1. I strolled in a verdant garden, shaded,
Like a beautiful face beneath cascading hair.

2. Above the hills the sun told of a queen
Who peered at lovers from a velvet lattice.

3. My soul inclined there, remembering, yearning,
As flowers tilt when brushed by a beetle.

4. On the grass I chanced to see my beloved,
In her white hand a sprig of carnation.

5. She turned to me with a smile
And said, “Here is a flower, so open up and revive and be happy.”

6. I said to her, “The carnation is a blossom
That blooms on the head of a crowned angel.

7. Eve in the gardens would breathe its scent
And guard it like gems and jewelry.

8. The perfume of love and joy fills her heart,
And in one whiff melancholy departs.

9. What cheek gets to smell the flower’s scent,
What lover suffers in hope after torment?

10. The carnation came humble
In her clasp, a burdened white palm.

11. Leave it for one who pines, or place it for a bee,
For your waist, however fresh the blossom, will wither.”