كَأَنَّ اِبنَةَ الزَيدِيِّ يَومَ لَقيتُها

هُنَيدَةَ مَكحولُ المَدامعِ مُرشِقُ

As if the Zaydi's daughter, when I met her

Hunayda, Makhoold's teary eyes shine

تُراعي خَذولاً يَنفُضُ المُردَ شادِناً

تَنوشُ مِنَ الضال القِذافَ وَتَعلَقُ

She herds the cowardly flouncing ibex

Sipping from the strays, hanging on

وَقُلتُ لَها يَوماً بِوادي مُبايِضٍ

أَلا كُلُّ عانٍ غَيرَ عَانيكِ يُعتَقُ

And I told her one day in Mubaish valley

Isn’t every goat herd other than yours set free

يُصادِفُ يَوماً مِن مَليكٍ سَماحَةً

فَيَأخُذُ عَرضَ المالِ أَو يَتَصَدَّقُ

One day to come upon a generous king

Who’d take the money or donate graciously

وَذَكَّرنيها بَعدَما قَد نَسيتُها

ديارٌ عَلاها وابِلٌ مُتَبَعِّقُ

And after I forgot her, she reminded me

Of lands rained over, dripping wet

بِأَكنافِ شَمّاتٍ كَأَنَّ رُسومَها

قَضيمُ صَناعٍ في أَديمٍ مُنَمَّقُ

With mocking neighbor’s hems, as if their outlines

Were maker's slices in gilded leather