هُنَّ الحِسانُ وَحَرْبُهَا الهَجْرُ

فَلِذاكَ يَجْبُنُ عِندَها الذِّمْرُ

These are the beauties and their war is estrangement

So drink is a must when with them

أصَلِيتَ تلك الحربَ تجربةً

أم أنْتَ عن فَتَكاتِها غَمْرُ

You waged that war as an experiment

Or are you oblivious to its killings

مِن كُلِّ ناشِئةٍ إذا اتّصَلَت

مِنْ عُمْرها بالأرْبَعِ العَشْرُ

Every young woman once she reaches

Fourteen of her life

وكَمِ اشْتَهَى مِنها عَليلُ هوىً

ثَمَراً بِهِنَّ تَفَلَّكَ الصَّدرُ

And how much the lovesick desired of her

Fruit that made the chest split

خُلُقي مَطِيَّةُ خُلْقِها وَهُمَا

سهلٌ يديرُ عِنَانَهُ وَعْرُ

My nature is compliant like hers and both

Are easy, controlling the reins and honorable

يا ظبيةً إنْ مَرّضَتْ نظراً

فَلِكُلِّ قَسْوَرَةٍ به قَسرُ

O gazelle if the sight made you sick

Then for every bald there is a shaved

كَرْبٌ هواك وما له فَرَجٌ

وَمَتى يُفارِقُ لَذعَهُ الجَّمرُ

Your love is anguish without relief

And when will its burning cease

حَتّى الأَراكةُ منك ظالمةٌ

دُرّاً بفيكِ أيُظْلَمُ الدّرُّ

Even the pillow from you is oppressive

Is the pearl oppressed by your mouth?

وَكَأنَّ بَرْقاً في تَبَسّمِهِ

وكأنّما دَمْعي له قَطرُ

As if a lightning in your smile

And my tears for it are drops

أشكو خُماراً ما شربتُ له

خَمراً بِفيكَ فَريقُكَ الخمرُ

I complain of intoxication I never drank

The wine of your mouth makes me drunk

وَيَهيجُ بي وَجَعٌ وَعِلَّتُهُ

سَقَمٌ بِطَرفِكَ إنَّ ذا سحرُ

And a pain stirs me its cause

An illness, your glance must be magic

وَأَرى الَّذي تَجِدينَ فيكِ لَهُ

نَفْعاً فَمنهُ مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ

And I see what you find in yourself benefits you

So through it I was struck by harm

من وجهكِ الحُسنُ اقتنى مُلَحاً

فكأنّها في وَجْهِهِ بِشرُ

From your beautiful face he sought salt

As if salt appears on his face

ليستْ تنالُ الشمسُ منزلةً

مِنها فَكَيفَ ينالها البَدرُ

The sun cannot attain a station

So how can the moon attain it?

وأراكِ قد حاولتِ نَقْلَ خُطىً

فَقَصَرْتِها وعلا بكِ البُهْرُ

And I see you tried to quicken your steps

But faltered and the sea rose above you

وعَذَرتُ مِنكِ الخصرَ مَرْحَمَةً

ولِحَملِ ردفِكِ يُعْذَرُ الخصرُ

And I pardoned your waist out of mercy

The waist is pardoned for carrying your hips

عَذَلتْ على دَنفٍ أخا مِقَةٍ

لا يَستَقِلُّ بِبَعضِها الصَّبرُ

It leaned against a close brother branch

As some of it the patience cannot bear

فَرَثَتْ لِذِلَّتِهِ ورُبَّتَما

لانَ الصّفَا وَتَواضَعَ الكبرُ

So it bent to its humiliation and was raised

For the lofty Sagafa and the great humbled

بَعَثَتْ لَواحِظُها بِعِطفَتِها

سِرّاً إِلَيهِ فَلَيتَها جَهرُ

Her glances sent to him secretly

If only she did so openly

قَتَلَتْهُ وهيَ تُريدُ عِيشَتَهُ

ذنبٌ بعيشكِ ذاك أمْ أجْرُ

She killed him while intending his life

A sin your life, is that wrong or reward?