مَكانَ اِبنِها إِذ هاجَني بِعُوائِهِ
عَلَيها وَكانَت مُطمَئِنّاً ضَميرُها
In place of her son when he disturbed me with his wailing,
It would have been better for her son and less frightening
لَكانَ اِبنُها خَيراً وَأَهوَنَ رَوعَةً
عَلَيها مِنَ الجُربِ البَطيءِ طُرورُها
For her than the slow mange that disfigures her.
Dawn lights that can exceed daybreak with their radiance
دَوامِعَ قَد يُعدي الصِحاحَ قِرافُها
إِذا هُنِئَت يَزدادُ عَرّاً نُشورُها
When congratulated become more naked in their emergence.
Nafe' was barking at me for his mother
وَكانَ نُفَيعٌ إِذ هَجاني لِأُمِّهِ
كَباحِثَةٍ عَن مُديَةٍ تَستَثيرُها
Like a searcher for a lost city that arouses her.
An old woman praying the five prayers who sought the protection
عَجوزٌ تُصَلّي الخَمسَ عاذَت بِغالِبٍ
فَلا وَالَّذي عاذَت بِهِ لا أُضيرُها
Of the Victorious, by the one in whom she sought protection, I will not harm her
For I pity her fear of me,
فَإِنّي عَلى إِشفاقِها مِن مَخافَتي
وَإِن عَقَّها بي نافِعٌ لَمُجيرُها
And if Nafe' has harmed me he will protect her.
No caravan of her people came to her with what
وَلَم تَأتِ عيرٌ أَهلَها بِالَّذي أَتَت
بِهِ جَعفَراً يَومَ الهُضَيباتِ عيرُها
Jafar's caravan came on the day of al-Hudaybiya.
It came to them with a camel that was not hijazi
أَتَتهُم بِعيرٍ لَم تَكُن هِجَرِيَّةً
وَلا حِنطَةَ الشَأمِ المَزيتِ خَميرُها
Nor the wheatmeal paste of Damascus its yeast.
You would not see drivers driving a caravan evenly
وَلَم تُرَ سَوّاقينَ عيراً كَساقَةٍ
يَسوقونَ أَعدالاً يَدِبُّ بَعيرُها
With camels pacing as their camel paces.
When a Jafari woman recalls a husband of hers
إِذا ذَكَرَت زَوجاً لَها جَعفَرِيَّةٌ
وَمَصرَعَ قَتلى لَم تُقَتَّل ثُؤورُها
And the place her slain were killed but her walls were not breached
It becomes clear no protector remains of Jafar's family
تَبَيَّنُ أَن لَم يَبقَ مِن آلِ جَعفَرٍ
مُحامٍ وَلا دونَ النِساءِ غَيورُها
Nor, apart from the women, any zealous defenders.
Their husbands denied them when they saw them
وَقَد أَنكَرَت أَزواجَها إِذ رَأَتهُمُ
عُراةً نِساءٌ قَد أُحِرَّت صُدورُها
Bare-chested, women whose chests had been exposed.
When the days are recalled when no host rose
إِذا ذُكِرَت أَيّامُهُم يَومَ لَم يَقُم
لِسَلَّةِ أَسيافِ الضَبابِ نَفيرُها
Against the onslaught of the murky swords.
An eve when the crepuscular light made them seem
عَشِيَّةَ يَحدوهُم هُرَيمٌ كَأَنَّهُم
رِئالُ نَعامٍ مُستَخَفٌّ نَفورُها
Like ostriches running with outstretched necks.
An eve when they met the fatality of Jafar's clan -
عَشِيَّةَ لاقَتهُم بِآجالِ جَعفَرٍ
صَوارِمُ في أَيدي الضَبابِ ذُكورُها
Swords in the hands of the murk - their males.
As if for the horses, the day they met them
كَأَنَّهُمُ لِلخَيلِ يَومَ لَقيتَهُم
بِطِخفَةَ خِربانٌ عَلَتها صُقورُها
At Takhifah, prey pounced on by their hawks.
