ومتيّمٍ بالآبنوسِ وجسمُه

ومتيّمٍ بالآبنوسِ وجسمُه

عاجٌ ومن إذهابِه حُرُقاتُهُ

عاجٌ ومن إذهابِه حُرُقاتُهُ

And a lover enthralled by ebony, though his body

And one enamored of ebony, whose body

is ivory—the fires that burn him are what gild it.

Is ivory, and whose burning pangs come from his gilding.

كتمَتْ دياجي الشَّعْرِ منه بدرَها

كتمَتْ دياجي الشَّعْرِ منه بدرَها

فوشَتْ به للعينِ عيّوقاتُهُ

فوشَتْ به للعينِ عيّوقاتُهُ

The dark nights of his hair hid their full moon—his face—

The hair’s dark nights concealed their full moon in him,

yet his Ayyūq stars betrayed him to the eye.

So his Capella-stars betrayed him to the eye.