أَرسَلتُ لَمّا عيلَ صَبري إِلى

أَسماءَ وَالصَبُّ بِأَن يُرسِلا

When I sent my weary patience off

To Asma and to waiting stand,

أَذكُرُ أَن لا بُدَّ مِن مَجلِسٍ

يَكونُ عَن سامِرِكُم مَعزِلا

I thought of sitting with you, dear -

Far from your camel-horde's expanse.

أَبُثُّكُم فيهِ جَوىً شَفَّني

حُمِّلتُهُ مِن حُبِّكُم مُثقِلا

To you my pent-up love outpour

With thoughts of you my spirit fills.

فَاِبتَسَمَت عَن نَيِّرٍ واضِحٍ

مُفَلَّجِ عَذبٍ إِذا قُبِّلا

She smiled, her lovely teeth displayed

Like hailstones dropped in flowing rills,

كَأُقحُوانِ الرَملِ في جائِرٍ

أَو كَسَنا البَرقِ إِذا هَلَّلا

Or sparkling rain when lightning flashed -

Then called her sister, “Omar, look!

ثُمَّ دَعَت مِن عَجَبٍ أُختَها

هِنداً فَقالَت عُمَرٌ أَرسَلا

He woos me for a tryst, as though

He thinks I will not him forsook.”

يَسومُني مُعتَذِراً مَجلِساً

كَأَنَّهُ يَأمَنُ أَن نَبخَلا

So to her sister Hind she said,

“Go tell him this before consent -

فَأَرسَلَت أَروى وَقالَت لَها

مِن قَبلِ أَن تَرضى وَأَن تَقبَلا

By God he will not act this way,

By God this thing he will repent!

إِئتيهِ بِاللَهِ وَقولي لَهُ

وَاللَهِ لا يَفعَلُهُ ثُمَّ لا

And fix the meeting at Malik’s

Or Ruba’s tents - no place between.

وَواعِديهِ سَرحَتَي مالِكٍ

أَوِ الرُبى دونَهُما مَنزِلا

If he should come, then let him ride

A mare, lest stallions intervene.

وَليَأتِ إِن جاءَ عَلى بَغلَةٍ

إِنّي أَخافُ المُهرَ أَن يَصهِلا

When we met, Hind with courtesy

Greeted and said with humor’s tongue,

لَمّا اِلتَقَينا رَحَّبَت تِربُها

هِندٌ وَقالَت قُلَّباً حُوَّلا

“She turned from an insistent wooer

Who would not cease his praises sung.

وَأَعرَضَت مِن غَيرِ ما بِغضَةٍ

لِكاشِحٍ لَم يَألُ أَن يَمحُلا

With lies to her he sent a message,

And people who bear lies are cursed.”

بَلَّغَها كِذباً وَلَم يَألُها

غِشّاً وَشَرُّ الناسِ مَن حَمَّلا