سَقى تِلكَ الأَباطح والرِمالا

عِهادُ الغيثِ ينهملُ اِنهمالا

It watered those plateaus and sands

The rain clouds poured heavily

وَحَيّا اللَهُ بالجَرعاء حيّاً

رعَيتُ به الغَزالةَ والغَزالا

And Allah brought life with the downpour

I pastured the gazelles and fawns with it

دياراً كُنتُ آمنُها نزولاً

ولا أَخشى لدائرةٍ نِزالا

It was a land I dwelled securely

And feared no ruin would befall it

إِذا هَزَّت غَوانيها قُدوداً

تهزُّ رجالُها أَسَلاً طِوالا

When the tips of its spears were shaken

Its men shook their tall, slender spears

لَعمرُكَ ما رُماة بَني أَبيها

بأَصمى من لواحظها نِبالا

By your life, the archers of its people

Are not blinder than its winkers with glances

وَبي منهنَّ واضحةُ المحيّا

هضيمَ الكشح جاهرةً دَلالا

Among them is one with a radiant forehead

Exposing a tender neck, openly flirtatious

تُعير الظَبيَ مُلتَفَتاً وَجيداً

وَتَكسو الغصنَ ليناً واِعتِدالا

She mocks the shy gazelle, head turned

And cloaks the soft, supple branch

تُميط لثامَها عَن بدرِ تَمٍّ

تجلّى فوق غرَّتها هِلالا

She lifts her veil from her full moon face

A crescent appearing over her temples

أَغارُ من الرياح إذا أَمالَت

مهفهفَ قدِّها يوماً فَمالا

I envy the winds when they tilt

Her swaying figure one day sideways

تقابلُها إذا هبَّت قَبولا

وتشمَلُها إذا نَسَمت شَمالا

She faces them when they blow from ahead

And wraps herself when the north winds blow

وَما أَغرى الفؤادَ بحبِّ خودٍ

مَنوعٍ لن تُنيل ولن تُنالا

What eye has not been tempted by love

Of a beauty beyond reach, never to be attained

سَبت جَفنيَّ نومَهما لكيلا

أواصلُ في المَنام لها خَيالا

My eyelids forgot their sleep in order to

Be with her image in dreams continuously

وَلَستُ إذا طلبتُ الوصلَ منها

بأَوَّلِ عاشقٍ طلبَ المُحالا

When I seek union with her, I am not

The first lover to ask the impossible

غَبطتُ الركبَ حين بها اِستقلّوا

فَكَم حملت جِمالُهم جمالا

I envied the caravan when they rode off

Bearing such beauty amid their beauty

أَقولُ لصاحبي لمّا تجلَّت

وَجَلَّت أَن أُصيبَ لها مِثالا

I said to my friend when she appeared

Radiant, unique, no equal to be found

أَبدرُ الأفق لاحَ فقال كلّا

مَتى كانَت منازلُهُ الحِجالا

The horizon shone and he said no,

When were her abodes ever in ravines?

وربَّ لوائمٍ أَوقرنَ سَمعي

مَلاماً ظلَّ يوقرُني مَلالا

And many a blamer whose hearing

I have wearied with perpetual blame

هجرنَ بذمّهنَّ الهجرَ مِنها

ولا هجراً عرفنَ ولا وِصالا

They blamed her separation after loving her

Knowing no separation or union themselves

وَلَو أَنّي أكافيهنَّ يوماً

جَعلتُ خدودَهنَّ لها نِعالا

If I could repay them someday

I would make their cheeks her footstool

وَكَم حاولتُ صَبري في هَواها

فَقال إليكَ عنّي واِستَقالا

How I tried to be patient in passion for her

But she said to me, give up and resign