سَقاني سُبَيعٌ شُربَةَ فَرَويتُها

تَذَكَرتُ مِنها أَينَ أَمَّ البَوارِدِ

A draught of water quenched my thirst,

and I remembered where the flowing springs are.

أَشَتَّ بِقَلبي مَن هَواهُ بِساجَرٍ

وَمَن هُوَ كوفِيٌّ هَوى مُتَباعِدُ

The one whose love pierced my heart dwells in Sajar,

while my beloved is a Kufan, keeping his distance.

فَقُلتُ لِأَصحابي المُزَجّينَ نَيبَهُم

كَلا جانَبي بابٌ لِمَن راحَ قاصِدُ

So I said to my companions, as they were departing,

"Neither of my two sides is open to one bent on leaving.

كِلا ذَينِكَ الحَيَّينِ أَصبَحَ دارُهُ

نَآنِيَ إِلاّ أَن تَخُبَّ القَصائِدُ

Both your two dear lives have become a home

whose bowls are filled with nothing but poetry.

وَأَشعَثُ قَد شَفَّ الهَواجُرُ وَجهَهُ

وَعَيساءُ تَسدو مَرَّةً وَتُواغِدُ

Ashʿath's face is bright again now that the nymphs have healed it,

and ʿAysa begins to spend her nights and awaken at daybreak.

كَأَخنَسَ مَوشِيِّ الأَكارِعِ راعَهُ

بِرَوضَةِ مَعروفٍ لَيالٍ صَوارِدُ

Like a tongue-tied shepherd guarding horned ewes,

he pastures them in Maruf's meadow during the nights of flowing waters.

رَعى غَيرَ مَذعورٍ بِهنَّ وَراقَهُ

لُعاعٌ تَهاداهُ الدَكادِكُ واعِدُ

He pastures them unafraid, distracted by their beauty,

as playful gazelles and promises distract him.

فَلَم يَرَ إِلاّ سَبعَةً قَد رَهَقنَهُ

حَوانيَ في أَعناقِهِنَّ القَلائِدُ

But then he saw only seven who had overwhelmed him—

gazelles wearing necklaces around their throats.

لَهُنَّ عَلَيهِ المَوتُ وَالمَوتُ دونَهُ

عَلى حَدِّ رَوقَيهِ مُذابٌ وَجامِدُ

For them it was death and for him death was near,

molten and frozen on the edge of his cheeks.

وَلَو شاءَ أَنجاهُ فَلَم تَلتَبِس بِهِ

لَهُ غائِبٌ لَم يَبتَذِلهُ وَشاهِدُ

Had he wished, he could have saved himself, but he was not confounded,

for he has an absent one who did not make him suffer and one present before him.

وَلَكِن رَدى ثُمَّ اِرعوى حَلِساً بِهِ

يُمارِسُها حيناً وَحيناً يُطاردُ

But then he yielded to them, from time to time resisting

and from time to time pursuing them playfully.

فَلا غَروَ إِلاّ هُنَّ وَهو كَأَنَّهُ

شِهابٌ يُفَرِّيهِنَّ بِالجَوِ واقِدُ

So it was no wonder, except for them, while he was as if

he were a shooting star, frightening them in midair.

إِذا كَرّ فيها كَرَّةً فَكَأَنَّها

دَفينُ نِقالٍ يَختَفَيهِنَّ سارِدُ

Whenever he tossed in their midst, it was as if

he were a twisting serpent, disappearing among their chests.