عَجَباً ما عَجِبتُ مِمّا لَو أَبصَر
تَ خَليلي ما دونَهُ لَعَجِبتا
How strange! I did not find strange what, had you seen
Below it, you would have found strange.
لِمَقالِ الصَفِيَّ فيمَ التَجَنّي
وَلِما قَد جَفَوتَني وَهَجَرتا
For the words of Safiyya - why be shy
When you have turned from me and departed?
في بُكاءٍ فَقُلتُ ما ذا الَّذي أَب
كاكِ قالَت فَتاتُها ما فَعَلتا
Weeping, I asked: "What makes you
Weep?" Her slave-girl said: "She did nothing."
وَلَوَت رَأسَها ضِراراً وَقالَت
إِذ رَأَتني إِختَرتَ ذَلِكَ أَنتا
And she turned her face in disdain, and said,
When she saw me: "You did that yourself."
حينَ أَثَرتَ بِالمَوَدَّةِ غَيري
وَتَناسَيتَ وَصلَنا وَمَلِلتا
When you preferred the love of another to me
And forgot our friendship and grew weary.
قُلتَ لي قَولَ مازِحٍ تَستَبيني
بِلِسانٍ مُقَوِّلٍ إِذ حَلَفتا
You said to me words of jest to test me
With a fickle tongue when you swore oaths.
عاشِري فَاِخبُري فَمِن سوءِ جَدّي
وَشَقائي عُوشِرتَ ثُمَّ خُبِرتا
"Consort with me, and I will inform you." But from my ill fortune
And misery you consorted, then informed.
فَوَجَدناكَ إِذ خَبَرنا مَلولاً
طَرِفاً لَم تَكُن كَما كُنتَ قُلتا
So we found you, when we were informed, listless,
No longer as you used to say.
وَتَجَلَّدتَ لي لِتَصرِمَ حَبلي
بَعدَما كُنتَ رِثَّةً قَد وَصَلتا
And you pretended with me to cut my ties
After you were a shelter to which I was joined.
فَاِذكُرِ العَهدَ بِالمُحَصَّبِ وَالوُد
دَ الَّذي كانَ بَينَنا ثُمَّ خُنتا
Remember then the pact in al-Muhassab, and the love
That was between us, which you then betrayed.
وَلَعَمري ماذا بِأَوَّلِ ما عا
هَدتَني يا اِبنَ عَمِّ ثُمَّ غَدَرتا
By my life! What will be the first of what you
Swore to me, O cousin, then betrayed?
فَحَرامٌ عَلَيكَ أَن لا تَنالَ ال
دَهرَ مِنّي غَيرَ الَّذي كُنتَ نِلتا
It is forbidden you that you should have from me
Naught but that which you already attained.
قُلتُ مَهلاً عَفواً جَميلاً فَقالَت
لا وَعَيشي وَلَو رَأَيتُكَ مِتّا
I said: "Gently, pardon, beauty!" But she said:
"No, by my life, even if I saw you dead!"
وَأَجازَت بِها البِغالُ تَهادى
نَحوَ خَبتٍ حَتّى إِذا جُزنَ خَبتا
And the she-camels went on, slowly plodding
Toward Khabat, until they reached Khabat.
سَكَنَت مُشرِفَ الذُرى ثُمَّ قالَت
لا تَزُرنا وَلا نَزورُكَ سَبتا
They halted, overlooking the lowlands, then she said:
"Visit us not, nor will we visit you ever."
