وَما كُنتُ أَدري الحُبَّ حَتّى تَعَرَّضَت
عُيونُ ظِباءٍ بِالمَدينَةِ عَينِ
I had no knowledge of love, until the gazelles’ eyes
In the city turned towards my eyes.
فَوَ اللَهِ ما أَدري الغَداةَ رَمَينَنا
عَنِ النَبعِ أَم عَن أَعيُنٍ وَجُفونِ
By God, I don’t know if at dawn we shot
From the spring, or from eyes and eyelids.
بِكُلِّ حَشىً مِنّا رَمِيَّةُ نابِلٍ
قَوِيٍّ عَلى الأَحشاءِ غَيرِ أَمينِ
With every guts of ours an arrow
Of a strong archer, unrelenting.
فَرَرتُ بِطَرفي مِن سِهامِ لِحاظِها
وَهَل تُتَلَقّى أَسهُمٌ بِعُيونِ
So I fled with my eyes from the arrows of their glances,
And can arrows be met with eyes?
وَقالوا اِنتَجَع رَعيَ الهَوى مِن بِلادِهِ
فَهَذا مَعاذٌ مِن جَوىً وَحَنينِ
And they said: the shepherd of love returned from his land.
This is protection against ardour and yearning!
فَيا بانَتي بَطنِ العَقيقِ سُقيتُما
بِماءِ الغَوادي بَعدَ ماءِ شُؤونِ
O my two daughters of ‘Aqeeq valley, you were given to drink
The water of valleys after the water of goodness.
أُحِبُّكُما وَالمُستَجِنِّ بِطَيبَةٍ
مَحَبَّةَ ذُخرٍ باتَ عِندَ ضَنينِ
I love you like one enamoured of Taibah,
With a preserved love that stayed with the jealous.
جَلَونَ الحِداقَ النُجلَ وَهيَ سَقامُنا
وَوارَينَ أَجياداً وَسودَ قُرونِ
The she-camels kneeled down the smooth rocks and they became our illness,
They pastured thoroughbreds and fattened sheep.
وَلَولا العُيونُ النُجلُ ما قادَنا الهَوى
لِكُلِّ لَبانٍ واضِحٍ وَجَبينِ
Were it not for the gazelles’ eyes, desire would not have led us
To every shining and wide forehead.
يُلَجلِجنَ قُضبانَ البَشامِ عَشِيَةً
عَلى ثَغَبٍ مِن ريقِهِنَّ مَعينِ
They clank the anklets of unblemished ones in the evening,
Over steps moistened from their spittle as provision.
تَرى بَرَداً يُعدي إِلى القَلبِ بَردُهُ
فَيَنفَعُ مِن قَبلِ المَذاقِ بِحينِ
You see a coolness reaching the heart, so its coolness
Benefits through sense in a while.
تَماسَكتُ لَمّا خالَطَ اللُبَّ لَحظُها
وَقَد جُنَّ مِنهُ القَلبُ أَيَّ جُنونِ
I held myself together when the kernels of their glances mixed,
And the heart was tempted, which temptation!
وَما كانَ إِلّا وَقفَةٌ ثُمَّ لَم تَدَع
دَواعي النَوى مِنهُنَّ غَيرَ ظُنونِ
It was just a pause, then the intentions of purpose
Did not leave any doubts among them.
نَصَصتُ المَطايا أَبتَغي رُشدَ مَذهَبي
فَأَقلَعنَ عَنّي وَالغَوايَةُ دوني
I set the camels to find the right course of my goal,
But they turned away from me while temptation stayed with me.
