أَبيعُكَ بَيعَ الأَديمِ النَغِل

وَأَطوي وِدادَكَ طَيَّ السِجِل

I sell you for the price of worthless leather,

And fold up my love for you like a scroll.

وَأَنفُضُ ثِقلَكَ عَن عاتِقي

فَقَد طالَ ما أُدتَني يا جَبَل

I shake off your burden from my shoulders,

For long has your mountain weighed upon me.

قَوارِصُ لَفظٍ كَحَزِّ المَدى

وَشَذّانُ لَحظٍ كَوَقعِ الأَسَل

Your words snap like the cracking of a whip,

Your glances sting like the blow of a cane.

تَبَدَّلتَ مِنّي وَلو ساءَني

لَقُلتُ إِذاً لا هُناكَ البَدَل

You changed against me, though it pained me;

I'd have said then: "There is no changing this."

فَكَيفَ وَكُنتَ عَلى الساعِدَي

نِ جامِعَةً وَعَلى الجيدِ غُل

But you had been an adornment on my arms,

A necklace about my neck, a ring on my hand.

وَما عَطَلَ المَرءِ يُزري بِهِ

إِذا كانَ طَوقُ وَريدَيهِ صِل

No man is hindered by what does not fetter him;

If the veins of his wrists are unbound.

نَصَبتَ الحِبالَةَ لي طامِعاً

لَقَد خابَ ظَنُّكَ يا مُحتَبَل

You set up the pole of love to entrap me,

Vainly did you hope, O contriver of snares!

وَلَم تَدرِ أَنّي جَرِيُّ الوُثوبِ

إِذا الحَبلُ مَرَّ بِجَنبي نَصَل

You did not know that I am like the wild ox,

Who splits the rope if it touches his side.

وَأَمَّلتَ ما عَكَسَتهُ الخُطوبُ

سَفاهاً أَجَرَّكَ هَذا الأَمَل

And you imagined what difficulty had altered,

Foolishly led on by this fancy of yours.

لَقَد كِدتَ أَن تَستَزِلَّ الأَديبَ

وَلَكِن تَحامَلَ سِمعٌ أَزَل

You nearly made the man of letters stumble,

But a heart from error evermore free saved him.

أَفَخراً فَحَسبي بِما قَد أَطا

لَ باعي وَأَنزَلَني في القُلَل

Boastfully did my vanity garb me,

And abased me and brought me low.

وَإِنَّ أَذَلَّ الأَذَلّينَ مَن

يُريعُ بِبِضعِ النِساءِ الدُوَل

The most abject of the abject is he,

Who panders to the dalliance of women.

حَمَلتُ بِقَلبِيَ حِملَ الجُموحِ

كَما قَطَعَ الصَعبَ ليَّ الطِوَل

I carried in my heart the courage of heroes,

As I cut my way through impenetrable mountains.

نَجَوتُ وَمَن يَنجُ مِن مِثلِها

يَعِش آمِناً بَعدَها مِن زَلَل

He who escapes from the like of her,

Lives secure afterward safe from all legions.

وَغادَرتُ غَيرِيَ تَحتَ الهَوا

نِ يَضرُبُ ضَربَ عِرابِ الإِبِل

I left behind me the others subject to love,

To strike with the stroke of driving camels.