أَلا طَرَقَت هِندُ الهُنودِ وَصُحبَتي

بِحَورانَ حَورانِ الجُنودِ هُجودُ

How Hind of the Hinds drew near with her party,

The party of Houran, squadrons of warriors;

فَلَم تَرَ إِلّا فِتيَةً وَرِحالَهُم

وَجُرداً عَلى أَثباجِهِنَّ لُبودُ

But she saw only youths and their saddlebags

And steeds caparisoned with their trappings.

وَكَم دونَ لَيلى مِن عَدُوٍّ وَبَلدَةٍ

بِها لِلعِتاقِ الناجِياتِ بَريدُ

And how many a foe and township lies below Layla,

Wherein survivors of captives have a refuge;

وَخَرقٍ يُجِرُّ القَومَ أَن يَنطِقوا بِهِ

وَتَمشي بِهِ الوَجناءُ وَهِيَ لَهيدُ

And a ragged cloak which compels the people to speak of it,

While the bright-faced wander about wearing it.

كَأَن لَم تُقِم أَظعانُ هِندٍ بِمُلتَقىً

وَلَم تَرعَ في الحَيِّ الحِلالِ تَرودُ

As though the valiant warriors of Hind had not halted at a trysting-place

Nor pastured in a sanctioned enclosure and returned at night;

وَلَم تَحتَلِل جَنبي أَثالَ إِلى المِلا

وَلَم تَرعَ قَوّاً حِذيَمٌ وَأَسيدُ

Nor has my flank been scraped by thickets unto blood

Nor a straight-gomg one, or one inclined to injustice, pastured.

بِها العينُ يَحفِرنَ الرُخامى كَأَنَّها

نَصارى عَلى حينِ الصَلاةِ سُجودُ

By it the eye engraves the marble as if they were

Christians prostrate in prayer.

إِذا حُدِّثَت أَنَّ الَّذي بِيَ قاتِلي

مِنَ الحُبِّ قالَت ثابِتٌ وَيَزيدُ

When she is told that he who is my slayer

Of love, she says: Steadfast he remains and increases.

إِذا ما نَأَت كانَت لِقَلبِي عَلاقَةٌ

وَفي الحَيِّ عَنها هِجرَةٌ وَصُدودُ

When she draws near, she holds commerce with my heart

And in the enclosure there is estrangement and repulsion from her.

سَخونُ الشِتاءِ يُدفِئُ القُرَّ مَسُّها

وَفي الصَيفِ جَمّاءُ العِظامِ بَرودُ

The suns of winter warm stone when they touch it,

Yet in summer, frigid to the bone.

عَبيرٌ وَمِسكٌ آخِرَ اللَيلِ نَشرُها

بِهِ بَعدَ عَلّاتِ البَخيلِ تَجودُ

Ambergris and musk whose diffusion by her at night

After the miser's grudging is bounteous;

تَذَكَّرتُ هِنداً فَالفُؤادُ عَميدُ

وَشَطَّت نَواها فَالمَزارُ بَعيدُ

I recalled Hind so my heart is strengthened

And her tracks disappeared so the goal is far;

تَذَكَّرتُها فَاِرفَضَّ دَمعي كَأَنَّهُ

نَثيرُ جُمانٍ بَينَهُنَّ فَريدُ

I recalled her and my tears poured as if they were

The abundant flow of *juman*, unique among them.

غَفولٌ فَلا تُخشى غَوائِلُ شَرِّها

عَنِ الزادِ ميسانُ العَشِيِّ رَقودُ

Inadvertent, so fear not the perils of her mischief

From the food, the evening lamp kept burning.