بِأَبي ظَبيٌ لعَهد قَد نَبَذ

جَبَذَت عَيناهُ قَلبي فَانجَبَذ

By the gazelle whose covenant feet defied,

My heart was caught and with it fled.

كُلُّ ذي حُسنٍ تَرى أَمثالَهُ

غَير مَحبوبي فَهوَ في الحُسنِ فَذ

All beauty you see of like ilk,

None but my beloved in beauty excels.

يا غَريبَ الحُسنِ إِنّي سائِلٌ

وَزَكاةُ الحُسنِ تُعطى من شَحَذ

O you rare in beauty, hear my plea

For beauty's alms are for those who implore.

قالَ ما تَبغِي فَقُلتُ قُبلَةً

تَشعَبُ القَلبَ الَّذي صارَ فِلَذ

Said he, what do you wish? I said, a kiss

That would sew up the heart torn to shreds.

قالَ خُذها ثُم لا يَأخُذُها

أَحدٌ منّي وَلا كانَ أَخَذ

He said take it, let none else

Take from me what you have seized.

فَرَشفتُ مِن لُماهُ سَلسَلاً

وَحَلالي ذَلِكَ الرَشفُ وَلَذ

I sipped from his sweet lips

Lawful that draught and how sweet the taste!

فَاختَبَطتُ فَأَتوا يَرقُونَني

حَسِبُوا أَن بِي مِن الجِنِّ الأَخَذ

Then dazed was I, they rushed to revive me,

Thinking some jinn had brought me low.

قال كُفُّوا ما بِهِ مِن جُنَّةٍ

إِنَّما سَهمِيَ فيهِ قَد نَفذ

He said, stop! In him no madness lies,

My arrow it was that struck its mark.

إِنَّهُ لَمّا رَمَتهُ مُقلَتي

وَصلَ السَهمُ إِلى أَقصى القُذَذ

When my glances assailed and laid him low

The shaft reached its destination true.

لِيسَ داءُ الحُبِّ يشفى بِالرُقى

لا وَلا يَنفَعُ تَعليقُ العوَذ

No incantations can cure love's ache

No talismans ward off love's strike.

بل شِفاءُ الحُبِّ وَصلٌ عاجِلٌ

وَاعتِناقٌ وَاجتماعٌ مُستَلَذ

Nay, love's cure is a swift embrace,

A clasp and union of delight.