1. حِبالُ سُجَيفَةَ أمسَت رِثاثا

    فَسَقيًا لَها جُدُدًا أَو رِماثا

    Sujayfa’s bonds have grown threadbare.

    So may rain refresh them, new or frayed.

  2. إِذا حَلَّ أَهلِيَ بِالأَبرَقَينِ

    أُبَيرقِ ذي جُدَدٍ أَو دَءاثا

    When my people camp at al-Abraqayn,

    at streaked Ubayriq, or Da’ath,

  3. وَحَلَّت سُجَيفَةُ مِن أَرضِها

    رَوَابِيَ يُنبِتنَ حِفرى دِماثا

    and Sujayfa settles within her own land

    on soft-soiled rises growing hifra,

  4. تُتارِبُ بِيضًا إِذا اِستَلعَبَت

    كَأُدمِ الظِباءِ تَرُفُّ الكَباثا

    she frolics with fair companions when playful,

    like pale gazelles nibbling ripe arak berries.

  5. كأَنَّ حَدائِجَ أَظعانِها

    بِغَيقَةِ لَمّا هَبَطنَ البِراثا

    It is as though her caravan’s litters,

    at Ghayqa, when they descended onto soft ground,

  6. نَواعِمُ عُمٌّ عَلى مِثَبٍ

    عِظامُ الجُذُوعِ أُحِلَّت بُعاثا

    were luxuriant, lofty palms upon Mithab,

    massive-trunked, planted at Bu‘ath,

  7. كَدُهمِ الرِّكابِ بأثقالِها

    غَدَت مِن سَماهِيجَ أَو مِن جُواثا

    like dark riding-camels with their burdens,

    setting out in the morning from Samahij or Juatha.

  8. وَخُوصٍ خَوامِسٍ أَورَدتُها

    قُبَيلَ الكَوَاكِبِ وِردًا مُلاثا

    And narrow-eyed camels, five days thirsty, I led to water

    just before the stars appeared, for a long-delayed drink,

  9. مِن الرَوضَتَينِ فَجَنبَي رُكَيحٍ

    كَلَقطِ المُضِلَّتِ حَليًا مُباثا

    from al-Rawdatayn, then along Rukayh’s two flanks,

    like a woman gathering the scattered jewels she had lost.

  10. تُوالي الزِمامَ إِذا ما دَنَت

    رَكائِبُها واِختَنَثنَ اِختِناثا

    She keeps the rein taut whenever

    her fellow mounts draw near, bending and swaying.

  11. وَذِفرى كَكَاهِلِ ذِيخِ الخَلِيفِ

    أَصابَ فَرِقَةَ لَيلِ فَعاثا

    And a nape like the withers of the ravine’s hyena-like wild ass,

    which found a herd by night and ran riot among them.

  12. تَلَقَّطَها تَحتَ نَوءِ السِمّاكِ

    وَقَد سَمِنَت سَورَةً وَاِنتَجاثا

    He gathered them beneath al-Simak’s seasonal rains,

    already fattened by eager grazing and grubbing.

  13. لَوى ظِمئَها تَحتَ حَرِّ النُّجوم

    يَحبِسُها كَسَلاً أَو عَباثا

    He prolonged their thirst beneath the heat of the stars,

    holding them back through sloth or mischief.

  14. فَلَمّا عَصاهُنَّ خابَثنَهُ

    بِرَوضَةِ آلِيتَ قَصراً خِباثا

    So when he thwarted them, they played rough with him

    in Alit’s meadow at evening, unruly creatures.

  15. فَأَورَدَهُنَّ مِنَ الدَونَكَينِ

    حَشَارِجَ يَحفِرنَ مِنها إِراثا

    Then he brought them to drink from al-Dawnakayn’s

    rock pools, where they dug out the remaining water,

  16. لَواصِبَ قَد أَصبَحَت وَاِنطَوَت

    وَقَد أَطوَلَ الحَيُّ عَنها لِباثا

    narrow basins that had dwindled and shrunk,

    the clan having long stayed away from them.

  17. مُدِلٌّ يَعَضُّ إِذا نَالَهُنّ

    مِراراً وَيُدنينَ فاهُ لِكاثا

    Masterful, he bites whenever he catches them,

    again and again; they answer his mouth with kicks.

  18. وَصَفراءَ تَلمعُ بالنابِلين

    كَلَمعِ الخَريعِ تَحَلَّت رِعاثا

    And a yellow bow, flashing among the archers,

    like the gleam of a lissome woman adorned with earrings,

  19. هَتوفاً إِذا ذاقَها النازِعونَ

    سَمِعتَ لَها بَعدَ حَبضٍ عِثاثا

    loud-voiced: when the bowmen try it,

    you hear its rattle after the string is plucked.

  20. تَئِنُّ إِلى العَجمِ وَالأَبهَرينِ

    أَنينَ المَريضِ تَشَكّى المُغاثا

    It groans under testing, through its two limbs,

    like a sick man groaning, complaining of his treatment.