أَمُنتذرٌ قَتلي إنِ العينُ آنَست

سَنا بارقٍ بِالغورِ تهامِ

Shall I be blamed if I killed, for the eyes allured me

Is my death foretold if the eye perceives the lightning's flash in the Tihama vale?

With lightning flashing in the deep darkness

May a pouring rain from the clouds never cease, led to the folk of al-Ghada by a rein,

فَلا زالَ مُنهلٌّ مِنَ الغيثَ رائحٌ

يُقادُ إِلى أهلِ القضا بزمامِ

So a torrent of rain kept pouring

That Juhush may drink from it and scent it, with the gaze of a noble Syrian hawk.

Led to the tribe of judgement with a bridle

My soul and kin be ransomed for Juhush and his words, and teeth he polished bright with Basham wood.

لِيشربَ منهُ جحوشٌ ويشمّهُ

بِعيني قطاميّ أغرّ شآمي

That the savage may drink from it and smell it

Alas, my passion for the Khafaji, Juhush, has whittled my frame into a skeleton of sickness.

With the eyes of a cat, the most cunning and treacherous

I swear I have borne a love for Juhush, like the love found by 'Afra for Ibn Hizam,

بِنَفسي وَأَهلي جحوشٌ وكلامهُ

وَأَنيابُه اللّائي جَلا ببشامِ

By my soul and family, the savage and his words

And I am exactly like her, except that my soul is postponed until the moment of death.

And his fangs that shone brightly in the dark

أَلا إنّ وَجدي بِالخفاجيّ جحوشٍ

بَرى الجسمَ منّي فَهو نضو سقامِ

Alas, my passion for the stealthy savage

Considers my body to be feeble and sick

وَأُقسمُ إنّي قَد وجدتُ بجحوشٍ

كَما وَجدت عفراءُ بِاِبن حزامِ

And I swear I found in the savage

What Afara found in the son of Hazam

وَما أَنا إلّا مِثلها غيرَ أنّني

مُؤجّلة نَفسي لوقت حمامِ

And I am just like her, except that

I delayed myself for the time of passion