ألا قل يلحي على حبِّ شاطر

ألا قل يلحي على حبِّ شاطر

ويحكمُ في الأشياءِ حكماً بظاهرِ

ويحكمُ في الأشياءِ حكماً بظاهرِ

Come, tell the one who reproaches me for loving a rogue,

Alas, say to the passionate lover

Say to the one who scolds my love for a rogue, judging matters only by their outward shell:

And judges things by their outward appearance:

Who judges things superficially

Do you prefer the menstruating female, who declares for all time, "I am not pure,"

أتجعلُ ذاتَ الحيضِ والطمثِ رحبةً

أتجعلُ ذاتَ الحيضِ والطمثِ رحبةً

تقول طوالَ الدهر لستُ بطاهرِ

تقول طوالَ الدهر لستُ بطاهرِ

Do you set a roomy woman, with menses and menstrual bleeding,

Do you consider the menstruating woman impure

Over a lad clean of every blemish, seemingly draped upon a flourishing willow bough?

Who says forever, "I am not pure,"

Saying for ages “I am not clean”

He possesses a fawn's eyes and the lovelocks of youth, a tyrant's stride, and an infidel's disdain.

إلى طاهرٍ من كل عيبٍ كأنّما

إلى طاهرٍ من كل عيبٍ كأنّما

تردّى على غصن من البان ناضرِ

تردّى على غصن من البان ناضرِ

Beside one pure of every flaw, as though

To the pure one free of every flaw as though

To catch such a prize, I employ prayer beads, the guise of an ascetic, and the rags of a wretch,

He wore his cloak over a fresh bough of the bān tree?

He descended upon a fresh betel-nut branch

And I rub my face in the dust, as though I were a messenger arrived from the dwellers of the tombs.

له مقلتا خشفٍ وأصداغُ فتيةٍ

له مقلتا خشفٍ وأصداغُ فتيةٍ

ومشيةُ جبّارٍ وتكريهُ كافرِ

ومشيةُ جبّارٍ وتكريهُ كافرِ

He has a fawn's two eyes and the sidelocks of youths,

With the eyelids of a fawn and the cheeks of youth

And a tyrant's gait and an unbeliever's scowl.

And the gait of a tyrant and the hatred of an unbeliever

على مثل هذا أستعين بسبحةٍ

على مثل هذا أستعين بسبحةٍ

وزيّ أخي نسكٍ وأثمار فاجر

وزيّ أخي نسكٍ وأثمار فاجر

For one like this, I seek aid through prayer beads,

Upon the likes of this one I seek help with prayer beads

And a pious man's garb, and a libertine's fruits,

And the habit of my brother monk and fruits of the dissolute

وتعفيرِ وجهٍ بالتراب كأنني

وتعفيرِ وجهٍ بالتراب كأنني

رسولٌ أتى من عند أهل المقابرِ

رسولٌ أتى من عند أهل المقابرِ

And rubbing my face in the dust, as though I were

And powdering my face with dust as if I

A messenger come from the dwellers of the graveyards.

Were a messenger come from the people of graves