أحوى العيون ثنى عيون النرجس

خجلاً تغضُّ عيونها في المجلس

The dark-eyed one made the narcissus’s eyes droop;

In shame, it lowers its eyes in the gathering.

نسي الصدود وذكرته سجية

فغدا يطالب نفسه في ما نسي

He forgot his aloofness, but his nature reminded him;

So he began calling himself to account for what he had forgotten.

ولقد نفست عليه مسّ ردائه

حتى حرقت رداءه بتنفسي

I begrudged his robe its touch upon him,

Until I burned his robe with my breath.

قاسيتُ منه أزجّ حاجب عينه

بحشاً تراوغ منه منعطف القسي

I endured the finely arched brow above his eye,

With a heart from which curved bows recoiled.

يا ناعس الأجفان منتبهاً أنم

يقظان من سنة العيون النعَّس

O sleepy-lidded one, lull a wakeful man to sleep,

Kept awake by the drowsiness of languid eyes.

عجلان يلتمس الحمام لنفسه

بصحيفة كصحيفة المتلمس

In haste, he seeks death for himself,

With a letter like the letter of al-Mutalammis.

أمعللي بزجاجتين تعلّة

من ناظر أحوى وثغر العس

O you who soothe me with two glasses of solace,

From a dark eye and dusky lips,

قم عاطني ورسيَّتين بذا وذا

ولتجل ثالثة بخدٍّ أطلس

Rise, pass me two yellow-gold cups from this and that,

And let a third gleam in a smooth, beardless cheek.

ولربّ أعفر يشرئب بجيده

يستنُّ ما بين الظباء الكنَّسِ

And many a tawny gazelle cranes his neck,

Gamboling among the gazelles sheltering in cover.

خالست بالألحاظ من ألحاظه

راحاً تدار ولا تدار باكؤس

With my glances I stole from his glances

Wine passed round, but not passed round in cups.

راحاً إذا افترَّ الحباب بمزجها

ضحكت بوجه الشارب المتعبس

Wine that, when its bubbles smile as it is mixed,

Laughs in the face of the frowning drinker.

ولقد شربت على الرؤوس مدامة

شابت مفارقها براسٍ أخلس

And I have drunk, over the heads, an aged wine,

Whose hair-partings had gone gray on a grizzled head.

قد أرعشت أقدام أرجل علجها

قدماً وأفضت لارتعاش الأرأس

It had made its non-Arab wine-maker’s feet tremble,

Long ago, and brought about the trembling of heads.