1. Whether you show affection or turn away
Like the blooms on branches sway

2. Or coo like a ringdove in its nest
Or roar like a lion from its den

3. They mix union with estrangement
For passions and sorrows of men

4. And how much with estrangement they've pained me
With their eyes that pierce again and again

5. Their love is my soul and reprieve
My life and my faith they weave

6. No blame do I hear
If they find fault in me

7. My hopes have told me clear
They're pleased, I know certainly

8. They're noble Arabs in their love
To me they're always fair

9. How their verse leads me astray
Yet their brows guide me with care