قد زرتها في خجلة راهباً

أقصر آمالي على قربها

I visited her shyly like a monk

My hopes confined to being near her

لكنها إذ أمسكت راحتي

ضاقت بي الدنيا على رحبها

But when she held my hand

The world felt cramped despite its vastness

كأن دنيانا ذراعٌ فما

لي موقف إلا إلى جنبها

As if our world was but an arm's length

I had no place but next to her

لا صقتها غصباً ولكنني

ما كنت في عزم على غصبها

I clung to her by force, but I

Did not intend to take her by force

فهي التي مالت وفي غمضة

أحسست ثغري عند شؤبوبها

She's the one who leaned close and in a blink

I felt her lips next to my mouth

يا للشباب الذي لا يعي

ما تترك الخلوة في غيها

Oh, youth who does not know

What seclusion leaves in its wake

أعجبت بالحسن الذي جرني

لها وأغراني على جذبها

I admired the beauty that drew me to her

And made me eager to pull her close

فغاب وجهي في دجى شعرها

وأسبلت للسلب أهدابها

My face disappeared in the dusk of her hair

And she let down her eyelashes ready for plunder

لم أدر إلا والهوى سالبي

فضمني شخصين في ثوبها

Before I knew it, passion had robbed me

And tucked me into her gown

وغدغدت لم تردد وهل ظامئ

ترده الخمرة عن كوبها

She giggled and did not hesitate, does a thirsty one

Refuse the cup passed to him?

نغبت من ثؤلولها رشفةً

نمت على الأشجان في قلوبها

I sipped from her lips a draft

That I slept drunk on in her bosom

زبيبةٌ تلك ورمز الطلا

أغنت عن الخمر وعن سكبها

She is like a juicy grape, the symbol of renewal

Better than wine or pouring it

بهلاً ترشفت دواء الجوى

منها فليس الطب إلا بها

With her I imbibed the cure for passion

No remedy but through her

يا رشفة قد قطرتها المنى

ما ردها خمراً سوى ربها

Oh draft, the drops of ecstasy

None but God can turn it back to wine

أغمضت عيني لئلا أرى

ما يشغل الولهان عن شربها

I closed my eyes lest I see

What distracts the besotted from their drinking

فرحت في أخرى غرام ولم

أكن بما تهزى به آبها

Then I found passion anew in another

Not minding her coy teasing

وتدعى والزور ما تدعى

أني خلست الحسن في غيبها

She claims I stole her beauty in secret

A claim, if true, I have an excuse

دعوى إذا صحت فعذري معي

لعلها تنوي على شطيها

Perhaps she means to wade her way across

By God, I don't know in what transpired between us

واللَه لا أعرف فيما جرى

منا أذنبي كان أم ذنبها

Who sinned, was it I or was it she?

I came with my heart, and it joined her followers

جئت بقلبي وهو من شيعتي

فعدت والمفؤود من حزبها

Only to return, lost from her party