وَرَوْعَاءِ الْمَسَامِعِ مَا تَمَطَّتْ

بِحَمْلٍ بَيْنَ سَائِمَةٍ مَخَاضِ

The gazelle whose hearing delighted,

Bore a burden betwixt a riding camel and one in labor,

خَرَجْتُ بِهَا عَلَى الْبَيْدَاءِ وَهْنَاً

خُرُوجَ اللَّيْثِ مِنْ سَدَفِ الْغِياضِ

I took her out onto the plain faint,

Like a lion exiting from the thickets of the forest,

تُقَلِّبُ أَيْدِياً مُتَسَابِقَاتٍ

إِلَى الْغَايَاتِ كَالنَّبْلِ الْمَوَاضِي

She moves her hands competing

Toward the goals like arrows flying straight.

مَدَدْتُ زِمَامَهَا وَالصُّبْحُ بَادٍ

فَمَا كَفْكَفْتُهَا وَاللَّيْلُ غَاضِي

I tightened her bridle as dawn was blowing,

But did not restrain her as night was receding,

فَمَا بَلَغَتْ مَغِيبَ الشَّمْسِ حَتَّى

أَضَافَتْ آتِياً مِنْهُ بِمَاضِي

She did not reach the setting of the sun before,

Coming from it, she outstripped those returning.

أَحَالَ السَّيْرُ جِرَّتَها رَمَاداً

فَراحَتْ وَهْيَ خَاوِيَةُ الْوِفَاضِ

The journey made her saddle-quilt into ashes.

She bolted off empty of her provisions.

وَمَا كَانَتْ لِتَسْأَمَ غَيْرَ أَنِّي

رَمَيْتُ بِهَا اعْتِزَامِي وَاعْتِرَاضِي

She would not have wearied, had I not,

Thrown at her my obstinacy and contention.

هَتَكْتُ بِهَا سُتُورَ اللَّيْلِ حَتَّى

خَرَجْتُ مِنَ السَّوَادِ إِلَى البَيَاضِ

I stripped through her the veils of night until,

I came out from the darkness into the whiteness.