا

She holds her neck coyly erect

When I turn the noseband towards her

بِعَينٍ كَعَينِ مُفيضِ القِداحِ

إِذا ما أَراغَ يُريدُ الحَويلا

With an eye like the pouring wine-skin

When it is passed around to mix the wine

وَحادِرَةٍ كَنَفَيها المَسيـ

ـحُ تَنضِحُ أَوبَرَ شَثّاً غَليلا

And a howdah whose two sides enclose her rider

Pouring the mane hair that hangs down

وَصَدرٍ لَها مَهيَعٍ كَالخَليفِ

تَخالُ بِأَنَّ عَلَيهِ شَليلا

And a chest smooth as a roller

As if it had been planed

فَمَرَّت عَلى كُشُبٍ غُدوَةً

وَحاذَت بِجَنبِ أَريكٍ أَصيلا

She passed by thorn-trees at dawn

And brushed against the side of a lofty sand-dune

تَوَطَّأُ أَغلَظَ حِزّانِهِ

كَوَطءِ القَوِيِّ العَزيزِ الذَليلا

Stepping with all her heavy forelegs

Like the strong treading of the weak

إِذا أَقبَلَت قُلتَ مَذعورَةٌ

مِنَ الرُمدِ تَلحَقُ هَيقاً ذَمولا

When she comes towards you, you would say she is terrified

Chasing after a roe-deer with split lips

وَإِن أَدبَرَت قُلتَ مَشحونَةٌ

أَطاعَ لَها الريحُ قِلعاً جَفولا

And if she turns away you would say she is fully loaded

The wind obeyed her command absolutely

وَإِن أَعرَضَت رَآء فيها البَصيـ

ـرُ ما لا يُكَلِّفُهُ أَن يَفيلا

And if she turns sideways the beholder sees in her

What he is not burdened to describe

يَدا سُرُحاً مائِراً ضَبعُها

تَسومُ وَتَقدُمُ رِجلاً زَجولا

A forearm like a flexible drinking bowl

Branding and proceeding with clumsy steps

وَعوجاً تَناطَحنَ تَحتَ المَطا

وَتَهدي بِهِنَّ مُشاشاً كُهولا

And crooked horns butting beneath the howdah

Swaying the saddle-blankets threadbare

تَعُزُّ المَطِيَّ جِماعَ الطَريقِ

إِذا أَدلَجَ القَومُ لَيلاً طَويلا

She outdistances at nightfall the horses on the road

As if when she raised her forearms

كَأَنَّ يَديها إِذا أَرقَلَت

وَقَد جُرنَ ثُمَّ اِهتَدَينَ السَبيلا

And pulled the noseband then found the way

They were the arms of a swimmer who fell into deep water

يَدا عائِمٍ خَرَّ في غَمرَةٍ

قَد ادرَكَهُ المَوتُ إِلّا قَليلا

Whom death overtook except for a little

And I informed my people but did not find them

وَخُبِّرتُ قَومي وَلَم أَلقَهُمُ

أَجَدّوا عَلى ذي شُوَيسٍ حُلولا

Camped at Dhi Shawais

Either I will die and not reach them

فَإِمّا هَلَكتُ وَلَم آتِهِم

فَأَبلِغ أَماثِلَ سَهمٍ رَسولا

So convey to the arrows’ feathers a messenger

That your people were given the choice of two qualities

بِأَن قَومكُم خُيِّروا خَصلَتَيـ

ـنِ كِلتاهُما جَعَلوها عُدولا

Both of which they made impartial referees

The shame of life and war on a friend

خِزيُ الحَياةِ وَحَربُ الصَديقِ

وَكُلّاً أَراهُ طَعاماً وَبيلا

And I saw each as food and home

If there was no alternative but one of them

فَإِن لَم يَكُن غَيرُ إِحداهُما

فَسيروا إِلى المَوتِ سَيراً جَميلا

Then march resolutely towards death

And do not sit while blamed

وَلا تَقعُدوا وَبِكُم مُنَّةٌ

كَفى بِالحَوادِثِ لِلمَرءِ غولا

Misfortunes should suffice the man as madness

And fill the wars when they blaze up

وَحُشّوا الحُروبَ إِذا أوقِدَت

رِماحاً طِوالاً وَخَيلاً فُحولا

With long spears and valiant horses

And refashioned coats of mail like

وَمِن نَسجِ داؤُدَ مَوضونَةً

تُرى لِلقَواضِبِ فيها صَليلا

Those of David, jingling for the warriors

For you and the gift of pools

فَإِنكُمُ وَعَطاءُ الرِهانِ

إِذا جَرَّتِ الحَربُ جُلّاً جَليلا

When the war pulls heavily, very heavily

Like the garment of Ibn Bayd that protected them

كَثَوبِ اِبنِ بَيضٍ وَقاهُم بِهِ

فَسَدَّ عَلى السالِكينَ السَبيلا

And obstructed the way for travelers

Stabbing the brave and striking the steeds

طعان الكُماةِ وضرب الجيادِ

وقَولُ الحَواصِنِ دبلا دَبيلا

And the braying of the wild asses: dubla dubila