أقَمتُ عَلَى رَمّانَ يَوماً وَلَيلَةً

لاَنظُرَ ماواشِى أُمَيمَةَ صانِعُ

I stayed for a day and a night at the pomegranate trees

Looking if I would see Umaymah's maker

فَقَصرُكِ منّى كلَّ يَومٍ قَصِيدةٌ

تَخِبُّ بها خُوصُ المَطِىِّ النَّزائِعُ

So your palace is to me every day a poem

In which the saddles' leather bindings whisper

أُقَضِّي نَهارِي بِالحَديثِ وبالمُنَى

ويَجمَعُنِي وَالهَمَّ بِاللَّيلِ جامعُ

I spend my day talking and wishing

And sorrow gathers me and the night together

نَهَارِى نَهارُ النَّاسِ حَتّى إِذا بَدا

لىَ اللَّيلُ هَزَّتنِى إِليكِ المَضاجعُ

My day is the people's day until when

The night appears, the beds shake me to you

وسِربٍ مَباهِيجٍ كأَنَّ عُيُونَها

عُيونُ المَهَا جِيبَت عَليها البَراقعُ

And a flock as if their eyes are

The doe’s eyes veiled over them are the veils

أُولئِكَ لا يَطيعُهُنَّ مُزَنَّدٌ

ولا النَّيزَقِىُّ العَجرَفِىُّ البُلاتعُ

Those cannot be obeyed by one humming

Nor the arrogantly bleating nimble one

وَلا كُلُّ مَبهوتٍ سَكوتٍ كأَنَّهُ

مِنًَ العِىِّ مَسدُودٌ عليهِ المَسَامعُ

Nor every silent amazed one as if he is

Deaf with his hearing blocked

وَلكِن يُمانِيهنَّ كُلُّ مُشَهَّرٍ

طَويلُ التَّمادِى رابطُ الجَأشِ وادعُ

But their keeper is every one with blood ties

Long in settlement, binding the coward and the bold

يُساقِطُ أَطواراً قوارعَ كلُّها

ومن خَيرِ باباتِ الخُصوم القَوارعُ

He drops thoroughly tough warriors

And the best of the adversaries’ doors are the tough

يُحاذِرُ مِنهُنَّ الشِّماسَ فَيَرعَوِى

وَلِلقَتلِ أَحياناً هُناكَ مَواضعُ

He is cautious of the guard so he is careful

And sometimes there the places of killing are

كما استَتَرًَ الرَّامِى لِوَحشٍ غرِيرَةٍ

فأُشعِرنَ ذُعراً وَهوَ بالصَّيدِ طامِعُ

As the archer hid for a roaring beast

So they were alarmed while he hopes for game

لَعَمرِى لقد بَرَّحنَ بى فوقَ ما تَرى

وَلاقَيتُ ما لم يَلقَ مِنهُنَّ تابعُ

By my life, they have delighted me beyond what you see

And I attained what no follower attained from them

وقُدتُ الصِّبا مِن غيرِ فُحشٍ وقادَنِى

كَما قِيدَ فى الحَبلِ الجَنيبُ المُطاوعُ

I ignited the morning without any shame and it led me

As the tractable handsome one is led on a rope

فَأَسلَمَنى البَاكُونَ إِلاّ حَمَامةً

مُطَوَّقَةً قَد صانَعت مَا أُصانعُ

So I was handed over by the mourners except for a dove

Collared whom I did as I do

إِذا نحنُ أَنفدنَا الدُّمُوعَ عَشِيَّةً

فَمَوعِدُنا قَرنٌ مِنَ الشَّمسِ طالعُ

When we run out of tears in the evening

Our next date is a rising sunbeam