it is said that it is the belly of the lamb. if you prefer to know it you will seek it between the two points and the pleiades. its rising is on the night remaining in april. its falling is on the night remaining in october. when it falls the sea trembles and nothing flows in it. the kite the vulture and the swallows are cut off to the depths and the ants settle. the arab poet says when the belly rises the debt is exacted and the adornment appears and the perfumer 2 and the qayyin 3 follow. and their debt is exacted when the belly rises because they return from the deserts to their homelands. and when the two points rise as i have informed you they exchange gifts and meet each other and they remain like that for thirteen days until the belly rises and they are reassured and each other exacts from him what he owes him. and his saying the adornment appears he means that when they meet they adorn themselves with the best they can. and it is said they adorn it 4 with plants. their following of the perfumer 5 and the blacksmith is their kindness to them because of their need to buy perfume from the perfumer and the blacksmiths repair of what was worn out from
ويقال إنها بطن الحمل . وإذا أنت آثرت أن تعرفها، التمستها بين الشرطين وبين الثريا. وطلوعه لليلة تبقى من نيسان. وسقوطه لليلة تبقى من/ تشرين الأول عند سقوطه يرتج البحر ١ ، ولا تجرى فيه جارية وتقطع الحدأ والرخم والخطاطيف إلى الغور، وتسكن النمل. يقول ساجع العرب إذا طلع البطين، اقتضى الدين، وظهر الزين، واقتفى بالعطار ٢ والقين ٣ واقتضاؤهم الدين عند طلوع البطين، لأنهم يرجعون عن البوادى إلى أوطانهم. وإذا طلع الشرطان، على ما قد أعلمتك فيتهادون ويتلاقون ولا يزالون كذلك ثلاثة عشر يوما، حتى يطلع البطين فيطمئنون ويقتضى بعضهم بعضا ما له عليه من الدين. وقوله ظهر الزين ، يريد أنهم عند التلاقى يتجملون بأحسن ما يقدرون عليه. ويقال تزينها ٤ بالنبات. و اقتفاؤهم بالعطار ٥ والقين برهم بهما لحاجتهم إلى ابتياع الطيب من العطار، وإصلاح القين ما رث من