وَنَظرَةُ عَين تَعلّلتُها

وَنَظرَةُ عَين تَعلّلتُها

حذاراً كَما نَظَر الأَحوَلُ

حذاراً كَما نَظَر الأَحوَلُ

And with a fleeting glance I consoled myself,

A glance from an eye I made excuses for

warily, as a cross-eyed man looks:

Beware, as the cross-eyed one glanced

تَقَسَّمتُها بَينَ وَجه الحَبيب

تَقَسَّمتُها بَينَ وَجه الحَبيب

وَطَرف الرَقيب مَتى يَغفَلُ

وَطَرف الرَقيب مَتى يَغفَلُ

I divided it between the beloved’s face

I divided it between the face of the beloved

and the watcher’s eye, to see when he might look away.

And the gaze of the watcher, lest he be distracted