هجرت أمامة هجراً طويلا — Bashama Bin Ghadeer

هَجَرتَ أُمامَةَ هَجراً طَويلا

وَحَمَّلَكَ النَأيُ عِبئاً ثَقيلا

You forsook Umamah for a long time,

and distance burdened you with a heavy load.

وَحُمِّلتَ مِنها عَلى نَأيِها

خَيالاً يُوافي وَنَيلا قَليلا

Despite her distance, you were made to bear from her

a visiting phantom and scant favor,

وَنَظرَةَ ذي شَجَنٍ وامِقٍ

إِذا ما الرَكائِبُ جاوَزنَ ميلا

and the gaze of a sorrowful, loving man

when the riding camels had gone a mile.

أَتَتنا تُسائِلُ ما بَثُّنا

فَقُلنا لَها قَد عَزَمنا الرَحيلا

She came to us asking what our sorrow was,

so we told her: 'We have resolved to depart.'

وَقُلتُ لَها كُنتِ قَد تَعلَميـ

ـنَ مُنذُ ثَوى الرَكبُ عَنّا غَفولا

And I said to her: 'You were, as you well know,

heedless of us ever since the caravan encamped.'

فَبادَرَتاها بِمُستَعجِلٍ

مِنَ الدَمعِ يَنضَحُ خَدّاً أَسيلا

Then her two eyes forestalled her with a sudden rush

of tears that drenched a smooth cheek.

وَما كانَ أَكثَرَ ما نَوَّلَت

مِنَ القَولِ إِلّا صِفاحاً وَقيلا

And most of what she bestowed

in speech was merely outward courtesies and talk.

وَعِذرَتُها أَنَّ كُلَّ اِمرِئٍ

مُعِدٌّ لَهُ كُلَّ يَومٍ شُكولا

And her excuse was that every man

prepares fetters for himself each day.

كَأَنَّ النَوى لَم تَكُن أَصقَبَت

وَلَم تَأتِ قَومَ أَديمٍ حُلولا

As though separation had never drawn near,

nor come upon Adim's people in their encampment.

فَقَرَّبتُ لِلرَحلِ عَيرانَةً

عُذافِرَةً عَنتَريساً ذَمولا

So I brought up for the saddle a she-camel sturdy as a wild ass,

massive, powerful, and swift at the trot,

مُداخَلَةَ الخَلقِ مَضبورَةً

إِذا أَخَذَ الحاقِفاتُ المَقيلا

close-knit in build and compact,

when the crouching beasts take their midday rest.

لَها قِردٌ تامِكٌ نَيُّهُ

تَزِلُّ الوَلِيَّةُ عَنهُ زَليلا

She has a shaggy hump, towering with fat;

the saddlecloth slips and slides off it.

تَطَرَّدُ أَطرافَ عامٍ خَصيبٍ

وَلَم يُشلِ عَبدٌ إِلَيها فَصيلا

She ranges through the seasons of a fertile year,

and no slave has called a weaned calf to her.

تَوَقَّرُ شازِرَةً طَرفَها

إِذا ما ثَنَيتُ إِلَيها الجَديلا

She steadies herself, her gaze turned sideways,

when I bend the braided rein toward her,

بِعَينٍ كَعَينِ مُفيضِ القِداحِ

إِذا ما أَراغَ يُريدُ الحَويلا

with an eye like that of the caster of gaming arrows,

when he maneuvers, seeking a stratagem.

وَحادِرَةٍ كَنَفَيها المَسيـ

ـحُ تَنضِحُ أَوبَرَ شَثّاً غَليلا

And sweat streams down her full flanks—

drenching her shaggy, coarse, dense coat.

وَصَدرٍ لَها مَهيَعٍ كَالخَليفِ

تَخالُ بِأَنَّ عَلَيهِ شَليلا

And her chest is broad as a mountain pass;

you would think a haircloth lay over it.

فَمَرَّت عَلى كُشُبٍ غُدوَةً

وَحاذَت بِجَنبِ أَريكٍ أَصيلا

Then she passed Kushub in the early morning,

and skirted Arik's side in the late afternoon.

تَوَطَّأُ أَغلَظَ حِزّانِهِ

كَوَطءِ القَوِيِّ العَزيزِ الذَليلا

She treads its roughest stretches,

as the strong and mighty tread down the lowly.

إِذا أَقبَلَت قُلتَ مَذعورَةٌ

مِنَ الرُمدِ تَلحَقُ هَيقاً ذَمولا

When she approaches, you say: 'A frightened hen

of the gray ostriches, pursuing a swift-trotting cock.'

وَإِن أَدبَرَت قُلتَ مَشحونَةٌ

أَطاعَ لَها الريحُ قِلعاً جَفولا

And when she recedes, you say: 'A laden ship,

the wind obeying her, her sail flying swiftly.'

وَإِن أَعرَضَت رَآء فيها البَصيـ

ـرُ ما لا يُكَلِّفُهُ أَن يَفيلا

And when she turns broadside, the discerning observer sees in her

what leaves him no cause for mistaken judgment:

يَدا سُرُحاً مائِراً ضَبعُها

تَسومُ وَتَقدُمُ رِجلاً زَجولا

two freely stretching forelegs, her upper arms swaying,

reaching out and advancing before a swiftly flung hind leg,

وَعوجاً تَناطَحنَ تَحتَ المَطا

وَتَهدي بِهِنَّ مُشاشاً كُهولا

and curved ribs jostling beneath her back,

and with them carrying forward her fully developed joints.

تَعُزُّ المَطِيَّ جِماعَ الطَريقِ

إِذا أَدلَجَ القَومُ لَيلاً طَويلا

She wins the roadway's center from the other mounts,

when the people travel through a long night.

كَأَنَّ يَديها إِذا أَرقَلَت

وَقَد جُرنَ ثُمَّ اِهتَدَينَ السَبيلا

Her forelegs, when she speeds along, seem—

after straying and then regaining the way—

يَدا عائِمٍ خَرَّ في غَمرَةٍ

قَد ادرَكَهُ المَوتُ إِلّا قَليلا

the hands of a swimmer fallen into deep water,

whom death has all but overtaken.

وَخُبِّرتُ قَومي وَلَم أَلقَهُمُ

أَجَدّوا عَلى ذي شُوَيسٍ حُلولا

And I was told that my people, though I had not met them,

had firmly encamped at Dhu Shuways.

فَإِمّا هَلَكتُ وَلَم آتِهِم

فَأَبلِغ أَماثِلَ سَهمٍ رَسولا

So if I perish without reaching them,

convey a message to the foremost men of Sahm:

بِأَن قَومكُم خُيِّروا خَصلَتَيـ

ـنِ كِلتاهُما جَعَلوها عُدولا

that your people were offered two choices,

both of which they judged alike:

خِزيُ الحَياةِ وَحَربُ الصَديقِ

وَكُلّاً أَراهُ طَعاماً وَبيلا

the shame of living, and war against a friend;

and each I see as harmful food.

فَإِن لَم يَكُن غَيرُ إِحداهُما

فَسيروا إِلى المَوتِ سَيراً جَميلا

So if there is no choice but one of the two,

then march toward death with a noble stride.

وَلا تَقعُدوا وَبِكُم مُنَّةٌ

كَفى بِالحَوادِثِ لِلمَرءِ غولا

And do not sit idle while you still have strength;

calamities suffice for a man's undoing.

وَحُشّوا الحُروبَ إِذا أوقِدَت

رِماحاً طِوالاً وَخَيلاً فُحولا

And stoke wars, when they are kindled,

with long spears and stallions,

وَمِن نَسجِ داؤُدَ مَوضونَةً

تُرى لِلقَواضِبِ فيها صَليلا

and close-woven mail of David's weave,

in which the clang of keen blades is perceived.

فَإِنكُمُ وَعَطاءُ الرِهانِ

إِذا جَرَّتِ الحَربُ جُلّاً جَليلا

For you and the paying of the stakes,

when war drags in a mighty calamity,

كَثَوبِ اِبنِ بَيضٍ وَقاهُم بِهِ

فَسَدَّ عَلى السالِكينَ السَبيلا

are like Ibn Bayd's robe, with which he shielded them,

and barred the way to travelers:

طعان الكُماةِ وضرب الجيادِ

وقَولُ الحَواصِنِ دبلا دَبيلا

spear-thrusts against armored warriors and blows upon necks,

and chaste women crying, 'Ruin—grievous ruin!'