ألا أيُّها اللاَّحي كفاك عِتابا

ونَفسَك وفِّق ما استطعتَ صوابا

O negligent one, enough blaming

And rectify yourself as much as you can

فإنَّ رعاةَ الحلمِ قد رَجَعوا به

عليّ وآذَنتُ السفاهَ فآبا

For the guardians of patience have brought it back to me

And I permitted the foolishness, but he refused

خلا أَنَّه لَيسَت تغنّي حمامَةٌ

على أَيكَةٍ الاَّ ذَكَرتُ رَبابا

Except that a dove does not sing

On a desolate tree without mentioning Rebab

وما مَتَّعتنا والركابُ مناخةٌ

على عَجَلٍ خفَّ المتاعُ وَطابا

We were not entertained while the riders dismounted

On a nimble camel, the luggage became little but good

تناوَلتُ منها مُسفِراً اقبلت به

عليَّ وهفّافَ الغَروبِ عذابا

I took it uncovered, she brought it to me

At dusk, the heat was torture

كأن ثناياها ذرى اقحوانةٍ

علاها ندى الشؤبوبِ ساعةَ صابا

As if its folds were the thorns of acacia

Above which the dew of drizzle fell for an hour

وسِربُ عذارى بينَ حَيِّين موهناً

من الليلِ قد نازَعتُهُنَّ ثِيابا

And a flock of virgins between two loving camps

I stripped them of their clothes in the night

وقلن لنا أهلٌ قريبٌ فنتَّقي

عيونَ يقاظى مِنهُمُ وكلابا

And they said to us, "We have a near tribe, so let's beware

The eyes of their insomniacs and dogs"

دبيبُ القطا حتى اجتعلن نحيزةً

من الليلِ دُونض الكاشحينَ حِجابا

The crawl of the cat until they made a niche

Of the night, beyond the veils of the peeking ones

وَهُنَّ كَريعانِ المخَاضِ سبقتَها

بأوَّلها لا بل اخفُّ جنابا

And they are like newborn fillies, she outran them

With her first, no, lighter step

تلاَهينَ عني واستنَعتُ بأربعٍ

كهِمةِ نفسٍ شارةً وشبابا

Divert me and I insisted with four

Silent souls, flickering with youth

تلاَهين واستهلكتُ حتى تجهَّمت

قلوبٌ وهاماتٌ وَرَدنَ لهابا

Divert me and I busied myself until

Hearts and foreheads frowned and turned into flames

اذا المعصمُ الرّيانُ باشرتُ بردَهُ

بكفيّ لاعَبتُ الوقوفَ لعابا

When the delicate smooth wrist, I touched its coolness

With my palm, playing with detention

وما انطلقَ التيميُّ يطلبُ حاجةً

ولا كان اكرى بالعراقِ رِكابا

And the Tamimi did not set out seeking something

Nor was riding to Iraq more important

ولكن ما كان القطاميُّ يبتغي

نواعمَ خلاَّها العريبُ عرابا

But the Qatami was not seeking

The softness which the Arab left as prey