بَيْنَ لَمَاهُ وَحُمْرَةِ الخَدِّ

خَالٌ حَكَى نَحْلَةً عَلى شَهْدِ

Between the beauty spot and blush of his cheek

A mole told of a honey bee on the nectar

عَجِبْتُ مِنْهُ والتٌُّرْكُ تُشْبِهُهُ

كَيْفَ اعْتَزَى لَحْظُهُ إلى الهِنْدِ

I wondered at it, though the mole resembles it

How quickly its glance reached to India

نَابِغَةً صِرْتُ في مَحَبَّتِهِ

مِنْ فَرْطِ وَجْدِي بِصْدْغِهِ الجَعْدِ

I became passionate in my love for him

From the overflowing of my rapture in his curly side lock

دُونَ وِصَالِي لِلَثْمِ وَجْنَتِهِ

دِرْعُ عِذَارٍ مُقَدّرِ السَّرْدِ

Without my kissing his lips and cheeks

A coat of chastity, well-fitting and close knit

هَبْ أَنَّهَا لاِخْضِرَارِهِ مَنَعَتْ

كَمْ جُهْدِ مَنْعِ الرَّبِيعِ لِلوَرْدِ

As though its greenness had forbidden

After much effort of spring to restrain the rose

سَأَلْتُهُ والرِّيِّحُ يَعْبِقُ مِنْ

وَجْنَتِهِ تَارَةً وَمِنْ رَنْدِ

I asked him, while the breeze was fragrant from

His cheek at times, and at others from basil

ذَا الطِّيبُ مِنْ أَيْنَ لِلشَّقِيقِ أَتَى

فَقَالَ مِنْ نَدِّا خَالِيَ النَّدِّ

Whence came this sweet scent to the anemone

He said, from the dew of my cheek, O critic

يَا لاَئِميِ فِي مَدَامِعٍ سُكِبَتْ

قَدْ نَثَرَتْ دُرَّهَا عَلى العِقْدِ

O you who blame me for tears poured forth

Which spilled their pearls upon the necklace

أَضْيَعُ شَيءٍ مَلاَمَةٌ بُذِلَتْ

لِحَاضِرِ الغَيِّ غَائِبِ الرُّشْدِ

Most wasted thing is blame given

To the soberly rapturous, mindless one

فَأَيْنَ عَقْلِي يَا قَاتِلي خَطَأً

أَوْ دِيَتي إِنْ قَتلْتَ بِالعَمْدِ

Where is my reason, O my killer, wrongly?

Or my blood-money, if you kill intentionally?

لِي مُقْلَةٌ سَمْحَةُ القِيَادِ لَهَا

مَدَامِعٌ قَصْرُهَا عَلى المَدَّ

I have a gazelle, docile of rein, whose

Tears, brief is their stay on the outstretching

زيَادَةُ النِّيلِ بَعْضُ نَاقِصِهَا

فَهَلْ أُمْدَّتْ مِنَ النَّدَى السَّعْدِي

Increase of the Nile is some of its loss

Has it then been extended from happy dew?