يا خَليلَيَّ مِن مَلامٍ دَعاني

وَأَلِمّا الغَداةَ بِالأَظعانِ

O my bosom friends, cease from blaming me,

And gently on the morn reprove me not.

لا تَلوما في أَهلِ زَينَبَ إِنَّ ال

قَلبَ رَهنٌ بِئالِ زَينَبَ عانِ

Blame not the kin of Zainab if my heart

Is thrall to her; blame her not.

وَهيَ أَهلُ الصَفاءِ وَالوِدِّ مِنّي

وَإِلَيها الهَوى فَلا تَعذُلاني

The abode of candour she, and grace to me;

To her my passion cleaves—condemn me not.

لَم تَدَع لِلنِساءِ عِندي نَصيباً

غَيرَ ما قُلتُ مازِحاً بِلِساني

No portion left she for the maids with me

Save raillery my lips have wantoned.

وَلَعَمري لَحَينُ عَمروٍ إِلَيها

يَومَ ذي الشَري قادَني وَدَعاني

By my life, the time of '*Amr unto her

The day Fate led and urged me.

ما أَرى ما حَيِّيتُ أَن أَذكُرَ المَو

قِفَ مِنها بِالخَيفِ إِلّا شَجاني

Naught see I since I lived, if I forget

The halt near by, save pierce me.

ثُمَّ قالَت لِتِربِها وَلِأُخرى

مِن قَطيبٍ مَوَلَّدٍ حَدِّثاني

Then to her girl and another she said

Of a lead-born ancient crone: Discourse to me,

كَيفَ لي اليَومَ أَن أَرى عُمَرَ المُر

سِلَ سِرّاً في القَولِ أَن يَلقاني

How shall I see to‐day '*Umar approach,

Privily, in talk, that he may meet me?

قالَتا نَبتَغي إِلَيهِ رَسولاً

وَنُميتُ الحَديثَ بِالكِتمانِ

They said: A messenger we fain would find,

And sleight the converse that it spread not.

إِنَّ قَلبي بَعدَ الَّذي نالَ مِنها

كَالمُعَنّى عَن سائِرِ النِسوانِ

My heart, since she vouchsafed it of her grace,

Is as the dedicated cloistered.