عارِضا بي رَكبَ الحِجازِ أُسائِل

هُ مَتى عَهدُهُ بِسُكّانِ سَلعِ

I met some riders travelling to Hejaz, asking:

When did you last see the folk of Sal‘?

وَاِستَمِلّا حَديثَ مَن سَكَنَ الخَي

فَ وَلا تَكتُباهُ إِلّا بِدَمعي

Take in full the words of those who lived in Khaibar,

Writing them down only with my tears.

فاتَني أَن أَرى الدِيارَ بِطَرفي

فَلَعَلّي أَرى الدِيارَ بِسَمعي

I missed seeing those lands with my own eyes,

Perhaps I may see those lands in my thoughts.

يا غَزالاً بَينَ النَقا وَالمُصَلّى

لَيسَ تَبقى عَلى نِبالِكَ دِرعي

O gazelle, between al-Naqa‘ and al-Musalla,

No coat of mail remains for your arrows.

كُلَّما سُلَّ مِن فُؤادِيَ سَهمٌ

عادَ سَهمٌ لَكُم مَضيضَ الوَقعِ

Each time an arrow was loosed from my heart,

An arrow returned to you, painful in impact.

وَتَحَرَّجتَ يَومَ رُحتَ حَراماً

مِن عَطائي فَمَن أَباحَكَ مَنعي

You felt embarrassment the day you wrongly left,

From my gifts – who permitted you to forbid them?

مَن مُعيدٌ أَيّامَ سَلعٍ عَلى ما

كانَ مِنها وَأَينَ أَيّامُ سَلعِ

Who will restore the days of Sal‘ as they were

And where are the days of Sal‘ now?

طالِبٌ بِالعِراقِ يَنشُدُ هَيها

تَ زَماناً أَضَلَّهُ بِالجِزعِ

A seeker in Iraq chants, ‘Alas for the days

When they were misled by panic long ago!’