1. Is this his palm or the help of pouring rain,
Nor has the cloud reached its full height and honor,

2. Is this his good news or the flash of lightning,
And who will make the lightning stay with us,

3. Is this army or the passage of nights,
Nor have its events outrun their rush,

4. Is this time or a slave under its command,
Who turns its will's reins away from it,

5. Is this a sword's blade or crescent moon,
When dusk descends, a starling or dove,

6. Is this dust or a cheek where my kisses
Left their lip-prints stamped on it forever,

7. Are these pearls scattered or can you show me,
A necklace with another sort of thread,

8. This is a garden freshly watered, and branches
Of verse whose rhymes are like ringdoves,

9. This is a cup flavored by wild mint,
And so was your memory the seal of musk.