خَطَرَت لِذاتِ الخالِ ذِكرى بَعدَما

سَلَكَ المَطيُّ بِنا عَلى الأَنصابِ

The ruins recalled to my mind a memory, after

The camel took us over the milestones

أَنصابِ عَمرَةَ وَالمَطِيُّ كَأَنَّها

قِطَعُ القَطا صَدَرَت عَنِ الأَجبابِ

The milestones of ‘Umrah, and the camel was as though

They were wild goats leaping down from the mountain-tops

فَاِنهَلَّ دَمعي في الرِداءِ صَبابَةً

فَسَتَرتُهُ بِالبُردِ دونَ صِحابي

So my tears flowed abundantly into my cloak

And I hid them beneath my cloak from my companions

فَرَأى سَوابِقَ عَبرَةٍ مُهراقَةٍ

بَكرٌ فَقالَ بَكى أَبو الخَطّابِ

And Bakr saw the traces of flowing tears

And he said, al-Khattab's father weeps

فَمَريتُ نَظرَتَهُ وَقُلتُ أَصابَني

رَمَدٌ فَهاجَ العَينَ بِالتَسكابِ

So I turned my gaze from him and said, some eye disease has afflicted me

And made my eyes overflow with tears

لَم تَجزِ أُمُّ الصَلتِ يَومَ فِراقِنا

بِالخَيفِ مَوقِفَ صُحبَتي وَرِكابي

On the day we parted, my mother did not allow me, at Khayf,

To halt my company and mount.

وَعَرَفتُ أَن سَتَكونُ داراً غَربَةً

مِنها إِذا جاوَزتُ أَهلَ حِصابي

And I knew it would become a land of exile for me

When I went beyond the people of my encampment.

وَتَبَوَّأَت مِن بَطنِ مَكَّةَ مَسكِناً

غَرِدَ الحَمامِ مُشَرَّفَ الأَبوابِ

And she took up her abode in the belly of Mecca,

Where doves were cooing from lofty nests.

ما أَنسَ لا أَنسى غَداةَ لَقيتُها

بِمِنىً تُريدُ تَحيَّتي وَعِتابي

I shall never forget that morning I met her

At Mina, when she wanted to reproach me and complain.

وَتَلَدُّدي شَهراً أُريدُ لِقائَها

حَذِرَ العَدُوِّ بِساحَةِ الأَحبابِ

And how I kept away from her for a month because I feared

For the beloved ones in the battlefield of the foe.

تِلكَ الَّتي قالَت لِجاراتٍ لَها

حورِ العُيونِ كَواعِبٍ أَترابِ

She was the one who said to her neighbors,

Maidens with gazelle-like eyes and soft voices,

هَذا المُغيريُّ الَّذي كُنّا بِهِ

نَهذي وَرَبِّ البَيتِ يا أَترابي

"This Mughira whom we teased, saying,

'O Mughira, pass the time with us, girls'"

قالَت لِذاكَ لَها فَتاةٌ عِندَها

تَمشي بِلا إِتبٍ وَلا جِلبابِ

One of the girls with her said, "Walking without a shift or mantle -

I used to think she was unaware of what pleases people of discernment."

قَد كُنتُ أَحسَبُ أَنَّها في غَفلَةٍ

عَمّا يُسَرُّ بِهِ ذَوُو الأَلبابِ

"This place has become notorious, my dears,

So beware of the words of the slanderous skeptic."

هَذا المَقامُ فَدَيتُكُنَّ مُشَهِّرٌ

فَاِحذَرنَ قَولَ الكاشِحِ المُرتابِ

They were astonished at her and said, "Unveil yourself,

Your youth is no key to any door."

فَعَجِبنَ مِن ذاكُم وَقُلنَ لَها اِفتَحي

لا شَبَّ قَرنُكِ مَفتَحاً مِن بابِ

She said to them, "The night hides what

She desires of the pleasures of the visiting loved one."

قالَت لَهُنَّ اللَيلُ أَخفى لِلَّذي

تَهوَينَ مِن دا الزائِرِ المُنتابِ