طرقت والظلام قد مد سترا

تتخطى إلي سهلا ووعرا

She came by night, while darkness had spread a veil,

Crossing smooth ground and rough to reach me.

والكرى قد سقى سلافته السم

ار صرفا فطرح القوم سكرا

And slumber had served its vintage to the night revellers,

Unmixed, and laid the company low in drunkenness.

كتمت خشية الرقيب خطاها

فوشي الطيب بالمليحة نشرا

She hid her steps for fear of the watcher,

But the perfume betrayed the beauty with its scent.

هتكت برقع العتاب وثنت

منه نظما يذكر الغرام ونثرا

She tore away reproach's veil and repeated it

In verse evoking passion, and in prose.

ثم قالت وقد جلت غرة رد

ت باضوائها دجى الليل فجرا

Then she said, unveiling a radiant brow that turned

The night's darkness into dawn with its radiance:

أيها المدعي هوانا وأنا

قد سلبنا كراه صدا وهجرا

O you who claim to love us, and claim that we

Have robbed you of sleep through rejection and estrangement,

أترى ما قرأت أخبار مجنو

ن بني عامرٍ وعروة عفرا

Can it be you have not read the tales of Majnun

Of Banu ʿAmir, and ʿUrwa of ʿAfra,

وجميلٍ وقيس لبني وخلق

من بني عذرة يزيدون كثرا

And Jamil, and Qays of Lubna, and a multitude

From Banu ʿUdhra, increasing in number?

تدعي حبنا بغير شهود

قلت هذي الدموع تشهد قطرا

You claim to love us without witnesses?

I said: These tears bear witness, drop by drop.

واستهلت مدامعي فرثت لي

غذ رأتني حرمت في الحب صبرا

And my tears streamed forth, so she took pity on me,

When she saw I had been denied patience in love.

وسقتني من ريقها العذب كأساً

كانت الشد لذةً والخمرا

And she gave me a cup of her sweet saliva to drink,

It was [honey] and wine in delight.