Ala Kullu Mashiah ألا كل ماشية الهيذبى

أَلَا كُلُّ مَاشِيَةِ الْخَيْزَلى * فِدَا كُلِّ مَاشِيَةِ الْهَيْذَبَى

Indeed, may every soft, swaying gait [of a woman]
be sacrificed for every swift, forceful stride [of a camel].

وَكُلِّ نَجَاةٍ بُجَاوِيَّةٍ * خَنُوفٍ وَمَا بِي حُسْنُ الْمِشَي

And of every swift she-camel of the Bujawi breed,
leaning in her stride, for I have no inclination toward graceful [woman-like] walking.

وَلَكِنَّهُنَّ حِبَالُ الحَيَاةِ * وَكَيْدُ العُدَاةِ وَمَيْطُ الأَذَى

But they are the ropes of life,
And the means to outwit the enemies, and to drive away harm.

ضَرَبْتُ بِهَا الْتِيهَ ضَرْبَ الْقِمَارِ * إِمَّا لِهَذَا وَإِمَّا لِذَا

With them I plunged into the wilderness like a gambler’s throw
either for salvation, or for ruin.

إِذا فَزِعَتْ قَدَّمَتْهَا الجِيَادُ * وَبِيضُ السُيُوفِ وَسُمْرُ القَنَا

When it is alarmed, horses advance before it,
along with white swords and dark spears.

فَمَرَّتْ بِنَخْلٍ وَفِي رَكْبِهَا * عَنِ الْعَالَمِيْنَ وَعَنْهُ غِنَى

They passed by palm trees, while those riding with them
had no need of them, nor of all the world besides.

وَأَمْسَتْ تُخَيِّرُنَا بِالنِّقَابِ * وَادِي الْمِيَاهِ وَوَادِي الْقُرَى

By evening, at the mountain pass, they seemed to offer us a choice:
either toward Wadi Al-Miyah, or toward Wadi Al-Qura.

وَقُلْنَا لَهَا أَيْنَ أَرْضُ الْعِرَاقِ * فَقَالَتْ وَنَحْنُ بِتُرْبَانَ هَا

We said to them, “Where is the land of Iraq?”
They replied, “Here we are — at Turban.”

وَهَبَّتْ بِحِسْمَى هُبُوبَ الدَّبُورِ * مُسْتَقْبِلَاتٍ مَهَبَّ الصَبَا

They surged across Hisma with the west wind behind them,
facing the direction of the east wind.

رَوَامِي الْكِفَافِ وَكِبْدِ الْوِهَادِ * وَجَارِ الْبُوَيْرَةِ وَادِ الْغَضَى

Heading toward Kifaf and the heart of the lowlands,
and toward Wadi Al-Ghada, neighbouring Al-Buwayrah.

وَجَابَتْ بُسَيْطَةَ جَوْبَ الرِّدَاءِ * بَيْنَ النَّعَامِ وَبَيْنَ الْمَهَا

They cut across Busaytah as a garment is slit,
passing between ostriches and wild white antelope.

إِلَى عُقْدَةِ الْجَوْفِ حَتَّى شَفَتْ * بِمَاءِ الجُرَاوِيِّ بَعْضَ الصَّدَى

On to Uqdah Al-Jawf, until they quenched
some of their thirst with the water of Al-Jarawi.

وَلَاحَ لَهَا صَوَرٌ وَالصَّبَاحَ * وَلَاحَ الشَّغُورُ لَهَا وَالضُّحَى

And Sawar [a place of water] appeared to them at dawn,
And Al-Shughur [a place in Iraq] appeared to them by mid-morning.

وَمَسَّى الْجُمَيْعِيَّ دِئْدَاؤُهَا * وَغَادَى الأَضَارِعَ ثُمَّ الدَّنَا

By evening, their swift pace reached Al-Jumay’i;
And by morning, they reached Al-Adhari’, then to Al-Dana.

فَيَا لَكَ لَيْلًا عَلَى أَعْكُشٍ * أَحَمَّ البِلَادِ خَفِيَّ الصُّوَى

What a night it was upon A‘kush
the land blackened, its waymarks hidden.

وَرَدْنَا الرُّهَيْمَةَ فِي جَوْزِهِ * وَبَاقِيهِ أَكْثَرُ مِمَّا مَضَى

We reached Al-Ruhaymah in the heart of it,
while what remained was more than what had passed.

فَلَمَّا أَنَخْنَا رَكَزْنَا الرِّمَاحَ * فَوْقَ مَكَارِمِنَا وَالْعُلَى

When we made camp and set down our mounts,
we planted our spears upon honour and high deeds.

وَبِتْنَا نُقَبِّلُ أَسْيَافَنَا * وَنَمْسَحُهَا مِنْ دِمَاءِ الْعِدَا

And we spent the night kissing our swords
And wiping them from the enemies’ blood,

لِتَعلَمَ مِصْرُ وَمَنْ بِالْعِرَاقِ * وَمَنْ بِالْعَوَاصِمِ أَنِّي الْفَتَى

So that Egypt may know, and those in Iraq,
And those in the frontier cities, that I am the man.

وَأَنِّي وَفَيْتُ وَأَنِّي أَبَيْتُ * وَأَنِّي عَتَوْتُ عَلَى مَنْ عَتَى

And that I was loyal, and that I refused humiliation,
and that I stood defiant against whoever was defiant.

وَمَا كُلُّ مَنْ قَالَ قَوْلًا وَفَى * وَلَا كُلُّ مَن سِيمَ خَسْفًا أَبَى

Not everyone who made a claim remained true to it,
And not everyone who was subjected to abasement refused it.

وَلَا بُدَّ لِلْقَلْبِ مِنْ آلَةٍ * وَرَأْيٍ يُصَدِّعُ صُمَّ الصَّفَا

And the heart must have a tool
and a judgement that can split solid rocks.

وَمَنْ يَكُ قَلْبٌ كَقَلْبِي لَهُ * يَشُقُّ إِلَى الْعِزِّ قَلْبَ التَّوَى

Whoever has a heart like mine
will carve a path to honour through the heart of destruction.

وَكُلُّ طَرِيقٍ أَتَاهُ الْفَتَى * عَلَى قَدَرِ الرِّجْلِ فِيهِ الْخُطَا

Every path that a man takes,
the steps upon it are according to the length of his stride.

وَنَامَ الخُوَيْدِمُ عَنْ لَيْلِنَا * وَقَدْ نَامَ قَبْلُ عَمًى لَا كَرَى

The petty servant slept through our night [of departure],
and even before that, he was asleep in blindness, not in true sleep.

وَكَانَ عَلَى قُرْبِنَا بَيْنَنَا * مَهَامِهُ مِنْ جَهْلِهِ وَالْعَمَى

Even when he was near to us, between us
there stretched deserts, because of his ignorance and blindness.

وَمَنْ جَهِلَتْ نَفْسُهُ قَدْرَهُ * رَأَى غَيْرُهُ مِنْهُ مَا لَا يَرَى

And whoever is ignorant of his own worth,
others see in him what he himself does not see.