مَنْ شكَّ في فضل الكُمَيْتِ فبيْنَهُ

فيه وبَيْنَ يَقِيْنَهِ المِضْمَارُ

Whoever doubts the bay horse’s excellence—between him

and certainty of it lies the racecourse.

من مَنظرٍ مُسْتحسَنٍ مَحْمُودةٌ

آثارُه إذ تُبْتَلَى الأخْبَارُ

Pleasing to behold, praiseworthy are

his deeds when reports are put to the test.

ماءٌ تدَّفقَ طاعةً وسلاسَةً

فإذا اسْتُدِرَّ الخُضْرُ مِنْهُ فَنَارُ

Water pouring forth in obedience and smoothness;

but when the green switch draws his force forth, he is fire.

وإذا عَطَفْتَ بِهِ عَلَى ناوَرْدِهِ

لتديَرَهُ فكأنَّهُ برْكَارُ

When you turn him upon his arena

to wheel him round, he is like a compass.

وَصَفَ الخَلُوقَ أديمَهُ فكأنّما

أهدي الخلوقَ لجلْدِهِ عَطّارُ

Khalūq perfume seems to coat his hide, as though

a perfumer had presented khalūq to his skin.

قَصُرَتْ قِلاَدَةُ نَحْرِهِ وعذارُهُ

والرسغُ وَهْىَ من العتيقِ قِصارُ

His breast-collar and his cheek-strap are short;

his pasterns too—for in the thoroughbred they are short.

وكأنّما هادِيْهِ جِذْعٌ مُشْرِفٌ

وكأنما للضَّبْعِ فيه وَجَارُ

His leading neck is like a lofty, rising trunk,

as though a hyena had its den within it.

يَرِدُ الضَّحَاضِحَ غَيْرَ ثاني سُنْبُكِ

ويَرُودُ طَرْفُكَ خلفَهُ فَيَحَارُ

He comes to the shallow pools without bending a hoof,

while your gaze ranges after him, then loses its way.

لو لَمْ تكن للخَيْلِ نِسْبَةُ خَلْقِهِ

خالتْهُ من أشكالِهَا الأطيارُ

Had his form no kinship with horses,

the birds would take him for one of their kind.