Sol 6.1

  1. لَمّا تَشَكّى اِبنُ عَصرونٍ إِلَيَّ حِمىً

    في سفلِهِ حارَ فيهِ كُلُّ بَيطارِ

    When Ibn ʿAsrūn complained to me of a fever

    in his nether parts that baffled every veterinarian,

  2. وَقالَ داءٌ عُضالٌ قَد رُميتُ بِهِ

    أَعيا وَقَصَّرَ عَنهُ كُلُّ مِسبارِ

    and said, 'I have been stricken with an incurable disease;

    it baffled every probe, and each fell short of it,'

  3. طَعَنتُهُ بِقَوِيِّ المَتنِ مُعتَدِلٍ

    صَدقِ الأَنابيبِ كَالخَطِيِّ خَطّارِ

    I pierced him with a stout-shafted, straight spear,

    firm-jointed, quivering like a Khatt spear.

  4. فَقالَ لما بَدا رُمحي يَجوبُ فَلا

    أَعفاجه مُسئِداً كَالمُدلَجِ الساري

    Then he said, as my spear appeared, crossing the wastes

    of his bowels, traveling by night like a nocturnal wayfarer:

  5. لِلَّهِ دَرُّكَ شُكراً لِلصَنيعَةِ بي

    مِن قابِسٍ شَيَّطَ الوَجعاءَ بِالنارِ

    'God bless you! Thanks for the kindness done to me,

    you fire-kindler who scorched the aching part with fire!'

  6. وَقَرقَرَت بَطنُهُ فَاِنحازَ ثُمَّ رَمى

    بِسَلحَةٍ خضبَت بِالورسِ أَطماري

    His belly rumbled; he moved aside, then let fly

    a turd that stained my rags with yellow wars dye.

  7. وَقامَ يُنشِدُ عُجباً غَيرَ مُكتَرِثٍ

    لِما عَراني وَلَمّا يَخشَ مِن عارِ

    He rose, reciting in self-admiration, unconcerned

    with what had befallen me, and not yet fearing any disgrace:

  8. الطاعِنُ الطَعنَةَ النَجلاءَ جائِشَةً

    تَرُدُّ طاعِنَها عَنها بِتَيّارِ

    'He who inflicts the gaping, gushing wound

    that drives its piercer back with a torrent!'

  9. فَقُمتُ عَنهُ وَأَذيالي عَلى كَتِفي

    فَأَشرَفَت عِرسُهُ مِن شُرفَةِ الدارِ

    So I rose from beside him, my robe's skirts over my shoulder;

    then his wife looked down from the house's balcony.

  10. وَأَنشَدَت وَدُموعُ العَينِ ساجِمَةٌ

    في وَجنَتَيها سُجومَ العارِضِ الساري

    And she recited, tears streaming from her eyes

    over her cheeks like rain from a cloud passing by night:

  11. يا نِعمَةَ اللَهِ حلّي في مَنازِلِنا

    وَجاوِرينا فَدَتكِ النَفسُ مِن جارِ

    'O blessing of God, settle in our dwellings,

    and be our neighbor—may my soul be your ransom, O neighbor!'

  12. فَلَم أَزَل عِندَهُ جَذلانَ في دَعَةٍ

    مُمَتَّعاً مِن أَياديهِ بِأَوطارِ

    So I remained with him, joyful and at ease,

    having my desires gratified through his favors,

  13. حَتّى اِنثَنَت صَعدَتي عَنهُ وَبانَ لَهُ

    مِنّي الوَنى وَرَأى آثارَ إِقصاري

    until my spear bent away from him, and he perceived

    my weariness and saw the signs of my letting up.

  14. أَضحى يُغَنّي وَأَيدي في يَدَيهِ لَقىً

    كَأَنَّما عَلَّ مِن صَهباءِ خَمّارِ

    He began singing, my hands like castoffs in his hands,

    as though he had drunk again of a wine-seller's tawny wine:

  15. يا عَمرو ما وقفَةٌ في رَسمِ مَنزِلَةٍ

    أَثارَ شَوقَكَ فيها مَحوُ آثارِ

    'O ʿAmr, what is this halt at a dwelling's trace,

    where the erasure of traces has stirred your longing?'