1. حَذَارِ سيوفَ الهندِ من أَعْينِ التُّركِ

    فما شُهرِتْ إِلا لتُؤذِنَ بالفَتْكِ

    Beware the swords of India in the eyes of the Turks,

    for they were drawn only to warn of slaughter.

  2. وإِيَّاكَ من تلكَ القدود لأَنَّها

    رِماحٌ أُعِدَّت للطَّعانِ بلا شَكِّ

    And beware those figures, for they are

    spears readied for thrusting, without a doubt.

  3. فإِن كنتَ مقداماً على البيضِ والقَنا

    وإِلاَّ فقد عرّضْت نفسك للهُلْكِ

    So, if you are bold in facing swords and spears—

    otherwise, you have exposed yourself to destruction.

  4. ورُبَّ غَزالٍ باتَ منهم مُضَاجِعي

    وقد عَبَقَت منه المضَاجِعُ بالمِسْكِ

    And many a gazelle among them spent the night as my bedfellow,

    and the beds grew fragrant with musk from him.

  5. فريدُ جَمالٍ وحَّد القلبُ حبّه

    كلانَا بحمد الله خَالٍ من الشِّركِ

    Peerless in beauty, the heart gave him its undivided love;

    both of us, praise be to God, are free of polytheism.

  6. وبتنا بحالٍ لو يُخَبِّر مخبِرٌ

    سوايَ به قالُوا لقد جئتَ بالإِفكِ

    And we spent the night in a state that, were a teller to describe it,

    other than me, they would say, 'You have surely told a lie.'

  7. وما بيننَا أَستغفِر الله ريبةٌ

    سوى رَشفاتٍ من فَمٍ باردٍ ضَنْك

    And between us—I ask God's forgiveness—there was nothing suspect,

    except sips from a cool, narrow mouth.

  8. إِذا ما سَقاني في الهَجيرِ رُضَابَه

    تَوَهَّمْتُ أَني بين قارَةَ والنَّبكِ

    Whenever he gave me his saliva to drink in the midday heat,

    I imagined myself between Qara and al-Nabk.

  9. وعرَّفَني بالملكِ حينَ لثَمتُه

    يقول أَمَا هَذا فَمي خَاتَم الملكِ

    And he acquainted me with kingship when I kissed him,

    saying, 'Isn't this mouth of mine the royal signet?'

  10. فيا طيبَ ذاكَ الشَّهدِ في ذَلك اللَّمى

    ويا حُسْنَ ذَاكَ الدُّرِّ في ذَلك السِّلْكِ

    Oh, how sweet that honey in those dusky lips!

    And how lovely those pearls on that string!

  11. وشَربٍ أَراقُوا بينهم دَمَ كرمة

    فباتت عليها عيف راووقهم تبكي

    And many a company of drinkers shed among themselves a vine's blood,

    so the birds of their wine-strainer spent the night weeping over it.

  12. وصارت أباريق المُدامةِ بيْنهم

    تُقَهقِه من فَرطِ المسرَّة بالضِّحْك

    And the wine-jugs among them began

    to guffaw with laughter from overwhelming joy.

  13. وغنَّاهُمُ شادٍ أَغَنُّ فزادهم

    بشعرٍ مليح رائقٍ حَسن السَّبْك

    And a mellow, nasal-voiced singer sang to them, adding to their delight

    with charming, limpid verse, beautifully wrought.