its rising increases the nile and the rye grows. the days of the old woman are in its nau and we will mention it in the chapter on times. the arabs say if the boy is weaned by the nau of sarfah he will hardly ask for milk. its nau is for three nights and it is mentioned in the nau of asad. the arab rhymer said when sarfah rises every craftsman will scheme and every man of semen will be dispersed and his udder will be distinguished from the waters. his saying every craftsman will scheme means that winter has come so every man of semen will be agitated and scheme for winter what will be suitable for him in it. the arabs used to say he whose brain boils in the summer his pot will boil in the winter. his saying every man of semen will be dispersed means he has refrained from striking at this time because labor is in it and they are the pregnant camels in which the pregnancy has appeared and their bellies have grown large so the stallion does not approach them. his saying they were separated from the waters in a straight line means that they would go out in a scattered manner and leave the waters they were on to seek pasture and graze.
طلوعها يزيد النيل، وينبت الربل. وأيام العجوز فى نوئها، وسنذكرها فى باب الأزمنة. والعرب تقول إذا فطم الصبى بنوء الصرفة، لم يكد يطلب اللبن . ونوءها/ ثلث ليال، ويذكر فى أنواء الأسد. وقال ساجع العرب إذا طلعت الصرفة، احتال كل ذى حرفة، وجفر كل ذى نطفه، وامتيز عن المياه زلفه ١ . قوله احتال كل ذى حرفة ، يريد أن الشتاء قد أقبل، فكل ذى حرفة يضطرب ويحتال للشتاء ما يصلحه فيه. وكانت العرب تقول من غلا دماغه فى الصيف، غلت قدره فى الشتاء . وقوله جفر كل ذى نطفة ، يريد عدل عن الضراب فى هذا الوقت، لأن المخاض فيه، وهى الحوامل من الابل قد ظهر بها الحمل وعظمت بطونها، فليس يدنو منها الفحل. وقوله امتيز عن المياه زلفة ، يريد أنهم يخرجون متبدين ويفارقون المياه التى كانوا عليها لطلب الكلأ والانتجاع.