رَدَّ الخَلِيطُ الجِمالَ فَانتَقَلا

رامُوا رَواحاً وأَبَكَرُ وَالثَقَلا

The caravan returned the camels and moved on

They wanted to travel lightly and quickly

لَم أَدرِ حَتّى رَأَيتُ عِيرَهُمُ

تُحدى سِراعاً قَد قارَبَت مَلَلا

I did not know until I saw their camel train

Challenging the terrain as it neared weariness

بِحَيث أُخرى الرِكابِ مُرتَجِزٌ

يُسمِعُ أُولى رِكابِهِم زَجَلا

With some riders halted while others went ahead

The sound of their first riders’ chanting heard

أَمُّوا لِدُورِ البِلاطِ مَنزِلَةً

لَيتَ سِواهُم بِتلكُمُ نَزَلا

They stopped at the abodes like honored guests

Would that they had lodged nowhere else

يا لَهفَ نَفسي هَلّا بِغَيرِهِمِ

ما كُنتُ أَبغي بِجِيرَتي بَدَلا

Oh how I wish that instead of them

I had not wished for different neighbors

غَفَلتُ عَمّا أَرادَ قَيِّمُهُم

إِنَّ أَخا الحُبِّ رُبَّما غَفَلا

I was oblivious to what their guide intended

A brother of love is occasionally inattentive

وَلَم يُربِني وَقَد أُرى فِطِناً

أَعقِلُ ما مِثلَهُ الفَتى عَقَلا

He did not nurture me though I seemed prudent

I comprehend what the youth has comprehended

مَقالُ هِندٍ مَرَرتُ بِها

تُرِيدُ صرمي وَتَبتَغي العِلَلا

The words of an Indian woman I passed by

Wanting to estrange me and seek pretexts

أَسمَعُ ذا عَنكَ في مُخافَتَةٍ

لَيسَ كَما كُنتَ تُعمِلُ الرُسُلا

I hear this about you spoken guardedly

You are not as you used to carry messages

قَد كُنتُ لا أُخبِرُ النِساءَ بِما

فِيكَ وَأَعصى إِلَيكَ مَن عَذَلا

I never told women what concerned you

And disobeyed anyone who blamed you

قَد لاحَ شَيبُ القَذالِ فَاِشتَعَلا

مِنكَ وَبانَ الشَبابُ فَاِحتَمَلا

The gray hair of the spinster shone forth

While the prime of youth showed tolerance

حَتّى مَتى أَنتَ في مُعَصفَرَةٍ

عَلى جَوادٍ وَتَلبَسُ الحُلَلا

How long will you wander around in disguise

Wearing fine garments and fancy attire

قُلتُ انظِريني أُخبِركِ مِن خَبَري

أَراحَني اللَهُ مِنكُمُ عَجَلا

I said “Look at me, let me tell you my news”

God has relieved me of you hastily

بِالمَوتِ لا بِالسُلُوِّ عَنكِ فَقَد

حَمَّلتِني ما قَد اِنقَضَ الإِبلا

Not by avoiding you, for the camels have

Borne burdens you loaded on me

فَما أُبالي إِذا نَطَقتُ بِذا

مَن جَدَّ مِنهُنَّ بَعدُ أَو هَزَلا

So I care not if after this I say

Anything whether jesting or serious

أَو صَرَمَ الحَبلَ ما حَيِيتُ فَلَم

يَصِلهُ أَو مَن سِواهُمُ وَصَلا

Or if the rope is cut and I live no more

Reconnecting it nor anyone else

رُدى فُؤادي كَما ذَهَبتِ بِهِ

مِنّي سَلِيماً وَلَيسَ مُشتَغِلا

My heart is Weise without direction

As you've taken it from me unconcerned

لِحَيِّكُم تَعلَمِينَ يَتبَعُكُم

أًو يَأَمَلُ الدَهرَ مِنكُمُ أَمَلا

By your life you know it will pursue you

Or hope for fate’s favor from you

قَد ذُدتِ قَلباً إِلَيكِ مَشرَعُهُ

حَرّانَ يَبغي إِلَيكُمُ السُبُلا

I have come to you with an open heart

Yearning for the paths leading to you

كَما يَذُودُ البَخيلُ مُحتَزِماً

عَن حَوضِهِ قَبلَ مالِهِ النَهِلا

As a miser jealously guards his pond

Before his water is drunk to the last drop

لَو أَنَّ ما بِيَ مِن حُبِّكُم عُدِلَت

بِهِ جِبالُ السَراةِ ما اِعتَدَلا

If my love for you was weighed

Against the mountains, it would not balance

لَخَرَّ بِالأَرضِ لا تَقُومُ لَهُ

يُسِيلُ مِنها الأَركانَ وَالقُلَلا

It would shatter the earth so firm it could not stand

Sending torrents down the hills and peaks

تَقُودُهُ نِيَّةٌ فَيَصحَبُكُم

قَودَ مُذِلٍّ مَخسُوسَةً ذُلُلا

It leads you with the will of a disgraced slave

Obedient and humble wherever you desire

لِحَيثُ ما شِئتِ فَهوَ مُعتَرِفٌ

قَد صارَ لِلحُبِّ في الهَوى مَثَلا

Admitting to the extremity of passion

And having become an example of love’s captive

إِن كُنتِ غَيري أَتَتكِ كاذِبَةٌ

أَو كاذِبٌ كانَ رُبَّما نَقَلا

If another woman brought you lies about me

Or if someone fabricated tales and carried them

مِنّي إِلَيكِ الحَديثَ مُبتَدِعاً

أَو مِن سِواهُ إِلَيكِ ما حُمِلا

From me to you, creating innovations

Or relate anything not conveyed

هَذي يَمِيني بِاللَهِ مُجتَهِداً

بِحَيثُ يُرضى الإِيمانَ مَن نَفَلا

This is my oath solemnly sworn

Satisfying the faith of one who volunteers good deeds

ما جِئتُ سُخطاً لَكُم عَلِمتُ بِهِ

وَلا تَبَدَّلتُ غَيرَكُم بَدَلا

I have not come in enmity, as I know

Nor replaced you with anothersubstitute

فَارضي بِهَذا نَفسي الفِداءُ لَكُم

مِن كُلِّ أَمرٍ يُقَرِّبُ الأَجَلا

So let my soul appease you with this sacrifice

Against all matters that hasten demise

قالَت وَهَل كانَ ما زَعَمتَ مِنَ ال

وَجدِ لَنا أَنتَ تُحسِنُ الجَدَلا

She said “Was what you claim sincerely felt

For us, do you argue convincingly?”

إِستَمِعي أُختُ ما يَقُولُ وَقَد

أَعرِفُ أَن قَد تَمَلَّأَت جَذَلا

“Listen, sister, to his words though I know

He is brimming with vain talk”

قالَت لَها قَد سَمِعتُ فَاِغتَنِمي

مِنهُ الَّذي قالَ أُختُ إِن فَعَلا

She said to her “I have heard, so make use

Of what he said, sister, if he acts”

قالَت فَوَاللَهِ لَو بَذَلتُ لَهُ

وُدّي مَعَ الخُلَّةِ اختُ ما قَبِلا

She said “By God, even if I gave him along with the cheek mole

My affection, sister, he would not accept”

وَلا هَناهُ حَتّى يَشُوبَ بِهِ

وُدّاً أُراهُ لِوُدِّنا دَخَلا

“Nor would I let up until it was coupled

With a love that I see has gained entrance”

هُوَ المَلُولُ الَّذي سَمِعتِ بِهِ

وَلا أُحِبُّ السَوابة المُلُلا

“He is the jaded one I told you of

And I do not like someone so spiritless”

فَاِنصَرَفَت وَالدُمُوعُ تَسكُبُ مِن

إِنسانِ عَينٍ مَحزُونَةٍ كُحُلا

Then she left as tears spilled from

The eyes of a grieved and darkened soul

وَخُرَّدٍ كَالمَها بِدائِرَةٍ

تَرعاهُ إِلا الدِماثَ وَالنَفَلا

Humiliated, his words stumbled in confusion

Receiving neither mercy nor comfort

تَرشِفُ ماءَ الأَضاءِ مُترَعَةً

وَلا تَمُصُّ الثِمادَ وَالوَشَلا

Drinking the water of life aimlessly

Without drawing wholesomeness or gain