أَلالَيتَ شِعري هَل أَبيتَنَّ لَيلَةً

بِحَرَّةِ لَيلى حَيثُ رَبَّتَني أَهلي

I wish I knew if you ever spent a night

In the desolation of Layla's abode where I was raised

بِلادٌ بِها نيطت عَلَيَّ تَمائِمي

وَقُطِّعنَ عَنّي حينَ أَدرَكَني عَقلي

A land where my talismans were tied

And I was cut off when my reason fully formed

وَهَل أَسمَعَنَّ الدَّهرَ أَصواتَ هَجمَةٍ

تَطالَعُ مِن هَجلٍ خَصيبٍ إِلى هَجلِ

Did you ever hear the sounds of a warring tribe

Coming from a lush encampment to another

صُهَيبِيَّةٍ صَفراءَ تُلقي رِباعَها

بِمُنعَرِجِ الصَمّانِ وَالجَرَعِ السَّهلِ

A blond, yellow Sahiba crying her laments

At the hillside’s bend and easy drinking place

تَحِنُّ فَأَبكي كُلَّما ذَرَّ شارِقٌ

وَذاكَ عَلى المُشتاقِ قَتلٌ مِنَ القَتلِ

She weeps so I weep whenever dawn breaks

And that is death itself for the longing lover

وَهَل أَجمَعَنَّ الدَّهرَ كَفَّيَّ جَمعَةً

بِمَفضومَةِ الكَشحَينِ ذاتِ شِوىً عَبلِ

Did you ever gather on a Friday

With curled sandals and shifted saddlecloth

مُحَلَّلَةٍ لي لا حَراماً أَتَيتُها

مِنَ الطيِّباتِ حينَ تَركُضُ في الحِجلِ

Lawful for me, I did no wrong in partaking

Of life’s goodness when she runs at pasture

تَميلُ إِذا مالَ الضَجيعُ بِعِطفِها

كَما مالَ دِعصٌ مِن ذُرا عَقِدِ الرَملِ

She leans when the resting camel leans

As a palm trunk sways atop the dune’s ridge

فَإِن كُنتَ عَن تِلكَ المَواطِنِ حابِسي

فَأَيسِر عَلَيَّ الرِزقَ وَإِجمَع إِذاً شَملي

If you have denied me those dwelling places

Make sustenance easy and reunite my clan