لَم أَلقَ عمرَةَ بعد إِذ هيَ ناشِيءٌ

خَرَجَت مُعَطَّفةً عَليها مِئزَرُ

I have not met a maiden since she was a child

She went out cloaked, wearing a waist wrapper

بَرَزَت عَقيلةَ أَربَعٍ هادَينَها

بيضَ الوجوهِ كأَنَّهنَّ العُنقُرُ

Aqila came out, led by four white-faced ones

With faces like young ostriches

ذهبت بعقلِكَ رَيطَةٌ مَطويَّةٌ

وَهيَ التي تُهدى بِها لَو تَشعُرُ

With your mind went a curled lock of hair

Which would be gifted if you were aware

فَهَمَمتُ أَن أَغشى إِلَيها مَحجِراً

وَلِمثلها يُغشى إِلَيهِ المَحجِرُ

So I intended to approach her unveiled

And the unveiled approach maidens like her

أَنتُم بِجابيةِ المُلوكِ وأَهلُنا

بِالجَوفِ جيرتنا صُداءُ وَحميرُ

You are in the abode of kings while our people

Are neighbors to us in the valley, echoes and donkeys

فَلَئن بَلَغتُ لأَبلغن مُتَكَلِّفاً

وَلَئن قَصَرتُ لَكارِهاً ما أَقصُرُ

So if I come to you I will come pretending

And if I fall short, how forced my falling short is

يَهوي بأَشعَثَ قَد وَهى سِربالُهُ

بَعثٍ تؤرِّقُه الهمومُ فَيَسهَرُ

He swoops down, disheveled, his garment worn out

Anxiety keeps him awake through the night

وإِذا احزأَلا في المُناخِ رأَيتَهُ

كالطَّودِ أَفردهُ العَماء المُمطِرُ

And when the camels bellow, you see him

Like a solitary mountain the rainy clouds pour on

بِسواءِ مَجمعة كأَنَّ أَمارةً

مِنها إِذا بَرَزَت فَنيقٌ يَخطرُ

With smooth flat ground, as if emblems

Would leap forth if they emerged from it

وَتَرى الصَّباحَ كأَنَّ فيهِ مُصلِتاً

بِالسَّيفِ يَحمِلُهُ حِصانٌ أَشقَر

And you see the morning as if a prayer niche in it

A bay horse carrying a sword-bearing man

أُجُدٌ مداخلةٌ وآدَمُ مُصلِقٌ

كَبداءُ لاحِقةِ الرَّحا وَشَميذَرُ

Generous, a shelter; and Adam, an arbiter

Like following rain and thunder showers