Elegy for Sakhr
Be generous, my eyes, with shedding copious tears
and weep a stream of tears for Sakhr!
I could not sleep and was awake all night;
it was as if my eyes were rubbed with grit.
I watched the stars, though it was not my task to watch;
at times I wrapped myself in my remaining rags.
He would protect his comrade in a fight, a match
for those who fight with weapons, tooth, or claw
Amidst a troupe of horses straining at their bridles eagerly,
like lions that arrive in pastures lush.
Al-Khansa
Elegy for Sakhr
Be generous, my eyes, with shedding copious tears
and weep a stream of tears for Sakhr!
I could not sleep and was awake all night;
it was as if my eyes were rubbed with grit.
I watched the stars, though it was not my task to watch;
at times I wrapped myself in my remaining rags.
He would protect his comrade in a fight, a match
for those who fight with weapons, tooth, or claw
Amidst a troupe of horses straining at their bridles eagerly,
like lions that arrive in pastures lush.
Al-Khansa
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