1. يا عَمرَ حُمَّ فِراقُكُم عَمرا

    وَعَزَمتِ مِنّا النَأيَ وَالهَجرا

    O ʿAmra, parting from you is decreed for a lifetime,

    and you have resolved to draw far from us and forsake us.

  2. يا عَمرَ شَيخُكِ وَهوَ ذو كَرَمٍ

    يَحمي الذِمارَ وَيُكرِمُ الصِهرا

    O ʿAmra, your elder, a man of generosity,

    guards his honor and honors his kin by marriage.

  3. إِن كانَ هذا السِحرَ مِنكِ فَلا

    تَرعَي عَلَيَّ وَجَدِّدي سِحرا

    If this enchantment comes from you, then do not

    spare me; renew your spell.

  4. إِحدى بَني أَودٍ كَلِفتُ بِها

    حَمَلَت بِلا تِرَةٍ لَنا وِترا

    A woman of Banu Awd—I became enamored of her;

    she bore us a grudge, though we had done her no wrong.

  5. وَتَرى لَها دَلّاً إِذا نَطَقَت

    تَرَكَت بَناتِ فُؤادِهِ صُعرا

    And you see her coy allure: when she speaks,

    she leaves the daughters of his heart bent askew,

  6. كَتَساقُطِ الرُطَبِ الجَنِيِّ مِنَ الأَق

    ناءِ لا نَشراً وَلا نَزرا

    like ripe, ready-to-pick dates falling from the date-

    clusters, neither scattered nor scant.

  7. أَقسَمتُ ما أَحبَبتُ حُبَّكُم

    لا تَيِّباً خُلِقَت وَلا بِكرا

    I swear I have loved none as I love you—

    neither a once-married woman nor a maiden ever born.

  8. وَمَقالَةٍ فيكُم عَرَكتُ بِها

    جَنبِي أُريدُ بِها لَكِ العُذرا

    And many a remark about you I endured, turning

    my side away, seeking thereby an excuse for you.

  9. وَمُريدُ سِرِّكُمُ عَدَلتُ بِهِ

    فيما يُحاوِلُ مَعدِلاً وَعرا

    And one who sought your secret I diverted,

    in his pursuit, onto a rugged byway.

  10. قالَت تُقيمُ لَنا لِنَجزِيَهُ

    يَوماً فَخَيَّمَ عِندَها شَهرا

    She said, “Stay with us—so we may reward him—

    for a day”; then he camped with her for a month.

  11. ما إِن أُقيمُ لِحاجَةٍ عَرَضَت

    إِلّا لِأُبلِيَ فيكُمُ عُذرا

    I stay for no need that happens to arise,

    only to do my utmost and be blameless toward you.

  12. وَإِذا هَمَمتُ بِرِحلَةٍ جَزِعَت

    وَإِذا أَقَمنا لَم تُنِل نَقرا

    And when I intend to depart, she is distraught;

    and when we stay, she grants us not a speck.

  13. إِنّي لَأَرضى ما رَضيتِ بِهِ

    وَأَرى لِحُسنِ حَديثِكُم شُكرا

    Indeed, I am content with whatever pleases you,

    and find cause for gratitude in the beauty of your speech.