لَكَ اللَهُ مِن بَرقٍ تَراءى فَسَلَّما

وَصافَحَ رَسماً بِالعُذَيبِ وَمَعلَما

For you, from lightning that flashed, I bid farewell

And shook hands with a drawing in Al Udhayb as a landmark

إِذا ما تَجاذَبنا الحَديثَ عَلى السُرى

بَكيتُ عَلى حُكمِ الهَوى وَتَبَسَّما

When we pulled each other into private talk

I wept over the ruling of passion, and he smiled

وَلَم أَعتَنِق بَرقَ الغَمامِ وَإِنَّما

وَضَعتُ عَلى قَلبي يَدَيَّ تَأَلُّما

I did not hug the lightning of clouds, but rather

I put my hands over my heart, hurt

وَما شاقَني إِلّا حَفيفُ أَراكَةٍ

وَسَجعُ حَمامٍ بِالغُمَيمِ تَرَنَّما

And nothing bothered me but the rustling of scrolls

And the melody of a dove in the clouds, singing

وَسَرحَةُ وادٍ هَزَّها الشَوقُ لا الصَبا

وَقَد صَدَحَ العُصفورُ فَجراً فَهَينَما

And an oryx that passion shook, not the morning breeze

And the sparrow chirped at dawn, so it sang

أَطَفتُ بِها أَشكو إِلَيها وَتَشتَكي

وَقَد تَرجَمَ المُكّاءُ عَنها فَأَفهَما

I confide in her, complain to her, and she complains

And the interpreter translated her, so he understood

تَحِنُّ وَدَمعُ الشَوقِ يَسجِمُ وَالنَدى

وَقَرَّ بِعَيني أَن تَحِنَّ وَيَسجُما

Yearning sheds tears and dew freezes

And it seemed to my eyes that they would yearn and freeze

وَحَسبُكَ مِن صَبٍّ بَكى وَحَمامَةٍ

فَلَم يُدرَ شَوقاً أَيُّما الصَبُّ مِنهُما

And it suffices you that a young man cried and a dove

So that neither knew which of the two felt more passion

وَلَمّا تَراءَت لي أَثافِيُّ مَنزِلٍ

أَرَتني مُحَيّا ذَلِكَ الرَبعِ أَهيَما

And when the roofs of a house appeared to me

I saw myself enlivening that place, confused

تَرَنَّحَ بي لَذعٌ مِنَ الشَوقِ موجِعٌ

نَسيتُ لَهُ الصَبرَ الجَميلَ تَأَلُّما

A painful sting of passion hurt me

I forgot about beautiful patience, hurt

فَأَسلَمتُّ قَلباً باتَ يَهفو بِهِ الهَوى

وَقُلتُ لِدَمعِ العَينِ أَنجِد فَأَتهَما

So I surrendered a heart that passion blew upon at night

And I told the tears in my eyes to come help

وَخَلَّيتُ دَمعي وَالجُفونَ هُنَيهَةً

فَأَفصَحَ سِرٌّ ما فَغَرتُ بِهِ فَما

I unleashed my tears and eyelids falling

So a secret was revealed that I had not opened my mouth about

وَعُجتُ المَطايا حَيثُ هاجَ بِيَ الهَوى

فَحَيَّيتُ مابَينَ الكَثيبِ إِلى الحِمى

And I rode my camels where passion blew upon me

So I greeted what was between the sand dune and the lava field

وَقَبَّلتُ رَسمَ الدارِ حُبّاً لِأَهلِها

وَمَن لَم يَجِد إِلّا صَعيداً تَيَمَّما

And I kissed the facade of the house, loving its people

And whoever finds only barren land purifies himself

وَحَنَّت رِكابي وَالهَوى يَبعَثُ الهَوى

فَلَم أَرَ في تَيماءَ إِلّا مُتَيَّما

And my riding camels knelt, and passion evokes passion

So I did not see anyone but a desperate man in Taimaa

فَها أَنا وَالظَلماءُ وَالعيسُ صُحبَةٌ

تَرامى بِنا أَيدي النَوى كُلَّ مُرتَمى

So here I am with the darkness and wakefulness as company

Stretching to us the palms of resolve, every determined one

أُراعي نُجومَ اللَيلِ حُبّاً لِبَدرِهِ

وَلَستُ كَما ظَنَّ الخَلِيُّ مُنَجِّما

I observe the stars of night, loving its full moon

And I am not as the evil-minded one assumed, a fortune-teller

وَما راعَني إِلّا تَبَسُّمُ شَيبَةٍ

نَكَرتُ لَها وَجهَ الفَتاةِ تَجَهُّما

And nothing preoccupied me but the smile of an elder

I denied for her the face of a young woman frowning

فَعِفتُ غُراباً يَصدَعُ الشَملَ أَبيَضاً

وَكانَ عَلى عَهدِ الشَبيبَةِ أَسحَما

So I excused a raven splitting white hair

And in the days of youth it was intensely black

فَآهٍ طَويلاً ثُمَّ آهٍ لِكَبرَةٍ

بَكَيتُ عَلى عَهدِ الشَبابِ بِها دَما

So, many long sighs, then sighs for aging

I cried over the days of youth through her blood

وَقَد صَدِئَت مِرآةُ طَرفي وَمِسمَعي

فَما أَجِدُ الأَشياءَ كَالعَهدِ فيهِما

And the mirror of my eyes and hearing tarnished

So I do not find things as they were back then

وَهَل ثِقَةٌ في الأَرضِ يَحفَظُ خِلَّةً

إِذا غَدَرا بي صاحِبانِ هُما هُما

And is there trust in the earth that would keep a bag

If two companions betrayed me, they themselves

كَأَن لَم يَشقُني مَبسِمُ الصُبحِ بِاللِوى

وَلَم أَرتَشِف مِن سُدفَةٍ دونَهُ لَمى

As if the smile of dawn did not rip me open with bending

And I did not sip from a mouth untouched by blames

وَلَم أَطرُقِ الحَسناءَ تَهتَزُّ خوطَةً

وَتَسحَبُ مِن فَضلِ الضَفيرَةِ أَرقَما

And I did not incline toward a beautiful one shaking her braid

And pulling the excess of her long tress

وَلا سِرتُ عَنها أَركَبُ الصُبحَ أَشهَباً

وَقَد جِئتُ شَوقاً أَركَبُ اللَيلَ أَدهَما

And I did not sneak away from her, riding the dawn all gray

While I came in passion, riding the pitch-dark night

وَلا جاذَبَتني اَلريحُ فَضلَ ذُؤابَةٍ

لَبِستُ بِها ثَوبَ الشَبيبَةِ مُعلَما

And the wind did not pull me into the excess of a cloak

I wore in it the garb of youth marked