خَليلَيَّ قَوماً في عُطالَةَ فَاِنظُرا

أَناراً تُرى مِن نَحوِ يَبرينَ أَم بَرقا

My two friends, stop for a while and look

Towards Yabrin, is it lightning or fire you see?

وَحِطا عَلى الأَطلالِ رَحلي فَإِنَّها

لأَِوَلِ أَطلالٍ عَرَفتُ بِها العِشقا

And pitch my tent near the ruins, for they

Were the first ruins where I came to know love.

فَإِن يَكُ بَرقاً فَهوَ في مُشمَخِرَّةٍ

يُغادِرُ ماءً لا قَليلاً وَلا طَرقا

If it is lightning, it is in a pregnant cloud

Leaving behind water in plenty, not a little.

يَهُبُّ بِرَيعانِ السَحابِ كَأَنَّما

يُقَوِّدُ أَفراساً مُجَنَّبَةً بُلقا

It moves the forelocks of the clouds as though

It were driving smooth-sided horses at speed.

وَإِن تَكُ ناراً فَهيَ نارٌ بِمُلتَقىً

مِنَ الريحِ تَزهاها وَتَعفِقُها عَفقا

And if it is fire, it is a fire where

The wind fans it and makes it blaze and roar

لأُِمِّ عَليٍّ أَوقَدَتها طِماعَةً

لأَِوبَةِ رُكبانٍ تَكونُ لَها وَفقا

Umm Ali lit it greedily so it would give

Light to riders seeking their way back.

مَتى تَرفَعا العَينَ البَصيرَةَ تَعلَما

بِأَنَّ المَنايا قَد قَطَعنَ بِنا خَرقا

When you raise discerning eyes you will know

That death has torn us with many a rent.

يُحاذِرنَ رَوعاتِ السِياطِ كَأَنَّما

يُحاذرِنَ نُشاباً رُمينَ بِهِ رَشقا

They fear the lashes of the whips as though

They feared arrows shot and coming straight.

وَكائِن قَطَعنا بَعدَكُم مِن تَنوفَةٍ

مِنَ الأَرضِ لَم تُقطَع أَضالِعُها عَزقا

And after you cut us off from Tanufa,

The land whose limbs were not severed,

تَقومُ بِها الوَجناءُ وَهيَ رَذِيَّةٌ

كَلالاً وَيَنسى ذو المُخالَجَةِ العِشقا

The hyenas prowl it when it is empty

And bare, and the passionate man forgets passion.

إِذا غَيَّرَ اللَيلُ النَهارَ وَأَظلَمَت

رَمَينا بِها حَتّى تَراءى لَنا فَتقا

When the night changes the day and darkens

We shoot at it until we make a hole in it.