بأبي التي أغضيت عن عذالها

بأبي التي أغضيت عن عذالها

طرفي وعن شغفي بها لم أغضه

طرفي وعن شغفي بها لم أغضه

May my father be her ransom—she from whose reproachers I averted

By the one whose glances I averted

my gaze, yet did not avert it from my passion for her.

And whose love I did not avert

وبذلت كلي رغبة في وصلها

وبذلت كلي رغبة في وصلها

حتى تعامى الدهولي عن بعضه

حتى تعامى الدهولي عن بعضه

And I gave my all, longing for union with her,

I exerted all my desire to reach her

until al-Dahwali turned a blind eye to part of it.

Until my confusion forgot some of it

حوراء تنضى السحر من اجفانها

حوراء تنضى السحر من اجفانها

عضباً وما لم تمضه لم ينضه

عضباً وما لم تمضه لم ينضه

A dark-eyed beauty, she draws magic from her eyelids

A houri whose eyelids distill magic

as a keen blade; what she has not whetted is not unsheathed.

Anger, and whatever she didn't pour out was not poured out

أو لم يكن سنته قدماً من دمي

أو لم يكن سنته قدماً من دمي

ما ازداد قلبي واجباً من فرضه

ما ازداد قلبي واجباً من فرضه

Or, had she not whetted it long ago with my blood,

Or my heart did not have a piece of my blood

my heart would not have throbbed harder from its cuts.

That increased its duty more than its prescription

لم أنس إذ بعثت بورد أبيض

لم أنس إذ بعثت بورد أبيض

وبوردة حمراء في مبيضه

وبوردة حمراء في مبيضه

I have not forgotten when she sent white roses

I did not forget when she sent white roses

and a red rose among their white blossoms.

And red roses in her message

فكأنها قد مثلت لي جيدها

فكأنها قد مثلت لي جيدها

لما ظفرت بها وفزت بعضه

لما ظفرت بها وفزت بعضه

It was as though she had portrayed her neck for me

So it was as if she had likened for me her cheek

when I won her and succeeded in biting it.

When I attained her and won part of her