يا ظَبيَةَ البانِ تَرعى في خَمائِلِهِ
لِيَهنَكِ اليَومَ أَنَّ القَلبَ مَرعاكِ
O gazelle grazing in the meadows
Let me delight today that my heart is your pasture
الماءُ عِندَكِ مَبذولٌ لِشارِبِهِ
وَلَيسَ يُرويكِ إِلّا مَدمَعي الباكي
Water is available to its drinker through you
And only my crying tears can quench your thirst
هَبَّت لَنا مِن رِياحِ الغَورِ رائِحَةٌ
بَعدَ الرُقادِ عَرَفناها بِرَيّاكِ
A breeze blew to us from the caves
After sleep, we recognized it through your scent
ثُمَّ اِنثَنَينا إِذا ما هَزَّنا طَرَبٌ
عَلى الرِحالِ تَعَلَّلنا بِذِكراكِ
Then we swayed whenever excitement shook us
On the saddle, we pretended, remembering you
سَهمٌ أَصابَ وَراميهِ بِذي سَلَمٍ
مَن بِالعِراقِ لَقَد أَبعَدتِ مَرماكِ
An arrow hit its shooter at Salam
From Iraq, indeed you have aimed well
وَعدٌ لِعَينَيكِ عِندي ما وَفَيتِ بِهِ
يا قُربَ ما كَذَبَت عَينيَّ عَيناكِ
A promise to your eyes I have with me that I fulfilled
My eyes did not lie about your eyes
حَكَت لِحاظُكِ ما في الريمِ مِن مُلَحٍ
يَومَ اللِقاءِ فَكانَ الفَضلُ لِلحاكي
Your gaze narrated the wit in the spear
On the day of meeting, the narrator had the merit
كَأَنَّ طَرفَكِ يَومَ الجِزعِ يُخبِرُنا
بِما طَوى عَنكِ مِن أَسماءِ قَتلاكِ
As if on the day of sadness, your gaze informs us
Of the names of your slain it has concealed from you
أَنتِ النَعيمُ لِقَلبي وَالعَذابُ لَهُ
فَما أَمَرُّكِ في قَلبي وَأَحلاكِ
You are the bliss of my heart and its torment
So what is more bitter to my heart and sweeter?
عِندي رَسائِلُ شَوقٍ لَستُ أَذكُرُها
لَولا الرَقيبُ لَقَد بَلَّغتُها فاكِ
I have messages of longing I do not mention
If not for the watcher, I would have delivered them to you
سَقى مِنىً وَلَيالي الخَيفِ ما شَرِبَت
مِنَ الغَمامِ وَحَيّاها وَحَيّاكِ
It quenched from me the nights of fear what it drank
From the clouds, greeting them and greeting you
إِذ يَلتَقي كُلُّ ذي دَينٍ وَماطِلَهُ
مِنّا وَيَجتَمِعُ المَشكوُّ وَالشاكي
When each owing soul and its postponer meet
Among us and the complainer and the complaining gather
لَمّا غَدا السَربُ يَعطو بَينَ أَرحُلِنا
ما كانَ فيهِ غَريمُ القَلبِ إِلّاكِ
When the flock began pacing between our saddlebags
The heartache in it was none but you
هامَت بِكِ العَينُ لَم تَتبَع سِواكِ هَوىً
مَن عَلَّمَ البَينَ أَنَّ القَلبَ يَهواكِ
The eye roamed lusting none but you
Who taught separation that the heart lusts for you?
حَتّى دَنا السَربُ ما أَحيَيتِ مِن كَمَدٍ
قَتلى هَواكِ وَلا فادَيتِ أَسراكِ
Until the flock drew near, you did not revive
The slain of your love, nor ransom your captives
يا حَبَّذا نَفحَةٌ مَرَّت بِفيكِ لَنا
وَنُطفَةٌ غُمِسَت فيها ثَناياكِ
Oh, excellent would have been a breeze passing by your mouth to us
And a teardrop dipped into your eyelids
وَحَبَّذا وَقفَةٌ وَالرَكبُ مُغتَفِلٌ
عَلى ثَرىً وَخَدَت فيهِ مَطاياكِ
Excellent too a stance while the caravan was heedless
On a land, your staff settled on it
لَو كانَتِ اللِمَّةُ السَوداءُ مِن عُدَدي
يَومَ الغَميمِ لَما أَفلَتِّ أَشراكي
If the black banner were among my assets
On the gloomy day, my shackles would not have missed you
