وَعاري الشَوى وَالمَنكِبَينِ مِنَ الطَوى

أُتيحَ لَهُ بِاللَيلِ عاري الأَشاجِعِ

Bare of shoulder and arm from bowing,

He roams naked at night, bare of scabbard,

أُغَيبِرُ مَقطوعٌ مِنَ اللَيلِ شَوبُهُ

أَنيسٌ بِأَطرافِ البِلادِ البَلاقِعِ

A little-sleeping Ghaibir wandering alone

A friend on the outskirts of desolate lands,

قَليلُ نُعاسِ العَينِ إِلّا غِيابَةً

تَمُرُّ بِعَينَي جاثِمِ القَلبِ جائِعِ

Rare the drowsing of eyes but to vanish

Passing by eyes of a hungry, kneeling heart,

إِذا جَنَّ لَيلٌ طارَدَ النَومَ طَرفُهُ

وَنَصَّ هُدى أَلحاظِهِ بِالمَطامِعِ

When a night grows intense, its edge hunting sleep,

Guiding the beams of its glances to temptations.

يُراوِحُ بَينَ الناظِرَينَ إِذا اِلتَقَت

عَلى النَومِ أَطباقُ العُيونِ الهَواجِعِ

It bargains between two watchers when there closes

Over sleep the lids of drowsy, tempting eyes.

لَهُ خَطفَةٌ حَذّاءُ مِن كُلِّ ثَلَّةٍ

كَنَشطَةِ أَقنى يَنفُصُ الطَلَّ واقِعِ

It has a snatching, crafty from every three,

Like the bolt of a crossbow triggering prey.

أَلَمَّ وَقَد كادَ الظَلامُ تَقَضَّياً

يُشَرِّدُ فُرّاطَ النُجومِ الطَوالِعِ

It harmed me, and the darkness was almost spent,

Routing the stars' revealers of dawn.

طَوى نَفسَهُ وَاِنسابَ في شَملَةِ الدُجى

وَكُلُّ اِمرِىءٍ يَنقادُ طَوعَ المَطامِعِ

He folded himself and slipped into the mantle of night,

And every man is led by the rule of temptation.

إِذا فاتَ شَيءٌ سَمعَهُ دَلَّ أَنفُهُ

وَإِن فاتَ عَينَيهِ رَأى بِالمَسامِعِ

If a thing eludes his hearing, his nose guides him;

And if sight fails him he sees with his hearings.

تَظالَعَ حَتّى حَكَّ بِالأَرضِ زَورَهُ

وَراغَ وَقَد رَوَّعتُهُ غَيرَ ظالِعِ

He stared and stared till he scratched the ground in falsehood

And fled though I did not scare him.

إِذا غالَبَت إِحدى الفَرائِسِ خَطمَه

تَدارَكَها مُستَنجِداً بِالأَكارِعِ

When one of the quarries challenges his muzzle,

He takes it back helped by his elbows.

جَرِيٌّ يَسومُ النَفسَ كُلَّ عَظيمَةٍ

وَيَمضي إِذا لَم يَمضِ مَن لَم يُدافِعِ

A habitual runner gambling his breath at every mighty task,

Who goes on when those who did not defend failed to go on.

إِذا حافَظَ الراعي عَلى الضَأنِ غَرَّهُ

خَفِيُّ السُرى لا يَتَّقي بِالطَلايِعِ

When the shepherd protects the sheep it emboldens him‐

A hidden rover not fearing the scouts.

يُخادِعُهُ مُستَهزِئاً بِلِحاظِهِ

خِداعَ اِبنِ ظَلماءٍ كَثيرِ الوَقائِعِ

He fools him mocking with his stares

Like a deceitful son of many dark events.

وَلَمّا عَوى وَالرَملُ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

تَيَقَّنَ صَحبي أَنَّهُ غَيرُ راجِعِ

And when he limped with the sands between us

My companions were sure he would not come back.

تَأَوَّبَ وَالظَلماءُ تَضرِبُ وَجهَهُ

إِلَينا بِأَذيالِ الرِياحِ الزَعازِعِ

He swaggered and the darkness battered his face

To us with the tails of tumultuous winds.

لَهُ الوَيلُ مِن مُستَطعِمٍ عادَ طُعمَةً

لِقَومٍ عِجالٍ بِالقِسِيِّ النَوازِعِ

Woe to him from one seeking a meal who returned a meal

To a hasty folk keen with request or denial.