تقولُ حَليلتي لمّا قَلَتني

شَرائجُ بين كُدرِيٍ وجُونِ

My darling said when she abandoned me,

"The curtains between my gloom and sorrow."

تَراهُ كالثَّغامِ يُعَلُّ مِسكاً

يَسُوءُ الفالياتِ إِذا فَلَيني

I see her like a rising fog, spreading musk,

Ruining the meadows when she neglected me.

فَزَينُكِ في شَريطِكِ أُمَّ عمروٍ

وسابغةٌ وذو النُونَينِ زَيني

Your beauty in your veil, O Um Amr,

Perfect and the one with the two fishhooks adorned me.

فلو شَمَّرنَ ثم عَدَونَ رَهواً

بكلِّ مُدَجَّجٍ لَعَرَفتِ لَوني

If they hurried then raced swiftly,

With every fully armed one, you'd recognize my quality.

إِذا ما قلتُ إِنَّ عَلَيَّ دَيناً

بِطَعنةِ فارسٍ قَضَّيتُ دَيني

When I say I have a debt,

By the stab of a knight I’d pay my debt.

لَقَعقَعةُ اللِّجامِ برأسِ طِرفٍ

أَحَبُّ إِليَّ من أَن تَنكِحيني

The jingling of the bridle on the head of a swift horse

Is dearer to me than for you to marry me.

أَخافُ إِذا هَبَطنَ بنا خَبَاراً

وَجَدَّ الركضُ أَن لا تحمليني

I fear that if news descended upon us,

Galloping would find that you cannot carry me.

فلولا إِخوتي وَبَنيَّ منها

ملأتُ لها بذي شُطَبٍ يَميني

If not for my brothers and her children among them

I would have filled my right hand for her with those of Shutab.