هُنَّ الظِباءُ الكَوانس
أَثّرنَ في القَلبِ هاجِس
They are the gazelles, the beauties
Who have stirred longing in my heart
قَد أَضرَمَت في حَشاهُ
ناراً حَكَت نارَ فارس
They have kindled in their thickets
A fire that relates the fire of the horseman
وَجَرَّدت مِن جُفونٍ
سَيفاً يَقُدُّ القَوانِس
And unsheathed from their eyelids
A sword that leads the lanterns
وَطاعَنَت بِرِماحٍ
مِثلِ الغُصونِ المَوائِس
And stabbed with spears
Like the swaying branches
وَناضَلَت بِسهامٍ
مِن العُيونِ النَواعِس
And fought with arrows
From the bent eyes
قامَت عَلى الساقِ حَربٌ
كَأَنَّها حَربُ داحِس
A war has been waged on the leg
As if it were the war of Dahis
لَكَنّ فيها سِلاحاً
تخاف مِنها الفَوارِس
But they have a weapon
That frightens the horsemen
سَيفٌ وَرُمحٌ وَسَهمٌ
من ذا لَهُنَّ يُمارِس
A sword, a spear, and an arrow
Who can fight them?
بَينَا أَنا ذو اِحتِرازٍ
مِن عَضَّةِ الحَربِ حارِس
While I was on my guard
From the bite of war, watchful
إِذا فُؤادي صَريعٌ
ما بَينَ مَيتٍ وَهامِس
When my heart became a corpse
Between dead and whispering
رُمِي بِسَهمٍ مُصيبٍ
مِن ناغِشِ الطَرفِ ناعِس
I was hit by an accurate arrow
From the sleepy eyelid of the snoozer
مُكَمَّلِ الخَلقِ حُسناً
فَكُلُّ عُضوٍ مُجانِس
Perfect in creation and beauty
So every limb conforms
إِذا تَبدّى فَبَدرٌ
يَجلو سَناهُ الحَنادِس
If it shows, it's a full moon
Dispelling clouds without rain
وَإِن تَثَنّى فَغُصنٌ
مِن ناعمِ البانِ مائِس
And if it bows, it's a branch
Of soft, flexing acacia
كَأَنَّما وَجنَتاهُ
الوَردُ مِن غَيرِ غارِس
As if its cheeks
Were rosed by an unseen planter
يَحميهِ صِلُّ عِذارٍ
مِن رائدِ القَطفِ لامِس
Protected by a guard of coyness
From the spying picker's touch
كَأَنَّما الثَغرُ مِنهُ
الدرُّ مِن غَيرِ غاطِس
As if its mouth were
A pearl without a diver
يَجري بِهِ ريقُ شَهدٍ
مِن غَيرِ نَحلٍ يُلامِس
From which flows honey
Without a touching bee
كَأَنَّ رَيّاهُ مِسكٌ
يفعَمُ أَنفَ المجالِس
Its scent is musk
Pervading the gathering
منعّمٌ ذو رَقيبٍ
صَعبُ المقادَةِ عابِس
Graceful, with an unapproachable attitude
Difficult to tame, frowning
محجَّبٌ لَيسَ يَبدُو
مِن وَصلِهِ الصَّبُ آيِس
Concealed, no longer appearing
With union the morning despairs
