1. With riders urging their horses on,
Racing with the striking of spears impatiently,

2. The undulating sands of Najd blocked their way,
As though it showered them with arrows nearby.

3. They carried a flock of gazelles in their eyes,
And forgot about their traveling bags.

4. In the crescents is a full moon gathering
Crescent moons into its fullness.

5. She has a secret he guards,
I avert my tears submissively.

6. She keeps me company when the star inclines toward me,
And abandons me when the star turns away.

7. If only time were a night I donned
So that sleep would forever visit my bed.

8. I have cast it onto nearness and distance,
Neither separation nor union I find.

9. Her family honor has grown while she waned,
Her veil has unraveled into disgrace.

10. When she looks upon me, she narrates confusion,
Or turns – and I glimpse a gazelle in her.

11. Of what has burdened me in the sands is a lightning bolt
- Brief in step, while the night is long.

12. It reminded me of the smile of Umm ‘Amr,
Making me and my companions weep.

13. Delicately it crept, and my eyes chased it,
But could not catch it, so they shared the kohl.