سواه لو ذبت من نواه

ما اختار قلبي ولا نواه

Anyone but him—even if I melted from separation from him—

my heart would neither choose nor desire.

ولو شوى بالقلا فؤادي

ما مال عنه ولا قلاه

And even if he roasted my heart with aversion,

it would neither turn from him nor hate him.

غصن نقا قده يراع

سبحان ربي الذي يراه

His stature is a sandhill bough, a reed.

Glory be to my Lord, who sees him!

غني حسن اذا تغني

يطربني دائما غناه

Rich in beauty, whenever he sings,

his singing always enraptures me.

ان مال عني فلا عجيب

للغصن ان مال مع هواه

If he turns away from me, it is no wonder

for a bough to sway with its breeze.

بالقد والخد مذ تبدي

اذكرني البان مع نقاه

With his stature and cheek, when he appeared,

he reminded me of the bān tree with its sandhill.

للحظه الظبي قال احكي

وقال قولا وما حكاه

The gazelle said to his glance, ‘I shall imitate you.’

It spoke those words, but did not imitate it.

لساقه مذ شكوت رقي

فزاد واللّه في جفاه

When I complained to his leg of my bondage,

he grew, by God, harsher still.

قالوا به قد فتنت دهرا

وجار فاعدل الى سواه

They said, ‘You have long been enthralled by him,

and he has been unjust; so turn to someone else.’

قلت وصبري عليه فان

يطيل رب السما بقاه

I said, my patience with him fading:

‘May the Lord of heaven prolong his life.’