1. أَرِبتُ إِلى هِندٍ وَتِربَينِ مَرَّةً

    لَها إِذ تَوافَقنا بِقَرنِ المُقَطَّعِ

    Once I appealed to Hind and two girls the same age

    as her, when we met at Qarn al-Muqattaʿ,

  2. لِتَعريجِ يَومٍ أَو لِتَعريسِ لَيلَةٍ

    عَلَينا بِجَمعِ الشَملِ قَبلَ التَصَدُّعِ

    to stop by for a day, or halt for a night,

    with us, bringing us together before parting.

  3. فَقُلنَ لَها لَولا اِرتِقابُ صَحابَةٍ

    لَنا خَلفَنا عُجنا وَلَم نَتَوَرَّعِ

    They said to her, “Were it not for fear of companions

    of ours behind us, we would have turned aside without scruple.”

  4. فَقالَت فَتاةٌ كُنتُ أَحسَبُ أَنَّها

    مُغَفَّلَةٌ في مِئزَرٍ لَم تُدَرَّعِ

    Then a girl spoke—I had thought her

    unworldly, in a waist-wrap, not yet dressed in a tunic—

  5. لَهُنَّ وَما شاوَرنَها لَيسَ ما أَرى

    بِحُسنِ جَزاءٍ لِلكَريمِ المُوَدِّعِ

    to them, though they had not consulted her: “What I see is no

    good recompense for the noble man bidding farewell.”

  6. فَقُلنَ لَها لا شَبَّ قَرنُكِ فَاِفتَحي

    لَنا بابَةً تَخفى مِنَ الأَمرِ نَسمَعِ

    They said to her, “May your horn never grow! Open up

    for us a hidden way through this affair; we will listen.”

  7. فَقالَت لَهُنَّ الأَمرُ بادٍ طَريقُهُ

    مُبينٌ لِذي لُبٍّ يَنوءُ بِمَرجِعِ

    She said to them, “The matter is plain; its path

    is clear to anyone with sense who can muster an answer.

  8. نُقَدِّمُ مَن يَخشى فَيَمضي أَمامَنا

    وَمَن خِفتِ مِن أَصحابِ رَحلِكِ فَاِرجِعي

    We send whoever is afraid ahead, and he proceeds before us;

    and whoever you fear among your camp's companions, send back.

  9. وَأوصي غُلاماً بِالوُقوفِ بِجانِبِ ال

    سِتارِ خَفِيّاً شَخصُهُ يَتَسَمَّعِ

    And instruct a boy to stand beside the

    curtain, his figure hidden, listening intently.

  10. فَإِن يَرَ مِما يُتَّقى غَيرَ رِقبَةٍ

    عَلَينا يُعَجِّل ما اِستَطاعَ وَيُسرِعِ

    If he sees anything to fear other than surveillance

    of us, let him hasten as much as he can and hurry.”