قَالُوا الْتَحَى فاسْلُ عنه قلتُ لَهمْ

قَالُوا الْتَحَى فاسْلُ عنه قلتُ لَهمْ

واللهِ لا كانَ ذا ولو شَابَا

واللهِ لا كانَ ذا ولو شَابَا

They said, “He has grown a beard; forget him.” I told them:

They said he grew thinner, so ask about him, I told them:

“By God, may that never be, even if he turns gray!

By God, even if he did grow thinner.

هل الْتَحَى طرْفُه وحاجبُه

هل الْتَحَى طرْفُه وحاجبُه

أَو اخْتَفَى الثَّغْرُ منه أَو غابا

أَو اخْتَفَى الثَّغْرُ منه أَو غابا

Have his eye and eyebrow grown beards,

Did his eyelid grow thinner, and his eyebrow,

Or has his mouth become hidden or vanished?

Or did his mouth disappear or go absent?

وهو سِوَى عارضٍ وذاك لَمىً

وهو سِوَى عارضٍ وذاك لَمىً

سالَ على الخدِّ مِنْه أَو ذَابا

سالَ على الخدِّ مِنْه أَو ذَابا

And it is only cheek-hair, and that is the dark tint of his lips,

He is still the same, with prominent cheekbones,

Which flowed from his mouth onto his cheek, or melted there.

With tears flowing down his cheek or melting away.

هِمْتُ به عارياً فكيفَ وقد

هِمْتُ به عارياً فكيفَ وقد

أَلبسَهُ الحسنُ منه جِلْبابا

أَلبسَهُ الحسنُ منه جِلْبابا

I loved him madly when he was bare—so how much more, now that

I desired him bare, so how could it be now

Beauty has clothed him in a robe of its own!”

When beauty has clothed him in a cloak?