أَماوِيَّ هَل لي عِندَكُم مِن مُعَرَّسٍ
أَمِ الصَرمَ تَختارينَ بِالوَصلِ نَيأَسِ
Does one of you have a place for me, a married man,
Or do you prefer celibacy in your separation, in despair?
أَبيني لَنا أَنَّ الصَريمَةَ راحَةٌ
مِنَ الشَكِّ ذي المَخلوجَةِ المُتَلَبِّسِ
Make clear to us that celibacy is a relief
From the nagging doubt of the anxious melancholy one.
كَأَنّي وَرَحلي فَوقَ أَحقَبَ قارِحٍ
بِشُربَةَ أَو طافٍ بِعِرنانَ موجِسِ
As if I and my camel litter were on the hump of a towering camel,
With a skin of water or a rover holding the halter of a carrier camel,
تَعَشّى قَليلاً ثُمَّ أَنحى ظُلوفَهُ
يُشيرُ التُرابَ عَن مُبيتٍ وَمُكنِسِ
Who took a little evening meal then turned his shoulders,
Signaling the soil instead of an overnight stay or folded rugs.
يُهيلُ وَيُذري تُربَها وَيُثيرُهُ
إِثارَةَ نَبّاثِ الهَواجِرِ مُخمِسِ
He sniffed at it and scattered its soil and stirred it up
Like the scattering of a departing wild dove's nesting place.
فَباتَ عَلى خَدٍّ أَحَمَّ وَمَنكِبٍ
وَضَجعَتُهُ مِثلُ الأَسيرِ المُكَردَسِ
So he spent the night with a hot cheek and shoulder,
And made his bedding like a captive all tied up.
وَباتَ إِلى أَرطاةَ حِقفٍ كَأَنَّها
إِذا أَلثَقَتها غَبيَةٌ بَيتُ مُعرِسِ
He spent the night next to sandy ground as if it were,
When a simpleton pegged it down, a bridal pavilion.
فَصَبَّحَهُ عِندَ الشُروقِ غُدَيَّةَ
كِلابُ بنُ مُرٍّ أَو كِلابُ بنُ سِنبِسِ
The dogs of the Beni Murr or the dogs of Beni Sinbis
Greeted him at dawn,
مُغَرَّثَةً زَرقا كَأَنَّ عُيونَها
مِنَ الذَمرِ وَالإِيحاءِ نُوّارُ عِضرِسِ
Bristling, with blue coats, as if their eyes
From wolfish greed were searchlights from a watchtower.
فَأَدبَرَ يَكسوها الرُغامَ كَأَنَّه
عَلى الصَمدِ وَالآكامِ جَذوَةُ مُقبِسِ
So he turned his back to them, covering them with spittle, as if it were
Hot embers on flint or dry thornbrush.
وَأَيقَنَ إِن لاقَينَهُ أَنَّ يَومَهُ
بِذي الرِمثِ إِن ماوَتَتهُ يَومَ أَنفُسِ
And he knew if he met up with them his day
Would be one of foul water if they brought about his death.
فَأَدرَكنَهُ يَأخُذنَ بِالساقِ وَالنَسا
كَما شَبرَقَ الوِلدانُ ثَوبَ المُقَدَّسِ
So they caught up with him, seizing him by hip and femur,
As the lads tore the garment of the consecrated one.
وَغَوَّرنَ في ظِلِّ الغَضى وَتَرَكنَهُ
كَقِرمِ الهِجانِ الفادِرِ المُتَشَمِّسِ
They buried him in the shadow of wrath and left him
Like the rotten corpse of a crow, baked by the sun.
