أَفِي وَلَهِي بِاسْمِ المَلِيحَةِ تَعْتِبُ

وَتُعْرِضُ إِنْ وَحَّدْتُهَا ثُمَّ تَغْضَبُ

Do you blame me for my infatuation with the fair one

And turn away if I declare my exclusive devotion to her

وَلَوْ فُزْتَ مِنْ ذَاكَ الجَمْالِ بِنَظْرَةٍ

لأَصْبَحَ مِنْكَ العَقْلُ يُسْبىَ وَيُسْلَبُ

Were you to win a glance of that beauty

Your reason would be made captive and despoiled

وَهَبْتُكَ سُلْوَاني وَصَبْري كِلاَهُما

وَأَمَّا غَرَامِي فَهْوَ مَا لَيْسَ يُوهَبُ

I have surrendered to her both my patience and composure

But as for my passion, that cannot be relinquished

وَقَيَّدْتُ أَشْوَاقِي بإطْلاقِ صَبْوةٍ

إليْهَا صَبَابَاتُ المُحِبينَ تُنْسَبُ

I have tethered my longings by letting my ardour run free

To which the ardours of lovers are ascribed

فَهَا أَنَا والسَّاقي يُنَاوِلُ كأسَهَا

فَأَشْرَبُ صِرْفاً أَوْ يُغَنيِّ فَأَطْرَبُ

So I drink it pure or he makes me drunk and elated

If the old man blames a lad for his passion for her

فَإنْ لاَمَ فِيهَا الشَّيْخُ طِفْلَ غَرَامِهَا

عَلَى سُكْرِهِ فالشَّيْخُ كالطِّفْلِ يَلْعَبُ

On his intoxication, the old man is as the boy at play

She reminds me of Hallaj while the cup is drained

تُذَكِّرُنِي الحَلاَّجَ وَالكَأْسُ تُجْتَلَى

وَلَكِنَّهَا عَنْهُ تُصَانُ وَتُحْجَبُ

But she is too chaste and veiled to be associated with him

Had they not seen her tavern like his cross

وَلَوْ لَمْ يَرَوْا رَاووُقَهَا كَصَلِيِبهِ

لَمَا عَذَروُا حلاَّجَهَا حِينَ يُصْلَبُ

They would have excused her Hallaj when he was crucified