أَتصبر غدوا أَم لِعَينَيكَ سافِحُ

كَما شَلشَل الماءَ الشّنانُ النَّواضِحُ

Will you have patience tomorrow, or will tears flow

From your eyes like the dripping of water from mountain crags?

أَبُخلاً إِذا تَدنو وَشَوقاً إِذا نَأَت

عَناءٌ وَبَرْحٌ مِن أمامة بارِحُ

Stinginess when you come near, and yearning when far away -

Trouble and separation from a lovely dawn past.

وَهَل في غَد إِن كانَ في اليَومِ عِلَّة

نجازٌ لَما تلوى القُلوبُ الشَّحائِحُ

Will tomorrow bring fulfillment if today holds excuse?

When hearts are twisted, resolutions do not come easy.

وَما ظَبيَة بِالأَنعَميْن خَلا لَها

مِنَ الطَّلحِ ظل بارِدٌ وَمَسارِحُ

No doe in the thickets was without a shady, cool covert,

Or a place to rest in the midday heat.

بِأَحسَنَ مِنها إِذ تَبَدَّت عَشِيَّةً

وَقَد رُدَّ لِلبَينِ القَلاصُ الطَّلائِحُ

Lovelier than them all when she appeared at dusk,

And the far ones were brought near when the veil was dropped.

أَلكني إِلَيها عَمْركَ اللَّهُ يا فَتى

بِآيَة ما قالَتْ مَتى أَنتَ رائِحُ

May your life be granted by God, O youth,

By a sign she gave of when you would come,

وَآيَة ما قالَت لَهُنَّ عَشِيَّةً

وَفي السترِ حراتُ الوُجوهِ مَلائِحُ

And a sign she gave them at dusk

When shy faces peeped from behind the curtain.

تَخَيَّرنَ أَرماكنّ فَارمينَ رَميَةً

أَخا أَسَدٍ إِذ طَرَّحتهُ الطَّوارِحُ

They chose marks for themselves and shot arrows

At a brother lion when lionesses had overpowered him.

فَألبسنَ مَملاسَ الوشاحِ كَأَنَّها

مَهاةٌ لَها طِفلٌ برمّانَ راشِحُ

Then they put on their striped gowns as though they were

A raging she-camel with a weanling calf bleating.