فَلَم أَرَ مَنزولاً بِهِ بَعدَ هَجعَةٍ

أَلَذَّ قِرىً لَولا الَّذي قَد نُحاذِرُه

I saw no dwelling after nightfall

More pleasant, were it not for what we fear.

أُحاذِرُ بَوّابَينِ قَد وُكِّلا بِها

وَأَسمَرَ مِن ساجٍ تَإِطُّ مَسامِرُه

I fear the guards assigned to watch it

With their polished mail and spears.

فَقُلتُ لَها كَيفَ النُزولِ فَإِنَّني

أَرى اللَيلَ قَد وَلّى وَصَوَّتَ طائِرُه

I asked her, "How do we get in?"

For night was fading and dawn cooed like a dove.

فَقالَت أَقاليدُ الرِتاجَينِ عِندَهُ

وَطَهمانُ بِالأَبوابِ كَيفَ تُساوِرُه

She said, "The keys are with the chamberlains,

And eunuchs stand guard at the doors.

أَبِالسَيفِ أَم كَيفَ التَسَنّي لِموثَقٍ

عَلَيهِ رَقيبٌ دائِبُ اللَيلِ ساهِرُه

Shall we force entry with swords?

Or gently pick the locks, though a vigilant guard keeps watch?"

فَقُلتُ اِبتَغي مِن غَيرِ ذاكَ مَحالَةً

وَلِلأَمرِ هَيئاتٌ تُصابُ مَصادِرُه

I said, "Seek some other way,

For affairs have means to unlock their secrets."

لَعَلَّ الَّذي أَصعَدتِني أَن يَرُدَّني

إِلى الأَرضِ إِن لَم يَقدِرِ الحَينَ قادِرُه

Perhaps He who lifted me up will let me down

To earth, if the time is not ripe for His decree.

فَجاءَت بِأَسبابٍ طِوالٍ وَأَشرَفَت

قَسيمَةُ ذي زَورٍ مَخوفٍ تَراتِرُه

So she brought long ropes and leaned

A frightening scaling-ladder with concealed rungs.

أَخَذتُ بِأَطرافِ الحِبالِ وَإِنَّما

عَلى اللَهِ مِن عَوصِ الأُمورِ مَياسِرُه

I grasped the ropes, though the course of events

Rests with God, who smoothes the difficult paths.

فَقُلتُ اِقعُدا إِنَّ القِيامَ مَزَلَّةٌ

وَشُدّا مَعاً بِالحَبلِ إِنّي مُخاطِرُه

I said, "Sit, for standing is dangerous,

And tie the ropes tight, though I risk my neck."

إِذا قُلتُ قَد نِلتُ البَلاطَ تَذَبذَبَت

حِبالِيَ في نيقٍ مَخوفٍ مَخاصِرُه

When I said I had reached the floor,

My ropes shook on a fearful, tottering pole,

مُنيفٍ تَرى العِقبانَ تَقصُرُ دونَهُ

وَدونَ كُبَيداتِ السَماءِ مَناظِرُه

Set up tall as vultures seem small from it

And small seem the stars in the sky seen from it.

فَلَمّا اِستَوَت رِجلايَ في الأَرضِ نادَتا

أَحَيٌّ يُرَجّى أَم قَتيلٍ نُحاذِرُه

When my feet touched the ground, they asked,

"Are you alive and safe or one we should mourn?"

فَقُلتُ اِرفَعا الأَسبابَ لا يَشعُروا بِنا

وَوَلَّيتُ في أَعجازِ لَيلٍ أُبادِرُه

I said, "Remove the ropes lest anyone notice!"

And I slipped away into the darkness of night.

هُما دَلَّتاني مِن ثَمانينَ قامَةً

كَما اِنقَضَّ بازٍ أَقتَمُ الريشِ كاسِرُه

With their guidance I dropped eighty cubits

As an eagle with darkest feathers swoops down.

فَأَصبَحتُ في القَومِ الجُلوسِ وَأَصبَحَت

مُغَلَّقَةً دوني عَلَيها دَساكِرُه

In the morning I sat with the tribe, while guards

Were locked outside, unable to enter.