وَهَبتَ لَنا يا فَتى مِنقَرٍ
وَعِجلٍ وَأَكرَمَهُم أَوَّلا
You gave us, O youth, from lean cattle,
And camels, the most generous and first,
وَأَبسَطَهُم راحَةً في النَدى
وَأَرفَعَهُم ذِروَةً في العُلا
The most spacious in comfort and dew,
And the highest in peak and sublime.
عَجوزاً قَدَ اَورَدَها عُمرُها
وَأَسكَنَها الدَهرُ دارَ البِلى
An old woman whose age has led her
To the abode of ruin where she resides.
سَلوحاً تَوَهَّمتُ أَن الرِعا
ءَ سَقَوها لِيُسهِلَها الحَنظَلا
I thought the shepherd had watered her to facilitate her movement,
And she was more barren than a bull of agriculture
وَأَجدَبَ مِن ثَورِ زِرّاعَةٍ
أَصابَ عَلى جوعِهِ سُنبُلا
That in his hunger stumbled upon an ear of grain.
And more ascetic than a carcass that the sun did not spare a joint connecting joint.
وَأَزهَدَ مِن جيفَةٍ لَم تَدَع
لَها الشَمسُ مِن مَفصَلٍ مَفصَلا
And more scabbed than a she-camel whose son bought it
If she crossed a sacred place in early morning.
وَأَضرَطَ مِن أُمِّ مُبتاعِها
إِنِ اِقتَحَمَت بُكرَةً حَرمَلا
If she were to eat camphor with anemones
And knead together musk and jasmine,
فَلَو تَأكُلُ الزُبدَ بِالنِرسِيانِ
وَتَدَّمِجُ المِسكَ وَالمَندَلا
God would not have made her soul fragrant
Nor extracted from her bones the marrow.
لَما طَيَّبَ اللَهُ أَرواحَها
وَلا بَلَّ مِن عَظمِها الأَنحَلا
I placed my right hand on her back
And found her shoulder blades to be fibrous.
وَضَعتُ يَميني عَلى ظَهرِها
فَخِلتُ حَراقِفَها جَندَلا
I thrust my left hand to her tail
And found her buttocks spindle-like.
وَأَهوَت شِمالي لِعُرقوبِها
فَخِلتُ عَراقيبَها مِغزلا
After this, I turned over her flank
And found her hip bone to resemble a sickle.
وَقَلَّبتُ أَليَتَها بَعدَ ذا
فَشَبَّهتُ عُصعُصَها مِنجلا
So I said, “Shall I sell her, for neither drink
Nor food do I expect or hope near her?”
فَقُلتُ أَبيعُ فَلا مَشرَباً
أُرَجّي لَدَيها وَلا مَأكَلا
“Shall I roast and cook of her meat
And enjoy that more than gnawing bones?”
أَمَ اَشوي وَأَطبُخُ مِن لَحمِها
وَأَطيبُ مِن ذاكَ مَضغُ السَلا
“Shall I make from her hide a vessel
And with her vessel make vessels filthy?”
أَمَ اَجعَلُ مِن جِلدِها حَنبلاً
فَأَقذِر بِحَنبَلِها حَنبَلا
“If she passes by a gathering on command
Amazingly she may utter a hymn or chant”
إِذا ما أُمِرَّت عَلى مَجلِسٍ
مِنَ العُجبِ سَبَّحَ أَو هَلَّلا
“They would see behind her a driver prodding her
And though she runs, still run.”
رَأَوا آيةً خَلفَها سائِقٌ
يَحُثُّ وَإِن هَروَلَت هَروَلا
“You had commanded that she be stout
With flesh and fat now fully formed.”
وَكُنتَ أَمَرتَ بِها ضَخمَةٌ
بِلَحمٍ وَشَحمٍ قَد اِستَكمَلا
“But her spirit exceeded its course,
And never did I reckon it would so act.”
وَلَكِنَّ رَوحاً عَدا طَورَهُ
وَما كُنتُ أَحسَبُ أَن يَفعَلا
So he who betrayed her trust
Rips from his mother’s breast her intestines.
فَعَضَّ الَّذي خانَ في أمرِها
مِنِ اِستِ اُمِّهِ بَظرَها الأَغرَلا
“Had I not your rank, I would have given him
Split hooves and cloven him with a knife.”
وَلَولا مَكانُكَ قَلَّدتُهُ
عِلاطاً وَأَنشَقتُهُ الخَردَلا
“Had I not been shy of you, I would have bloodied her
And hung bells around her neck.”
وَلَولا اِستِحائيكَ خَضَّبتُها
وَعَلَّقتُ في جيدِها جُلجُلا
“She has come that you may see her state.
And learn that I with her am afflicted.”
فَجاءَتكَ حَتّى تَرى حالَها
فَتَعلَمُ أَنّي بِها مُبتَلى
“I asked you for meat for our children.
Yet with it you have added to me a weakling.”
سَأَلتُكَ لَحماً لِصُبيانِنا
فَقَد زِدتَني فيهِمُ عَيِّلا
“So take her while you are kind to us
And never have you ceased being gracious and bountiful.”
فَخُذهَا وَأَنتَ بِنا مُحسِنٌ
وَما زِلتَ بي مُحسِناً مُجمِلا
