وَمَقيلِ عُفْرٍ زُرْتُهُ وَيَدُ الرَّدى

بَسَطَتْ أَنَامِلَها لِكي تَجْتاحَها

In the dusk at Ufayr I visited, while the hand of fate

Spread its fingers to encompass it.

وَلَدَيَّ مَرْقومُ القَميصِ قَدِ احْتَمتْ

مِنْهُ بِأَكْثِبَةِ الحِمى فَأَبَاحَها

And I had the imprint of the shirt clinging

To it with the tenacity of fever, subduing it.

وَفَلَلْتُ عَنْ بَقَرِ الصَّريمَةِ غَرْبَهُ

وَالرُّعْبُ أَقْمَأَ بِاللِّوى أَشْباحَها

I turned away from the cows of Sarima in the west,

And terror had thinned its specters with anguish.

فَكَأَنَّها خَلَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ إِذْ نَجَتْ

مِنْهُ نَواظِرَ لا تَكُفُّ طِماحَها

It was as if she had cast a spell on it when she was rescued

From it by glances that would not cease their coveting.

وَتَحَوَّلَتْ نُقَطاً بِضاحِي جِلْدِهِ

حَتَّى وَقَتْ بِعُيونِها أَرْواحَها

And she transformed into drops on his shining skin

Until she extinguished their souls with her eyes.