ألا مَن لِصَبٍّ إِن تَغَشَّتهُ نَعسَةٌ

سَرى البَرقُ نَجديَّ السَّنا وَهوَ شائِقُهْ

Alas! He who loves ardently, if sleep oppresses him,

The lightning of Najd flashes while he yearns for it

فَإن لَم يُؤرِّقهُ وَعاوَدَهُ الكَرى

فَطَيفُكِ يا بنتَ الهِلاليِّ طارِقُهْ

If slumber does not keep him awake and away from him

Your phantom, O daughter of the crescent, keeps him awake

بِلَيلٍ طَويلٍ يَنشُدُ النَّجمُ صُبحَهُ

فَلا الصُّبحُ مَسبوقٌ وَلا النَّجمُ لاحِقُهْ

On a long night when the star seeks its dawn

Neither has the dawn preceded nor the star followed it

فَواهاً لِيَومٍ عِندَ سائِقَةِ النَّقا

عَفا الدَّهرُ عَنهُ وَهوَ جَمٌّ بوائِقُهْ

Alas for a day at the riding camels' watering place

Time has spared it while it is crowded with those departing

وَغُيِّبَ عَنّا كُلُّ غَيرانَ يَرتَدي

بِمِحمَلِ مَفتوقِ الغِرارَينِ عاتِقُهْ

And every different looker has been hidden from us

With a howdah of broken wood on his shoulders

وَلَم تُنذِرِ الطَّيرُ النَّواعِبُ بِالنَّوى

وَأَلقى العَصا حادي المَطِيِّ وَسائِقُهْ

Nor did the warbling birds warn of the intent

And the goad's holder threw down his stick and departed

وَعنديَ مَن كانَ العَفافُ رَقيبَهُ

أُغازِلُهُ طَوراً وَطَوراً أُعانِقُهْ

And I have one whose chastity is his watcher

I flirt with him at times and at times embrace him

وَيَملأُ سَمعي مِن حَديثٍ بِمِثلِهِ

عَلى النَّحرِ مِنهُ نظَّمَ العِقدَ ناسِقُهْ

And he fills my hearing with talk the like of his

On my throat he threaded the necklace, its arranger

فَلَمّا اِنقَضى ما ازدَدتُ إِلّا تَذَكُّراً

لَهُ كُلَّ يَومٍ بِالحِمى ذَرَّ شارِقُهْ

So when it was finished I increased nothing but remembering him

Every day at Hima its wandering one flashes