1. The one with fluttering eyelids, swaying hips
And delicate ankles says to me,

2. “You are so dried out and withered.
You have wasted yourself rhyming words.

3. You bring nothing to quench our thirst
Except eight emaciated camels

4. Left over from the herd that’s gone.
A thirsty blind man awaits their coming."

5. Drink some water and have no shame.
Perhaps if I perish wandering in the waste,

6. You will find yourself circling the Kaaba,
Like Abu Hawdhah or the water-seller,

7. With cheeks squeezed in and mouth pulled tight
Coming near but keeping your chaste body far.

8. She sniffed the perfume but whipped the flask away.