1. قُل للأساةِ أسأتُمْ في علاجِكُمُ

    فمُمْرِضي من ضَنى جسمي هو الآسي

    Tell the physicians: you have erred in your treatment,

    for the one who sickens me is the healer of my body's wasting.

  2. ولو وَجَدتُ مزَاجَ القلب معتدلاً

    ببرد أنفاسها في حرّ أنْفاسي

    And if only I could find my heart's temperament balanced

    by the coolness of her breaths amid the heat of mine!

  3. للّه ما رُضْتُ منها بالخضوع وما

    ألامنيهِ لقلبي إلّا قلبِيَ القاسي

    By God, I did not tame her through submission; and nothing

    softened her heart toward mine except my own hard heart [uncertain reading].

  4. خَدَعْتُ قِرْنَ الهوى حتَّى فتكت به

    باللّه قل هل بخدع القِرْنِ من باسِ

    I deceived my rival in love until I struck him down.

    By God, tell me: is there any harm in deceiving a rival?