طَيْفُها حينَ طرَقْ

عاقَني عنهُ الأرقْ

Her apparition when it knocked,

Kept me awake with longing unabated,

بتُّ من شوْقي لَها

بَيْنَ سُهْدٍ وقلَقْ

I passed the night consumed with love for her,

Between wakefulness and restless turning,

وغرامٍ وضَنىً

ولهيبٍ وحُرَقْ

And passion, and yearning,

And flames, and burning embers,

وحديقةٍ بِها

مُتّعَتْ منّا الحدَقْ

And a garden adorned by her,

That delighted my eyes with its beauty,

بنتُ فِكْرٍ جُلِيَتْ

مِثلما يُجْلى الفَرَقْ

I built a thought purified,

Like a forehead made smooth,

سكّنَتْ قلباً لَها

طارَ وجْداً وخفَقْ

It calmed a heart for her,

That soared and throbbed with ecstasy,

نقَعَتْ ما كان في

لاعِجِ الشّوقِ احْتَرَقْ

It quenched the flames

Of burning desire,

أجْمَعَ الحسْنُ على

أنْ حَوَتْهُ واتّفقْ

Perfection gathered on her,

As though in complete harmony,

فضَحَتْ نَوْرَ الرُبى

أخْجَلَتْ نورَ الشّفَقْ

She outshone the light of the loved one,

And made the red sky blush,

فاحْمِرارُهُ حَياً

واصْفِرارُه حَنَقْ

Its redness alive,

And its yellowness sullen,

دُرُّها نُضِّدَ منْ

طِرْسِها فوقَ السّرَقْ

Her pearl was strung

Above the stars,

لفْظُها وُرْقٌ شدَتْ

بيْنَ هاتيكَ الوَرَقْ

Her words were leaves gathered

Between these pages,

بكَ يا ابْنَ قُطْبةٍ

لُؤلُؤُ الفضْلِ اتّسَقْ

Oh son of Qutbah,

The shining pearl of virtue was threaded,

أيُّ فرْعٍ منك في

دوحَةِ المجْدِ بسَقْ

Which branch of yours in

The orchard of glory was picked?