أما ترى الرَوضَ حِسا

أما ترى الرَوضَ حِسا

بِيا نَحا إِقلِيدَسه

بِيا نَحا إِقلِيدَسه

Do you not see the garden, a mathe—

Do you not see the garden as a mathematician,

—matician, following its Euclid,

following its Euclid?

فَصوَّر السُوسنَ مِن

فَصوَّر السُوسنَ مِن

دائِرَةٍ مُسَدَّسه

دائِرَةٍ مُسَدَّسه

fashioning the lily from

So it fashioned the lily from

a six-sided circle,

a six-sided circle:

مُدهُنَة من فِضَّةٍ

مُدهُنَة من فِضَّةٍ

بِتِبرِها مُلَبَّسه

بِتِبرِها مُلَبَّسه

painted all in silver,

an ointment vessel of silver,

clad in its own gold dust?

clothed in its own gold dust.

واضحة فاضِحَة

واضحة فاضِحَة

صاحبها مُدَلِّسه

صاحبها مُدَلِّسه

Conspicuous, she betrays

Radiant, betraying

her keeper even as she dissembles.

its owner, who conceals it.

إِن رامَ كتم لَثمِها

إِن رامَ كتم لَثمِها

وشَمِّها انظُر مُعطِسه

وشَمِّها انظُر مُعطِسه

Should he seek to hide his kissing her

If he seeks to conceal kissing it

and smelling her, observe his sneeze:

and smelling it, look at his nose:

تَجِد بقايا طِيبِهِ

تَجِد بقايا طِيبِهِ

بِأَنفِهِ مُحتَبسه

بِأَنفِهِ مُحتَبسه

you will find traces of her perfume

you will find remnants of its fragrance

held captive in his nose.

held within his nose.

وَفَوقَها رَقِيبةٌ

وَفَوقَها رَقِيبةٌ

مِنها لها مُحتَرِسه

مِنها لها مُحتَرِسه

And above her stands a sentinel,

And above it is a sentinel,

one of her own, keeping guard for her:

a part of it, keeping guard over it:

نابِلَةٌ رامِحَةٌ

نابِلَةٌ رامِحَةٌ

سائِفَة مُتَرَّسه

سائِفَة مُتَرَّسه

an archer, a lancer,

an archer, a spear-bearer,

a swordswoman, shield in hand.

a sword-bearer, equipped with a shield.

كان اسمُها نَسُوسُ لا

كان اسمُها نَسُوسُ لا

كِن قُرِئَت مُنَكَّسه

كِن قُرِئَت مُنَكَّسه

Her name was NASUS, but—

Its name was Nasūs, but

—read it backward.

it was read backwards.