وَلَم يَكُن مَلكٌ لِلقَومِ يُنزِلُهُم
إِلّا صَلاصِلُ لا تُلوى عَلى حَسَبِ
And the people had no water to draw them to camp,
save scant pools, unswayed by noble lineage.
تَحَسَّرَ الماءُ عَنهُ وَاِستَجَنَّ بِهِ
إِلفانِ جُنّا مِنَ المكنانِ وَالقُطَبِ
The water had receded from it, and there took shelter
two companions, hidden among maknan and puncturevine,
جُماديَين حُسوماً لا يُعايِنُهُ
وَعيٌ مِنَ الناسِ في أَهلٍ وَلا غَرَبِ
for two whole Jumada months, unseen
by any human gathering, kin or strangers.
تَبيتُ جارَتهُ الأَفعى وَسامِرُهُ
رُمد بِهِ عاذِرٌ مِنهُنَّ كَالجَرَبِ
The viper spends the night as his neighbor; his evening companions
are ash-gray creatures, their scars upon him like mange.
حَتّى إِذا جَنَّ أَغواءُ الظَلامِ لَهُ
مِن فَوزِ نَجمٍ مِنَ الجَوزاءِ مُلتَهِبِ
Until, when the depths of darkness enveloped him,
at the setting of a blazing star of Orion,
أَخلى بِلينَةَ وَالرَنقاء مَرتَعهُ
يَقرو مَزاحِفَ جَونٍ ساقِطِ الرَبَبِ
he deserted his pasture at Linah and al-Ranqa,
following the tracks of a dark cloud with drooping wisps.
كَأَنَّ زُجلَةَ صَوبٍ صابَ مِن بَرَدٍ
شُنَّت شَآبيبهُ مِن رائِحٍ لجبِ
As though the noisy rush of rain falling as hail,
its showers poured from a clamorous evening cloud,
نَواصِح مِن حَمّاوَين أُحصِنَتا
مُمَنَّعاً كَهُمامِ الثَلجِ بِالضَرَبِ
were industrious bees from two dark, fortified haunts,
with a guarded treasure, like snowmelt mingled with thick white honey,
مَجنوبَةُ الأُنسِ مَشمولٌ مَواعِدُها
مِنَ الهِجانِ الجِمالِ الشطبِ وَالقَصَبِ
remote from human company, their meeting places north-wind-swept,
of pure stock, beautiful, long-bodied and reed-slender.
Sol 6.1