أَلا اِنتَظِروني ساعَةً عِندَ أَسماءِ

أَلا اِنتَظِروني ساعَةً عِندَ أَسماءِ

وَأَتآبِها مِنهُنَّ بُرئي وَأَدوائي

وَأَتآبِها مِنهُنَّ بُرئي وَأَدوائي

Ah, wait for me a while beside Asma,

Wait for me an hour, friends, near Asma's abode,

And her peers: from them come my healing and my ailments.

And seek from them my cure and remedy.

ثَنَينَ الذُيولَ وَاِرتَدَينَ بِسابِغٍ

ثَنَينَ الذُيولَ وَاِرتَدَينَ بِسابِغٍ

كَحَيّاتِ رَملٍ وَاِنتَقَبنَ بِحَنّاءِ

كَحَيّاتِ رَملٍ وَاِنتَقَبنَ بِحَنّاءِ

They folded their trailing hems and draped themselves in ample robes,

With trailing skirts and dyed in deepest red,

Like sand serpents, and veiled themselves with henna.

Like snakes on shifting sands they came to me.

وَوَلَّينَ ما بالَينَ مَن قَد قَتَلنَهُ

وَوَلَّينَ ما بالَينَ مَن قَد قَتَلنَهُ

بِلا تِرَةٍ تُخشى وَلا قَتلِ أَعدائي

بِلا تِرَةٍ تُخشى وَلا قَتلِ أَعدائي

And they turned away, heedless of the one they had slain,

They turned away from him whom they had killed

With no blood-debt to fear, nor any slaying by my enemies.

Without remorse or fear for enemies.

رَدَدتُ سِهامي عَنكَ بيضاً وَخُضِّبَت

رَدَدتُ سِهامي عَنكَ بيضاً وَخُضِّبَت

سِهامُكَ في قَلبٍ عَميدٍ وَأَحشاءِ

سِهامُكَ في قَلبٍ عَميدٍ وَأَحشاءِ

I held my arrows back from you, still white, while bloodied were

My arrows turned aside and blank, while yours

Your arrows in a love-stricken heart and entrails.

Were dipped in heart and vitals, keen to slay.

فَلَم أَرَ مِثلَ المَنعِ أَغرى لِحاجَةٍ

فَلَم أَرَ مِثلَ المَنعِ أَغرى لِحاجَةٍ

وَلا مِثلَ داءِ الحُبِّ أَبرَحَ داءِ

وَلا مِثلَ داءِ الحُبِّ أَبرَحَ داءِ

For I have seen nothing like refusal for kindling desire,

No better balm for need than their denial,

Nor any malady more grievous than the malady of love.

No worse than love's disease that hurts alway.