لَقَد عُجتُ في رَسمٍ أَجَدَّ زَمانُهُ

لَنا دارِسٍ ما كانَ غَيرُ التَواقُفِ

I was at a loss in drawing that hastened its time,

For us a resident, nothing but pauses,

عَشيَّةَ قالَت قَد أَشادَ بِسِرِّنا

وَسِرِّكُمُ مَجرى الدُموعِ الذَوارِفِ

In the evening she said, he praised our secret,

And your secret is like tears pouring down,

فَقُلتُ لَها إِنّي أَرى بِكُمُ النَوى

عَنوجاً مَتى نَرجُ اِقتِرابَ المَخالِفِ

I said to her I see in you an intention,

Deviating when we approach the dissenter,

فَلَمّا تَواقَفنا تَحَيَّرَ حَولَها

نَواعِمُ كَالغِزلانِ بيضُ السَوالِفِ

When we paused, the delicate ones wandered around her,

Like white necked gazelles, pure and chaste,

وَثيراتُ أَعجازٍ دِقاقٌ خُصورُها

طَويلاتُ أَعناقٍ ثِقالُ الرَوادِفِ

With slender hips, and long elegant necks,

Heavy in their sides, high in their humps,

يَطُفنَ بِها مِثلَ الدُمى بَينَ سافِرٍ

إِلَينا وَمُستَحيٍ رَآنا فَصارِفِ

They roam around her like the trained beasts,

Coming toward us, shy when they see the separator,

وَجاءَت بِتُبّاعٍ لَها بَينَ مُنكِرٍ

لِمَوقِفِنا لَو يَستَطيعُ وَعارِفِ

And she came followed by her friends, between disapprover

Of our stance, if only he could and a knower,