1. لَمّا رَأَتنا واقِفي المَطِيّات

    قامَت تَبَدّى لي بِأَصلَتِيّات

    When she saw us halting our riding camels,

    she stood up, displaying smooth, gleaming teeth,

  2. غُرٍّ أَضاءَ ظَلمُها الثَنِيّات

    خَودٌ مِنَ الظَعائِنِ الضَمرِيّات

    white, whose lustre lit up her incisors—

    a tender young woman among the Damri women in howdahs,

  3. حَلّالَةُ الأَودِيَةِ الغَورِيّات

    صَفِيُّ أَترابٍ لَها حَيِيّات

    a dweller in the lowland valleys,

    the choicest of her bashful companions of like age,

  4. مِثلِ الأَشاءاتِ أَوِ البَردِيّات

    أَوِ الغَماماتِ أَوِ الوَدِيّات

    like young palms or papyrus reeds,

    or clouds or date-palm saplings,

  5. أَو كَطِباءِ السِدَرِ العُبرِيّات

    يَصِفنَ بِالقَيظِ عَلى رَكِيّات

    or like gazelles among riverside lote trees.

    They spend the summer heat beside wells

  6. مِنَ الكَلى في خُسُفٍ رَوِيّات

    وَضَعنَ أَنماطاً زَربِيّات

    of al-Kalā, sunk deep and brimming with water.

    They laid down patterned, pile-woven rugs,

  7. ثُمَّ قَعَدنَ بِركَةَ النَجِيّات

    مَن راكِبٌ يُهدي بِها تَحِيّات

    then sat as women sit to whisper together.

    What rider will carry greetings to her—

  8. أَروَعُ خَرّاجٌ مِنَ الدَوِيّات

    يَسري إِذا نامَ بَنو السَرِيّات

    gallant, ever finding his way out of desert wastes,

    travelling by night when sons of noblewomen sleep,

  9. يَبيتُ بَينَ شُعَبِ الحارِيّات

    جَوّابُ لَيلٍ مِنجَرُ العَشِيّات

    passing the night among the branching rainclouds,

    a night-roamer, driving hard through the evenings,

  10. ناجٍ عَلى قَلائِصٍ عُلوِيّات

    يَهوي عَلى شَراجِعٍ عَلِيّات

    speeding on young she-camels from the highlands?

    He hurtles on long-bodied, towering she-camels,

  11. مَلاطِسِ الأَخفافِ أَفتَلِيّات

    كَأَنَّما يَظعَنَّ عَن أُهوِيّات

    broad of footpad, with outward-turning elbows,

    as though they were departing from deep chasms.