حَيِّ المَنازِلَ قَد تُرِكنَ خَرابا

بَينَ الجُرَيرِ وَبَينَ رُكنِ كُسابا

The dwellings are left in ruins

Between Jurayr and the corner of Kusab

بِالثَنيِ مِن مَلِكانِ غَيَّرَ رَسمَها

مَرُّ السَحابِ المُعقِباتِ سَحابا

The path there is changed by the bend

Of passing clouds followed by clouds

وَذُيولُ مُعصِفَةِ الرِياحِ فَرَسمُها

خَلَقٌ تُشَبِّهُهُ العُيونُ كِتابا

And the tails of the raging winds shape it

Into a creation that eyes resemble writing

كَسَتِ الرِياحُ جَديدَها مِن تُربِها

دُقَقاً فَأَصبَحَتِ العِراصُ يَبابا

The winds wore away its newness from its soil

Into fine particles, so it became dispersing debris

وَلَقَد أَراها مَرَّةً مَأهولَةً

حَسَناً نَباتُ مَحَلِّها مِعشابا

And I saw it once inhabited

With beautiful vegetation in its place

دارُ الَّتي قالَت غَداةَ لَقيتُها

عِندَ الجِمارِ فَما عَيِيتُ جَوابا

The house that one morning when I met

At the embers, I did not tire of answering

هَذا الَّذي باعَ الصَديقَ بِغَيرِهِ

وَيُريدُ أَن أَرضى بِذاكَ ثَوابا

This one who sold his friend for another

And wants me to be pleased with that reward

قُلتُ اِسمَعي مِنّي المَقالَ فَمَن يُطِع

بِصَديقِهِ المُتَمَلِّقَ الكَذّابا

I said, listen to me, who would obey

His flattering and lying friend

وَتَكُن لَدَيهِ حِبالُهُ أُنشوطَةً

في غَيرِ شَيءٍ يَقطَعِ الأَسبابا

And have his ropes knotted for him

Without cutting off the causes

إِذ كُنتِ حاوَلتِ العِتابَ لِتَعلَمي

ما عِندَنا فَلَقَد أَطَلتِ عِتابا

When you tried blaming to know

What we have, you prolonged the blame

أَو كانَ ذَلِكَ لِلبِعادِ فَإِنَّما

يَكفيكِ ضَربُكِ دونَنا الجِلبابا

Or was that because of the distance, then

It suffices you, the cloak covers us both

وَأَرى بِوَجهِكِ شَرقَ نورٍ بَيِّنٍ

وَبِوَجهِ غَيرِكِ طَخيَةً وَضَبابا

And I see in your face an evident radiance

And in another's face, stain and fog