أَعِنّي عَلى بَرقٍ أَراهُ وَميضِ

يُضيءُ حَبِيّاً في شَماريخَ بيضِ

Help me with a lightning I see flashing

Illuminating a loved one in white dovecotes

وَيَهدَأُ تاراتٍ سَناهُ وَتارَةً

يَنوءُ كَتَعتابِ الكَسيرِ المَهيضِ

And calming a twisting he once shaped

Like the bending of a fragile, broken palm frond

وَتَخرُجُ مِنهُ لامِعاتٌ كَأَنَّها

أَكُفٌّ تَلَقّى الفَوزَ عِندَ المَفيضِ

And out of it emerge shining lights as though they are

Palms receiving success at the outpouring

قَعَدتُ لَهُ وَصُحبَتي بَينَ ضارِجٍ

وَبَينَ تِلاعِ يَثلُثٍ فَالعَريضِ

I sat for it while my friends were between a loud gurgling

And the croaking of frogs in the wide valley

أَصابَ قَطاتَينِ فَسالَ لِواهُما

فَوادي البَدِيِّ فَاِنتَحي لِلأَريضِ

It struck two wildcats so their wounds poured forth

Into the valley's basin, so I moved to the smooth ground

بِلادٌ عَريضَةٌ وَأَرضٌ أَريضَةٌ

مَدافِعُ غَيثٍ في فَضاءٍ عَريضِ

A wide land and smooth earth

Repelling a downpour in a wide open space

فَأَضحى يَسُحُّ الماءَ عَن كُلِّ فَيقَةٍ

يَحوزُ الضِبابَ في صَفاصِفَ بيضِ

So it began to sweep the water off every cleft

And gather the mist into white folds

فَأَسقي بِهِ أُختي ضَعيفَةَ إِذ نَأَت

وَإِذ بَعُدَ المَزارُ غَيرَ القَريضِ

I watered with it my weak sister when she came

Since the wellspring was far, not near

وَمُرقَبَةٌ كَالزِجِّ أَشرَفتُ فَوقَها

أُقَلِّبُ طَرفي في فَضاءٍ عَريضِ

A watchtower like a flagpole I looked out from atop

Turning my gaze in the wide open space

فَظِلتُ وَظَلَّ الجَونُ عِندي بِلَبدِهِ

كَأَنّي أُعَدّي عَن جَناحٍ مَهيضِ

I remained and the atmosphere stayed by me with its moisture

As if I were adding wings to a broken palm frond

فَلَمّا أَجَنَّ الشَمسَ عَنّي غِؤورُهَا

نَزَلتُ إِلَيهِ قائِماً بِالحَضيضِ

So when the sun veered its setting away from me

I went down to it standing on the gravel

يُباري شَباةَ الرُمحِ خَدٌّ مُذَلَّقٌ

كَصَفحِ السِنانِ الصُلَّبِيِّ النَحيضِ

A cheek as smooth as an ostrich feather blade

Like the sword's polished steel surface

أُخَفِّضُهُ بِالنَقرِ لَمّا عَلَوتُهُ

وَيَرفَعُ طَرفاً غَيرَ جافٍ غَضيضِ

I lower it by tapping whenever it rises high

And it lifts an eye that is not dry or dirty

وَقَد أَغتَدي وَالطَيرُ في وُكُناتِها

بِمُنجَرِدٍ عَبلِ اليَدَينِ قَبيضِ

It grew excited and the birds in their nests

With clutched hands filled with milkweed

لَهُ قَصرَيا عيرٍ وَساقا نَعامَةٍ

كَفَحلِ الهَجانِ يَنتَحي لِلعَضيضِ

It has the legs of a male ostrich and the legs of an ostrich hen

Like the stallion of a herd shying from a wolf pack

يَجِمُّ عَلى الساقَينِ بَعدَ كَلالِهِ

جُمومَ عُيونِ الحِسيِ بَعدَ المَخيضِ

It gathers its eyelids over the eyes after tiring

Like the swoop of an eagle after the hunt

ذَعَرتُ بِها سِرباً نَقِيّاً جُلودُهُ

كَما ذَعَرَ السَرحانُ جَنبَ الرَبيضِ

I startled with it a flock, pure white of skin

As gazelles startle next to a wolf

وَوالى ثَلاثاً وَاِثنَتَينِ وَأَربَعاً

وَغادَرَ أُخرى في قَناةِ الرَفيضِ

It pursued three, two, and four

And left others in the path of flowing water

فَآبَ إِياباً غَيرَ نَكدٍ مُواكِلٍ

وَأَخلَفَ ماءً بَعدَ ماءٍ فَضيضِ

Then it came back without fatigue or reluctance

And left water after water gushing

وَسِنٍّ كَسُنَّيقٍ سَناءً وَسُنَّماً

ذَعَرتُ بِمِدلاجِ الهَجيرِ نَهوضِ

With teeth like lances, formed and shaped

I startled with the sword's blade unsheathed

أَرى المَرءَ ذا الأَذوادِ يُصبِحُ مُحرَضاً

كَإِحراضِ بَكرٍ في الدِيارِ مَريضِ

I see the man with helpers becoming enflamed

Like the enflaming of a camel in the abode of the sick

كَأَنَّ الفَتى لَم يَغنَ في الناسِ ساعَةً

إِذا اِختَلَفَ اللَحيانِ عِندَ الجَريضِ

It's as if the lad never sang among people for a moment

When the two jaws met at the camel's knee