قَدْ طَرَقَتْ لَيْلَى بِلَيْلٍ هاجِعَا

تَطْوِي إِلَيْهِ مُهْوَأَنّاً واسِعَا

With night descending, Layla came by in the dark

With ample blankets to cosily ensconce

فَأَرَّقَتْ بِالحُلْمِ وَلْعاً وَالِعَا

أَشْعَثَ مَضْبُوحاً وَنِضْواً ضَارِعَا

She kept me sleepless with dreamt passion and desire

Disheveled and burning, beseeching and dire

وَالنَجْمُ يَهْدِي الأَنْجُمَ التَوابِعَا

شَآمِيَاتٍ طائراً وَواقِعَا

The stars lit the way for those lesser lights trailing

Flitting shadows wavering, failing

وَاسْتَوْرَدَ الغَوْرَ سُهَيْلٌ ضاجِعَا

كَالعَسْجَدِيِّ اسْتَورَدَ الشَرَائِعَا

Suhayl drank deep the wellspring, resting

As a lion drinks deep of the law, questing

وَبَلْدَةٍ تَدَّرِعُ المَدَارِعَا

مِنَ السَرابِ وَالقَتامَ السائِعَا

A mirage town looming with spear-tips heavy

From the heat-haze swarming unsteady

إِذَا طَفَت أَعْلامُها شَوافِعَا

تَرَى مَعَ اثْنَيْنِ خَسىً وَرَابِعَا

When the banners are lifted their shadows stretch long

Two by two, wearily walking along

مِنْ سَنِّ رَقْراقِ الضُحَى مُمَائِعَا

كَلَّفْتُها المَهْرِيَّةَ الضَوابِعَا

In the morning chill, the mist slowly rising

The camels' necks taut as they came striding

إِذَا مَطَت أَعْناقَها الشَعاشِعَا

رَأَيْتَ مِنْها ماتِحاً وَنازِعَا

You'd see clash and contest, feinting, contending

As their forelegs struck with dust clouds ascending

إِذَا ابْتَدَلْن الأَذْرُع الذَوارِعَا

وَلاَقَت الأَعْضادُ بَوْعاً بائِعَا

Their flanks heaving like waves on a turbulent sea

From the clash of their weapons so bright to see

حَسِبْت أَعْلاَمَ الفَلاَ رَواجِعَا

مِنْ خَلْج أَيْدِيها النِجاد اللامِعا

Their swords casting rays like the moon when it's full

As their deadly blows rained swift and cruel

وَإِنْ أَقَلَّ الآلُ نُصْباً طالِعَا

وَالآلُ يَزْهَى خافِضاً وَرافِعَا

I shrouded them with care and with sadness profound

Seeking shelter beneath these shadows around

حَسِبْتَه أَكْلَفَ يَرْدِي ظالِعَا

عَلَى ثَلاثٍ أَوْ قَرِيعاً قائِعَا

As though lifting a keen-bladed sword for a blow

With a steed giving rein that wildly would flow

وَالقَيظُ يُغْشِيها لُعاباً مائِعَا

وَاتَّجَّ لَفّافٌ بِهَا المَعَامِعَا

Head flung down, eyes weeping, the tears freely flowing

Like a murmuring stream or sandstorm gust blowing

بِوَهَجَانٍ يَسْفَعُ السَوافِعَا

إِذَا التَلَظِّي أَوْقَد اليَرَامِعَا

Dappled with blood from the wounds gaping wide

With she-camels milking grief's swellings inside

أَغْشَيْتُها هَمّاً وَأَمّاً صادِعا

يَجْتَبْنَ مِن أَظْلالِها مَخادِعا

As though beneath me an urgent race was transpiring

Full of zeal, a choice colt with vigor untiring

كَأَنَّما أُنْحِي حُساماً قاطِعَا

بِناعِجٍ يُعْطِي الزِمامَ الزائِعَا

Driving on without stop o'er the open terrain

Through time without end the horizons sustained

أَسْجَحَ رَأْساً وَمَقَذّاً دَامِعَا

كَأَنَّ قاراً أَوْ كُحَيْلاً نابِعَا

As though veiled in shawls that curtain their sight

From dawn until dusk he raced without respite

ضَرَّجَ مِنْ أَعْطافِها النَوابِعَا

بِهاجِراتٍ تَحْلُب الأَخَادِعَا

Feeling the ground shake and tremble with fright

With a roar that would overwhelm the senses outright

كَأَنَّ تَحْتِي ناشِطاً مُسَارِعَا

ذا جُدَّةٍ يَجْتابُ نِصْعاً ناصِعَا

He spent the night startled, afraid, and awaking

Till day peeled the shadows away in its breaking

مُقَلِّصاً لَا يَبْلُغ الأَكَارِعَا

فِي أُبَّدٍ تَطَّرِدُ المَرَاتِعَا

At dawn the cave's guest rose famished and hounded

He seeks prey before thinking to rest on the ground

كَأَنَّما يَنْظُرْنَ فِي بَراقِعَا

أَصْبحَ مِنْ أَرضٍ لِأَرضٍ جازِعا

When he spied lumbering game, a feast there for taking

With a pack of wild dogs and lions partaking

يَستَشعِرُ الحَفّافَةَ الزَعازِعا

بِذي دَوِيٍّ يَملَأُ المَسامِعا

They chased him until he fell tumbling down

Plunging on, the cackling hyenas abound

فَبَاتَ يَقْضِي لَيْلَه أَهازِعَا

حَتَّى إِذَا كَشَّفَ لَيْلاً واضِعَا

Hot in pursuit of an ostrich fleeing restless

And longing to set on that long graceful neck

أَكْنافَهُ قَشْعُ النَهارِ قاشِعَا

غَدَا وَضَيفُ القَفر يَغدو جَائِعا

Until pressed beyond limit, beset by the chase

He turned and attacked them, their lives to efface

يَعْتادُ رَبْلاً قَبْلَ أَنْ يُقَارِعَا

حَتَّى إِذَا عايَنَ رَوْعاً رائِعَا

Raining blows on their necks, their sides, without cease

In a frenzy, his talons their living flesh seize

كِلابَ كَلاّبٍ وَسِمْطاً هابِعَا

أَتْبَعْنَهُ فانْصَاعَ يَهْوِي وادِعَا

Leaving carcasses shredded, no longer defiant

And seeing no savior appear to rely on

يَنْجُو وَيَذْرِينَ عَجاجاً ساطِعَا

فِي إِثْرِ ناجٍ يَقْسِم الأَجَارِعَا

To save his own life, as they closed in for the kill

He roared his last roar, and succumbed to their will

وَقَدْ طَوَى فِي النَفْسِ أَنْ يُوَاقِعَا

حَتَّى إِذَا رَهِقْنَهُ طَوامِعَا

The sixth, seventh, eighth did not finish their feast

Nor the ninth, two more, then the gluttons increased

كَرَّ عَلَيْهَا يَطْعنُ المَجَامِعَا

وَيَطْعنُ الأَعْناقَ وَالمَرَاجِعا

Till his kin lay dead from his frenzied attack

And when the cacophony reached its zenith

بَجّاً وَوَخْضاً يَنْفُذ الأَضالِعَا

يَتْرُكُ مِنْ تَخْرِيقِهِ اللَوامِعَا

As his guttural death-cries rose louder again

Where he fell, thrashing deadly but fighting in vain

أَوْهِيَةً لا يَبْتَغِينَ راقِعَا

وَلا تَرَى ذا نَجْدَةٍ مُقَارِعَا

When he saw his love soaking the death-beds in red

Though helpless to fight, refusing to wed

عَنْ نَفْسِهِ إِذْ هَزَّ رَوْقاً ماتِعَا

أَرْبَطَ جَأْشاً وَأَشَدَّ مانِعَا

He gave up, retreated, the horizon in sight

Alone, like a lost ostrich wandering at night

حَتَّى شَفَى سادِسَها وَالسابِعا

وَثامِناً لَمْ يُشْوِهِ وَتاسِعا

وَاثْنَيْنِ مِنْ أَرْبَعَةٍ وَزَارِعا

مِنْ وَلْقِه الأَقْرابَ مَوْتاً ناقِعا

حَتَّى إِذَا أَكْثَرَتِ الوَعَاوِعَا

وَعَظْعَظَتْ مِنْ نَفْضِهِ الجَنَادِعا

بِحَيْث أَلْقَى ناشِجاً وَدَاسِعا

لَمَّا رَآها تَصْبَغُ المَضَاجِعا

صَرْعَى وَلا يُحْسِنُ أَنْ يُصَارِعا

أَقْصَرْنَ عَنْهُ فَانْتَوَى المَرَاتِعا

فَرْداً كَقَيْلٍ الحِمْيَرِيِّ شاسِعَا