وَلَمّا اِستَقلّتْ بِابنِ حَمْدٍ رِكابُهُ

وَأَشعرتُ نَفسي مِن نواهُ بِنَأيها

When his caravan departed with Ibn Hamad’s son,

And I felt my soul distancing from his intimacy,

ذَهَلتُ فَما أَدري وَنَفسي دريّةٌ

أَفي أَرضِها وَدّعتُهُ أَم سَمائهَا

I was perplexed, not knowing whether in his land

I bid him farewell, or in the heavens.

وَقُلتُ لِحادِيهِ هُبلتَ فإِنّما

رَميتَ صَحيحاتِ القُلوبِ بدائِهَا

And I said to the one urging on his camel, “Slow down!

You have shot the hearts’ truths with parting.”

كَأنّي وَقَد فارقته ابنُ رَكِيّةٍ

رَجاها فَزلّتْ كفُّه عن رِشائِهَا

As if after leaving him, I am the son of a shepherdess

Who hoped for abundant rain, but his palm withheld its clouds.

حَرامٌ على عَيني الكرى بَعدَ بُعدِكم

وَحَلّ لِعَيني أَنْ تَجودَ بمائِهَا

My teary eyes are forbidden to weep after you are gone,

And my eyes are allowed to shed their tears abundantly.

وَكَمْ عَبرَةٍ كَفكَفتُ منهُ تجمّلاً

فلمّا أَبَتْ مرَّتْ على غُلوائِهَا

How many tears I held back out of resolve,

But when they refused, they flowed down their streams!

وَعاذلةٍ هبّتْ تهوّن بَينَكم

وَهَيهات مِن سَمعي قبولُ نِدائِها

And a reproacher blamed, belittling the separation between us,

But never will my ears accept her blame!