سَتَكفيكَ أَمثالُ المَجادِلِ جَلَّةٌ
مَهاريسُ يُغني المُعتَفينَ شَكيرُها
The arguments of disputants will suffice you,
Their eloquence gratifies their grateful ones,
عِظامُ الجُثى غُلبُ الرِقابِ كَأَنَّها
أَكاريعُ ظَبيٍ مُدفَآتٌ ظُهورُها
The bones of corpses, the necks' yoke as though they were
The humps of a hyena, fiery their backs,
عَطاءُ مَليكٍ ما يُكَدِّرُ سَيبَهُ
إِذا بَخِلَت سَهمٌ وَخابَ عَشيرُها
A king's gift that embitters not his sword
If an arrow was stingy and its clan missed,
إِذا نامَ طِلحٌ أَشعَثُ الرَأسِ وَسطَها
هَداهُ لَها أَنفاسُها وَزَفيرُها
If Tilikh slept, disheveled of head amidst them,
His breaths and sighs guided it to them
عَوازِبُ لَم تَسمَع نُبوحَ مُقامَةٍ
وَلَم تُحتَلَب إِلّا نَهاراً ضَجورُها
She-camels that heard not the howl of a poetess
And were not milked but in the morning, noisy their milking,
إِذا بَرَكَت لَم يُؤذِها صَوتُ سامِرٍ
وَلَم تُقصَ عَن أَدنى المَخاضِ قَذورُها
If she kneeled, the sound of a night compeer hurts her not
And the least filth of parturition was not cut from her,
وَلَم يَرعَها راعٍ رَبيبٌ وَلَم تَزَل
هِيَ العُروَةُ الوُثقى لِمَن يَستَجيرُها
And no tender shepherd herded her, and she ceased not
To be the firmest bond for whoever seeks her protection,
طَباهُنَّ حَتّى أَطفَلَ اللَيلُ دونَها
تَفاطيرُ وَسمِيٍّ رَواءٍ جُذورُها
Delightful till the night shaded them
Potent extract of aromatic roots their fodder
يَطُفنَ بِجَونٍ جافِرٍ يَتَّقينَهُ
بِرَوعاتِ أَذنابٍ قَليلٍ كُسورُها
They circle a lofty dune fearing it
With forelocks of few docked tails,
تَبيتُ أَوابيها عَواكِفَ حَولَهُ
عُكوفَ العَذارى اِبتُزَّ عَنها خُدورُها
Their she-camels spend the night praying around it
The prayer of virgins, remote from it their shelters,
دَعاهُنَّ فَاِستَسمَعنَ مِن أَينَ رِزُّهُ
بِسَحماءَ مِن دونِ اللَهاةِ هَديرُها
He called them and they listened closely - from where is his milking?
With a red she-camel outside the enclosure, loud her braying,
كُمَيتٍ كَرُكنِ البابِ قَد شَقَّ نابُهُ
وَأَحيَت لَهُ مِقلاتُها وَنَزورُها
A little skull like the corner of the enclosure, its eyetooth split
And its molars came alive for it and its milk flowed,
إِذا ما رَأَتهُ اِستَكبَرَت بَكَراتُها
حَياءَ العَذارى بُزَّ عَنها خُدورُها
When she saw him her first-borns acted superior
With the modesty of virgins, remote from them their shelters,
إِذا ما تَلاقَت عَن عِراكٍ تَعارَفَت
عَلى الحَوضِ أَشباهٌ قَليلٌ ذُكورُها
When they met at a rut they got acquainted
At the cistern, few are its males,
وَأَلقَت سِباطاً راشِفاتٍ كَأَنَّها
مِنَ السِبتِ أَسماطٌ دِقاقٌ خُصورُها
And cast lofty, consecutive teats as though they were
From sorrel, thin its husks,
فَلَم تَروَ حَتّى قَطَّعَت مِن حِبالِها
قُوىً مُحصَداتٍ شُدَّ شَزراً مُغيرُها
They did not pasture until they cut from their ropes
Sturdy, harvested bonds, raging he who agitated them
وَحَتّى تَشَكّى الساقِيانِ وَهَدَّمَت
مِنَ الحَوضِ أَركاناً بَطيئاً جُبورُها
Until the water-drawers complained and destroyed
From the cistern corners, slow its construction
رَعَت مَدفَعَ السوبانِ سِتّينَ لَيلَةً
حَراماً بِها حَتّى أَحَلَّت شُهورُها
They pastured the Suban troops sixty nights
Forbiddenly in them until their months ended
