أَآبَ الهَمُّ إِذ نامَ الرُقودُ

وَطالَ اللَيلُ واِمتَنَع الهُجودُ

When care descended as slumber departed,

And the night grew long, secluding intimacy,

هَوىً لِلعَينِ بَينَ صَفا أُضاخٍ

وَحَيثُ سَما لِوارِدَةَ العَمودُ

I let my eyes wander between pure whiteness

And where the pillar rises to support the roof.

وَلَو نِلتُ الخُلودَ وَلا أَراكُم

بِذاكَ الجِزعِ لامتَنَعَ الخُلودُ

And if I gained immortality without seeing you again

With that intensity, immortality would be rejected.

أَراقِبُ مِرزَمَ الجَوزاءِ حَتّى

تَضَمَّنَهُ مِن الأُفقِ السُجودُ

I watch the Pleiades until dawn enfolds it

From the horizon in prostration.

وَعارضَ بَعدَ مَسقَطِهِ سُهَيلٌ

يَلوحُ كَأَنَّهُ بِدَمٍ طَريدُ

Suhail rises afterward from its setting

Gleaming as though it were freshly shed blood.

وَدونَ مَزارِكُم لِسُرى المَطايا

مِنَ الأَعلامِ أَشباهُ وَبيدُ

And below where you camp, the tents’ peaks

Resemble aloes and the withered raeda plant.

كَأَنَّ أَرومَها وَالآلُ طافٍ

عَلى أَرجائِها نَبَطٌ قُعودُ

As though their guy-ropes and tent pegs

Were a settled Nabataean tribe surrounding them.

وَمن هَضبِ القَليبِ مُقَنَّعاتٌ

وَمَذعاءُ اللَقيطَةِ وَالكَؤودُ

From Hejaz’s sands, veiled women appear,

As do young maidens and heavily veiled brides.

بَدَت فَتَبَرَّجَت لَكَ أُمُّ بَدرٍ

وَكَيداً بِالتَبَرُّجِ ما تَكيدُ

The full moon revealed herself, flirting with you,

Scheming harmfully as she flirted.

فَلَمّا أَن لَجَحتُ نأت وَصَدَّت

وَمِنهُنَّ التَباعِدُ وَالصُدودُ

When I drew near and she frowned and pulled away,

Keepings her distance disdainfully.

فَكَيفَ قَتَلتِني يا أُمَّ بَدرٍ

وَلا قَتلٌ عَلَيكِ وَلا حُدودُ

How could you kill me, O mother of Badr,

When you owe me no blood nor legal penalties?

فَما اِحتَجَبَت فَتَوئسُ أُمُّ بَدرٍ

قُلوبَ الطامِعينَ وَما تَجودُ

Without concealing herself, Umm Badr saddens

The hearts of hopeful lovers but is no spendthrift with her gifts.

وَطَرفي إِذا رَميتُ بِهِ كَليلٌ

وَطَرفُكِ إِذ رَمَيتِ بِهِ حَديدُ

My glance, when I cast it, is infirm,

While your glance, when you cast it, is steel.

وَإِنَّ العامِريَةَ أُمَّ بَدرٍ

لآنِسَةٌ مُباعِدَةٌ صَيودُ

Indeed, O mother of Badr, al-‘Amariyya

Is a bosom friend, though she keeps her distance, wandering freely.