Sol 6.1

  1. أبَعدَ الخَيلِ أركَبُها وِراداً

    وَشُقراً في الرَّعيلِ إلى القِتالِ

    After the bay horses I used to ride

    and chestnuts, in the troop bound for battle,

  2. رُزِقتُ بُغَيلَةً فيها وِكَالٌ

    وَخَيرُ خِصَالِها فَرطُ الوِكَالِ

    was I given a little she-mule afflicted with sluggishness?

    And the best of her traits is excessive sluggishness.

  3. رَأيتُ عُيُوبَها كَثُرَت وَعَالَت

    وَلَو أفنَيتُ مُجتَهِداً مَقَالي

    I found her faults numerous and overwhelming;

    even if I exhausted my speech in earnest,

  4. ليُحصَى مَنطِقِي وَكَلامُ غَيرِي

    عُشَيرَ خِصَالها شَرَّ الخِصَالِ

    my words and others' words could count only

    a tenth of her traits—the worst of traits.

  5. فأهوَنُ عَيبِها أنّي إذا ما

    نَزَلتُ وقُلتُ إمشي لا تُبَالي

    Her slightest fault is that whenever

    I dismount and say, 'Walk!' she pays no heed.

  6. تَقُومُ فما تَريمُ إذا استُحِثَّت

    وَتَرمَحُني وَتَأخُذُ في قِتَالي

    She stands and will not budge when urged on,

    and kicks me, setting about fighting me.

  7. وإنّي إن رَكِبتُ أَذَيتُ نَفسِي

    بِضَربٍ باليَمينِ وبالشِّمالِ

    And if I ride her, I hurt myself

    by striking with my right hand and my left;

  8. وبالرِّجلَينِ أركِضُها جميعاً

    فَيَا لَكَ في الشَّقَاءِ وفي الكَلالِ

    with both legs together I urge her on.

    Oh, what misery and exhaustion you face!

  9. رِياضَةُ جَاهِلٍ وعُلَيجِ سُوءٍ

    مِنَ الأكرادِ أَحبنَ ذي سُعالِ

    She was trained by an ignoramus, a vile little boor,

    a swollen-bellied man of the Kurds, with a cough,

  10. شَتِيمِ الوَجهِ هِلبَاجٍ هِدانٍ

    نَعُوسٍ يَومَ حلٍّ وارتِحَالِ

    ugly-faced, lumpish, slow-witted,

    drowsy on days of halting and departing.

  11. فأدَّبَها بأخلاقٍ سِمَاجٍ

    جَزاهُ اللهُ شرّاً عَن عِيَالي

    So he trained her in repulsive manners—

    may God repay him ill on my household's behalf!

  12. فَلَمَّا هَدَّنِي ونَفَى رُقَادِي

    وطَالَ لِذَاكَ هَمِّي واشتِغالي

    When it wore me down and banished my sleep,

    and my worry and preoccupation with it dragged on,

  13. أتَيتُ بها الكُنَاسَةَ مُستَبيعاً

    أُفَكِّرُ دائباً كَيفَ احتِيالِي

    I brought her to al-Kunasa, seeking to sell,

    constantly pondering how to devise a trick

  14. بِعُهدَةِ سِلعَةٍ رُدَّت قَديماً

    أطُمُّ بها على الدَّاءِ العُضَالِ

    with a warranty for goods returned before,

    to cover up the incurable ailment with it.

  15. فَبَينَا فِكرَتي في السَّوم تَسري

    إذا ما سِمتُ أُرخِصُ أم أُغالي

    While my thoughts ran on the bargaining—

    whether, in naming a price, to go low or high—

  16. أتَاني خائِبٌ حَمِقٌ شقِيٌّ

    قَديمٌ في الخَسَارَةِ والضَّلالِ

    a luckless, foolish, wretched man came to me,

    long practiced in loss and error.

  17. وقال تَبِيعُها قُلتُ ارتَبِطها

    بِكُمِّكَ إنَّ بَيعِي غَيرُ غالِ

    He said, 'Will you sell her?' I said, 'Tie her

    to your sleeve; my price is not high.'

  18. فَأَقبَلَ ضاحِكاً نَحوِي سُروراً

    وقَال أرَاكَ سَهلاً ذا جَمَالِ

    He approached me laughing with delight,

    and said, 'You seem easygoing and handsome.'

  19. وَرَاوَغَنِي لِيَخلُوَ بي خِداعاً

    وَلا يَدرِي الشَّقِيُّ بِمَن يُخَالي

    He schemed to get me alone by deceit,

    the wretch not knowing whom he was dealing with.

  20. فَقُلتُ بأربَعِينَ فَقَال أحسِن

    إلَيَّ فإنّ مِثلَكَ ذُو سِجَالِ

    I said, 'For forty.' He said, 'Be kind

    to me, for a man like you has bounty to spare.'

  21. فأترُكُ خَمسَةً مِنها لِعِلمي

    بِمَا فيهِ يَصيرُ مِنَ الخَبَالِ

    So I knocked five off, knowing

    the derangement into which he would fall.

  22. فلمّا ابتَاعَهَا مِني وَبُتَّت

    له في البَيعِ غَيرِ المُستَقَالِ

    Once he had bought her from me and she was made over

    to him in a sale that could not be rescinded,

  23. أخَذتُ بِثَوبِهِ وَبَرِئتُ مِمَّا

    أَعُدُّ عَلَيهِ مِن شَنِعِ الخِصَالِ

    I seized his garment and disclaimed liability

    for the monstrous traits I would list to him:

  24. بَرِئتُ إلَيكَ مِن مَشَشٍ قَديمٍ

    وَمِن جَرَذٍ وتَخريقِِ الجِلالِ

    I disclaim liability to you for old bony leg swellings,

    and for spavin and the tearing of saddlecloths;

  25. ومِن فَرطِ الحِرَانِ ومِن جِمَاحٍ

    ومِن ضَعفِ الأسَافِل والأعالي

    for excessive balking and bolting;

    for weakness in her lower and upper parts;

  26. ومِن فَتقٍ بها في البَطنِ ضَخمٍ

    ومِن عُقّالها ومِنَ انفِتالِ

    for a huge hernia in her belly;

    for her leg ailment and twisting about;

  27. ومِن عَضِّ اللّسانِ وكن خِراطٍ

    إذا ما همَّ صَحبُكَ بارتحالِ

    for tongue-biting and [pulling free of the reins],

    whenever your companions mean to depart;

  28. ومن عقدِ اللّسَانِ ومِن بَيَاضٍ

    بِنَاظِرِها ومِن حَلِّ الحِبالِ

    for tongue-tie and a white film

    over her pupil, and for untying ropes;

  29. وعُقَّالٍ يُلازِمُها شَديدٍ

    ومِن هَدمِ المَعَالِفِ والرِّكالِ

    for a severe leg ailment that never leaves her;

    for wrecking feeding troughs and kicking;

  30. ومِن شَدِّ العِضَاضِ ومِن شَبَابٍ

    إذا ما همَّ صَحبُكَ بالزِّيَالِ

    for fierce biting and rearing

    whenever your companions mean to part.

  31. تَقَطَّعَ جِلدُهَا جَرَباً وحَكّاً

    إذا هُزِلَت وفي غَيرِ الهُزالِ

    Her skin is torn by mange and scratching,

    when she is thin and even when she is not.

  32. وألطَفُ مِن دَبيبِ الذَّرِّ مَشياً

    وَتَنحِطُ مِن مُتابَعَةِ السُّعَالِ

    Her gait is finer than the crawling of tiny ants,

    and she wheezes from incessant coughing.

  33. وَتُلقي سَرجَهَا أبَداً شِماسَاً

    وتَسقُطُ في الوُحُولِ وفي الرِّمالِ

    She always throws her saddle off in restiveness,

    and falls in mire and sand.

  34. ويُهزِلُها الجَمَامُ إذا خَصِبنا

    ويُدبِرُ ظَهرَهَا مَسُّ الجِلالِ

    Rest makes her thin when we have rich pasture,

    and the touch of saddlecloths makes her back sore.

  35. تَظَلُ لرَكبَةٍ مِنها وَقيذاً

    يُخَافُ عَليك مِن وَرَمِ الطِّحَالِ

    A single ride on her leaves you battered,

    with swelling of the spleen feared for you.

  36. وتَضرطُ أربَعينَ إذا وَقَفنَا

    على أهلِ المَجَالِسِ لِلسُّؤَالِ

    She farts forty times when we stop

    before people sitting in gatherings, to beg,

  37. فَتُخرِسُ مَنطِقي وتَحُولُ بَيني

    وبَينَ كَلامِهِم مِمَّا تُوَالي

    silencing my speech and coming between me

    and their words with her ceaseless succession.

  38. وَقَد أعيَت سِياسَتُها المُكاري

    وَبِيطَاراً يُعَقِّلُ بالشِّكَالِ

    Handling her has defeated the muleteer

    and a veterinarian who restrains her with hobbles.

  39. حَرونٌ حِين تَركَبُها لِحُضرٍ

    جَمُوحٌ حِينَ تَعزِمُ لِلنِّزالِ

    She balks when you mount her for a gallop,

    and bolts when you decide to dismount;

  40. وذِئبٌ حِينَ تُدنيها لِسَرجٍ

    وَلَيثٌ عِندَ خَشخَشَةِ المخالي

    a wolf when you bring her near a saddle,

    a lion at the rustling of feedbags;

  41. وَفَسلٌ إن أرَدتَ بها بُكُوراً

    خَذُولٌ عِندَ حاجاتِ الرِّحالِ

    worthless if you want an early start with her,

    unreliable when the needs of travel arise.

  42. وألفُ عَصاً وَسَوطٍ أصبَحِيٍّ

    ألَذُّ لها مِنَ الشُّربِ الزُّلالِ

    A thousand blows of stick and Asbahi whip

    are sweeter to her than a draught of clear water.

  43. وتُصعَقُ مِن صُقاعِ الدِّيكِ شَهراً

    وتُذعَرُ للصَّفِيرِ وَلِلخَيَالِ

    A rooster's crow stuns her for a month,

    and she panics at whistling and apparitions.

  44. إذا استَعجَلتَها عَثَرَت وَبَالَت

    وَقَامَت سَاعَةً عِندَ المَبَالِ

    If you hurry her, she stumbles and urinates,

    and stands for an hour where she has urinated.

  45. ومِنفَارٌ تُقدِّمُ كَلَّ سَرجٍ

    تُصَيِّرُ دَفَّتَيهِ على القَذالِ

    A skittish creature, she thrusts every saddle forward,

    setting its two sides upon her nape.

  46. وتَحفَى في الوُقُوفِ إذا أقَمنَا

    كما تَحفَى البِغَالُ مِنَ الكَلالِ

    Her hoofs grow sore even standing still when we halt,

    as mules' hoofs grow sore from exhaustion.

  47. وتَحفَى لَو تَسِيرُ على الحَشَايَا

    وَلَو تَمشِي على دَمَثِ الرِّمالِ

    Her hoofs would wear sore even on cushions,

    even if she walked on yielding sands.

  48. ولَو جَمَّعتَ مِن هنَّا وهنَّا

    مِنَ الأتبَانِ أمثالَ الجِبَالِ

    Even if you gathered from here and there

    heaps of straw as great as mountains,

  49. وأمّا القَتُّ فَأتِ بألفِ وفرٍ

    كأعظَمِ حَملِ أحمَالِ الجِمَالِ

    and as for dried alfalfa, brought a thousand great loads,

    like the largest burdens camels bear,

  50. فإنَّكَ لَستَ عَالِفَها ثَلاثاً

    وعِندَكَ مِنهُ عُودٌ لِلخِلالِ

    you could not feed her for three days

    and have a stalk of it left for a toothpick.

  51. وإن عَطِشَت فأورِدها دُجَيلاً

    إذا أورَدتَ أو نَهرَي بِلالِ

    And if she thirsts, lead her to Dujayl

    when you take her to water, or to Bilal's two canals;

  52. فَذَال لِرَيِّها سُقِيَت حَمِيماً

    وإن مدَّ الفُراتُ فلِلنِّهَالِ

    so [that is] to quench her thirst—may she drink boiling water!—

    while even a swollen Euphrates would serve only her first draught.

  53. وكانَت قَارِحاً أيّامَ كِسرَى

    وَتَذكُرُ تُبَّعاً عِندَ الفِصالِ

    She was full-toothed in the days of Kisra,

    and remembers Tubbaʿ at the time of weaning.

  54. وَقَد قَرحَت ولُقمانٌ فَطِيمٌ

    وَذُو الأكتَافِ في الحِجَجِ الخَوَالي

    She had her adult teeth when Luqman was newly weaned,

    and Dhu al-Aktaf too, in years long gone.

  55. وَقَد دَبِرَت ونُعمَانٌ صَبِيٌّ

    وقَبلَ فِصَالِهِ تِلكَ اللَّيالي

    She had saddle sores when Nu'man was a boy,

    even before his weaning, in those nights.

  56. وتَذكُرُ إذا نشا بَهرَامُ جُورٍ

    وعَامِلُهُ على خَرجِ الجَوَالي

    She remembers when Bahram Jur grew up,

    and his official over the communities' poll tax.

  57. وَقَد أبلى بها قَرنٌ وقَرنٌ

    وأُخِّرَ يَومُها لِهَلاكِ مالي

    One generation after another has worn away with her,

    and her day of death was postponed to ruin my wealth.

  58. فَأبدِلني بها يا رَبُّ بَغلاً

    يَزِينُ جَمَالُ مَركَبِهِ جَمَالي

    So replace her for me, Lord, with a male mule

    whose beauty when ridden enhances my own,

  59. كَريماً حينَ يُنسَبُ وَالِداهُ

    إلى كَرَمِ المَنَاسِبِ في البِغالِ

    noble when both his parents are traced

    to nobility of lineage among mules.