نفسي فداءُ شادنٍ

نفسي فداءُ شادنٍ

كان على الدَّلِّ نَشا

كان على الدَّلِّ نَشا

My soul be ransom for a young gazelle

who grew up in coquetry.

وافى نزيف قهوةٍ

وافى نزيف قهوةٍ

يحملها مرتعشا

يحملها مرتعشا

He came, drunk on wine,

carrying it, trembling.

وخدُّه من أَثرِ اللّثمِ

وخدُّه من أَثرِ اللّثمِ

كأنْ قدْ خُدشا

كأنْ قدْ خُدشا

And his cheek, from the marks of kisses,

seemed to have been scratched.

وكادَ يمحو لثمُهُ

وكادَ يمحو لثمُهُ

عذارَهُ المنقّشا

عذارَهُ المنقّشا

And kissing him nearly effaced

his finely traced cheek-down.

كأنّما وجنتُهُ

كأنّما وجنتُهُ

وردٌ بطلٌ رُشِّشا

وردٌ بطلٌ رُشِّشا

It was as though his cheek

were a rose sprinkled with dew.

رأيته فكدتُ من

رأيته فكدتُ من

عُجْبي به أَنْ أُدْهَشا

عُجْبي به أَنْ أُدْهَشا

I saw him and was nearly, from

my admiration for him, dumbfounded.

هممتُ أحياناً بهِ

هممتُ أحياناً بهِ

لولا التُّقى أنْ أبطشا

لولا التُّقى أنْ أبطشا

At times I had designs on him—

but for piety, I would have seized him.