1. He feared that she might ask when his promise would come true,
Yet she had no promise from him since the day she was wed.

2. They knew not what was in his heart,
Nor did she know aught of his intentions toward her.

3. Every reproach between lovers has a place,
Else, do not weary yourself, for affection allows no disfavor.

4. And if the taste of reproach be bitter,
Then patience over bitterness whose end is sweet.

5. How many a night has my reproach passed by her hearing,
Yet it sat close by a knot that was in her throat.

6. And when my eye wept for her and she smiled,
Converse and intimacy multiplied between us.

7. The marks of your being in the wasteland were evident:
For the branding iron showed in the water of your cheeks.

8. Else the roses therein are tedious,
As they have known them, nor are those roses sated.

9. She has a nature that leaves no room for praise,
And say only: “God is Most Great and All Praise is His.”