1. يا صاحِبَيَّ قِفا نُقَضِّ لُبانَةً

    وَعَلى الظَعائِن قَبلَ بَينِكُما اِعرِضا

    O my two companions, stop; let us fulfill a longing.

    And approach the women in their litters before you two depart.

  2. لا تُعجِلاني أَن أَقولَ بِحاجَةٍ

    وَقِفا فَقَد زُوِّدتُ داءً مُحرِضا

    Do not hurry me before I speak of a need.

    And stop, for I have been provisioned with a wasting sickness.

  3. ما أَنسَ لا أَنسَ الَذي بَذَلَت لَنا

    مِنها عَلى عَجلِ الرَحيلِ لِتُمرِضا

    Whatever I forget, I will not forget what she offered us

    of herself, in the haste of departure, to make us ill;

  4. وَمَقالَها بِالنَعفِ نَعفِ مُحَسِّرٍ

    لِفَتاتِها هَل تَعرِفينَ المُعرِضا

    nor her words on the slope—the slope of Muhassir—

    to her maid: “Do you recognize the man turning away?

  5. هَذا الَّذي أَعطى مَواثِقَ عَهدِهِ

    حَتّى رَضيتُ وَقُلتِ لي لَن يَنقُضا

    This is the one who gave firm guarantees of his pledge,

    until I was satisfied, and you told me he would never break it.

  6. وَزَعَمتِ لي أَن لا يَحولُ فَإِنَّهُ

    ساعٍ طَوالَ حَياتِهِ لي بِالرِضا

    And you claimed to me that he would not change, for he is

    striving throughout his life to keep me content.

  7. وَاللَهُ يَعلَمُ إِن ظَفِرتُ بِمِثلِها

    مِنهُ لَيَعتَرِفَنَّ ما قَد أَقرَضا

    And God knows, if I gain the like of this

    from him, he will surely recognize what he has lent.”

  8. فَأَصَختُ سَمعي نَحوَها فَكَأَنَّما

    أَورَيتُ بَينَ جَوانِحي جَمرَ الغَضا

    So I bent my ear toward her, and it was as though

    I had kindled ghada-wood embers between my ribs.

  9. فَعَطَفتُ راحِلَتي وَقُلتُ لِصاحِبي

    أُنظُر بِعَمرِكَ نَحوَها أَن تومِضا

    So I turned my riding-camel and said to my companion:

    “Look toward her, by your life, to see whether she signals.”

  10. قالَ الجَري قَد أَومَضَت قُلتُ اِئتِها

    وَاِحذَر حَريذَ مَقالِها أَن يُعرِضا

    The messenger said, “She has signaled.” I said, “Go to her,

    and beware the harshness of her words, should it arise.”

  11. قالَت لَهُ بِاللَهِ رَبِّكَ قُل لَهُ

    قَولاً يُحَرِّكُهُ عَسى أَن يَمعَضا

    She said to him, “By God, your Lord, tell him

    words to stir him—perhaps he will feel hurt:

  12. حَمَّلتَها وَجداً لَوَ مسى مِثلُهُ

    يَوماً عَلى جَبَلٍ إِذاً لَتَقَضقَضا

    ‘You burdened her with yearning: were its like to settle

    on a mountain for a day, it would surely crumble.’”

  13. وَتَنَظَّرَت مِنّي الجَزاءَ لِوَعدِها

    حَولاً تَجَرَّمَ كُلَّهُ حَتّى اِنقَضى

    And she awaited from me repayment for her promise,

    for a year that ran its full course until it ended.

  14. فَأَجَبتُها إِن قُلتُ فَاِعفوا وَاِصفَحوا

    فَأَنا الَّذي لا عُذرَ لي فيما مَضى

    So I answered her: “If I spoke amiss, forgive and pardon;

    for I am the one with no excuse for what has passed.”

  15. زَعَمَت بِأَنّي قَد سَلَوتُ وَلَو دَرَت

    أَن لَم أَجِد مِن حُبِّها مُتَعَرَّضا

    She claimed I had ceased to love her; if only she knew

    that I had found no escape from loving her!

  16. ما عُدتُ أُرضي الكاشِحينَ بِهَجرِها

    أَبَداً وَإِن قَلَ النَصيحُ وَعَرَّضا

    I will not again gratify the spiteful by forsaking her,

    ever, even if the adviser speaks and insinuates.

  17. وَأَطَعتُ فيها الكاشِحينَ فَأَكثَروا

    فيها المَقالَةَ شامِتاً وَمُعَرِّضا

    And I obeyed the spiteful about her, and they increased

    their talk about her, gloating and insinuating.

  18. طاوَعتُ فيها واشِياً فَكأَنَّني

    في صَرمِ ذاتِ الخالِ كُنتُ مُغَمِّضا

    I heeded a slanderer about her, and it was as though I

    had closed my eyes in breaking with the woman with the beauty mark.

  19. وَسَفاهَةً بِالمَرءِ صَرمُ صَديقِهِ

    يُرضي بِهِجرَتِهِ العَدوَّ المُبغِضا

    And it is folly for a man to sever ties with his friend,

    pleasing through that estrangement the enemy who hates him.

  20. اِرجِع فَعاوِدها المَساءَ فَإِنَّني

    أَخشى مِنَ العادي بِها أَن يَعرِضا

    “Go back and visit her again in the evening, for I

    fear that an assailant may come upon her.”