ما صدّ عنّي بوجهِهِ ولَها

ما صدّ عنّي بوجهِهِ ولَها

إلا لأزدادَ في الهوى وَلهَا

إلا لأزدادَ في الهوى وَلهَا

He turned his face away from me and dallied,

only that I might grow more distraught in love.

رِئْمٌ إِذا ما تَغَزّزَتْ أُسُدٌ

رِئْمٌ إِذا ما تَغَزّزَتْ أُسُدٌ

عاجلَهَا دلُّهُ فَذَلَّلَها

عاجلَهَا دلُّهُ فَذَلَّلَها

A white gazelle—when lions grow haughty,

his coy charm takes them unawares and tames them.

راشَ بسحرٍ سهامَ مُقْلَتِهِ

راشَ بسحرٍ سهامَ مُقْلَتِهِ

بالحِمامِ المريجِ نَصّلَها

بالحِمامِ المريجِ نَصّلَها

He fletched the arrows of his eye with magic;

with tumultuous death he tipped them.

كَأَنَّما جَنَّةٌ بِوَجنَتِهِ

كَأَنَّما جَنَّةٌ بِوَجنَتِهِ

وَبِالعذار يكونُ جَدولها

وَبِالعذار يكونُ جَدولها

As though a garden lay upon his cheek,

and its brook lay along his sideburn.

كأنّما مَدّ هُدْبَ مُقْلَتِهِ

كأنّما مَدّ هُدْبَ مُقْلَتِهِ

صَوناً لَها ظِلُّهُ فَظلّلها

صَوناً لَها ظِلُّهُ فَظلّلها

As though the lashes of his eye were stretched out

by their shade to guard it—and so it was shaded.

كأنَّما انسابَ من ذَوائِبِهِ

كأنَّما انسابَ من ذَوائِبِهِ

سودُ أَفاعٍ عَلَيَّ أَرسَلَها

سودُ أَفاعٍ عَلَيَّ أَرسَلَها

As though from his tresses there slithered

black vipers he had loosed upon me.

أَو دَبَّ بِالحسنِ فَوقَ عارِضِهِ

أَو دَبَّ بِالحسنِ فَوقَ عارِضِهِ

نَملٌ أَصابَ المدادُ أَرجُلَها

نَملٌ أَصابَ المدادُ أَرجُلَها

Or across his cheek, in beauty, crept

ants whose legs the ink had stained.