1. I turned desire away when it strayed from a beloved's abode,
And what desire can remain for one whose bonds are loose?

2. No heart fires a heart that is in fetters,
Nor a spokeswoman whose ankles are chafed by shackles,

3. Nor a languishing gazelle with a throat made tender by the chokers,
Like two sculptures of ivory crafted together and polished,

4. Nor a beloved who has faded into the horizon, dishevelled,
And a visitant who, when he is denied access, I fear for him perdition.

5. He was not bred in Nejd, but rather
Was reared in the lion's den, held fast in its grip.

6. His shoulders and waist contrast in their moulding,
So this one makes fertile the meadows, and that one brings barren drought.

7. The captivating glance of an eye that pulls at the heart perforce,
As if Harut therein has taken hold of it with power.

8. His two eyes flirt with a diaphanous fair one,
And he makes excuses for it with an excuse that has been fabricated.

9. The image of a full moon topped by an penis crown
That wanders upon its surface like a creeping adder,

10. I have relinquished the pleasures of youth and its wantonness
To one whose heart has not gained its fill of it or transgressed.

11. I made trial of my fortune with my time, so at times
I followed contentment with it, and at others discontent.

12. I knew sufficiency―never was I one to ask
For sustenance, even if the elite were given it.

13. The nature of a soul that rivalled
In suckling the teat of noble deeds, or one that is compressed therein.

14. And I have a resolve that aspired to attain
A pinnacle of honour―he who perceives it increases longing.