يَا حُسنَهُ وَالحُسنُ بَعضُ صِفَاتِهِ

وَالسِّحرُ مَقصُورٌ عَلَى حَرَكَاتِهِ

O beauty, and beauty is but one of his traits

And magic confined to his movements

بَدراً لَوَ انَّ البَدرَ قِيلَ لَه اقتَرِح

أمَلاً لَقَالَ أَكُونُ مِن هَالاتِهِ

Were the full moon told, propose a wish

It would say, let me be one of his adornments

يعطي ارتِياح الغُصنِ غُصناً أملَداً

حمل الصباح فَكَانَ مِن زَهَرَاتِهِ

He gives the branch ease, a bending branch

Carrying the dawn, thus becoming one of its blossoms

وَالخَالُ يَنقُطُ فِي صَفيحَةِ خَدِّهِ

مَا خَطَّ حبرُ الصُّدغِ مِن نوناتِهِ

And the moles speckle the dish of his cheek

With what the pen lined not among his letters

وَإِذا هِلالُ الأُفقِ قَابَلَ وَجهَهُ

أَبصَرتَهُ كَالشَّخصِ فِي مِرآتِهِ

And if the crescent of the horizon met his face

You'd see it as a person in their reflection

عَبَثَت بِقَلبِ عَمِيدِهِ لَحَظَاتُهُ

يَا رَبِّ لا تَعتب عَلَى لَحَظَاتِهِ

His glances toyed with the heart of his admirer

O Lord, blame not his glances

رَكِبَ المَآثِمَ في انتِهَابِ نُفُوسِنَا

فَاللَّهُ يَجعَلهُنَّ مِن حَسَناتِهِ

He rode sins in plundering our souls

So may God make them among his virtues

مَازِلتُ أَخطُبُ لِلزَّمَانِ وِصَالَهُ

حَتَّى دَنَا والبُعدُ مِن عَادَاتِهِ

I continued to seek the era's union

Until it came close though distance is of its norms

فَغَفَرتُ ذَنبَ الدَّهرِ فِيهِ لِلَيلَةٍ

سَتَرَت عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِن زَلاتِهِ

I forgave the era's sin in it for a night

That veiled what wrong had been among its stumbles

غَفَلَ الزَّمَانُ فَنِلتُ مِنهُ نَدرَةً

يَا لَيتَهُ لَو دَامَ في غَفَلاتِهِ

The days were heedless so I attained rarely from it

Oh, if only it stayed in its heedlessness

ضَاجَعتُهُ وَاللَّيلُ يُذكِي تَحتَهُ

نَارَينِ مِن نَفسِي وَمِن وَجَنَاتِهِ

I lay with him while the night kindled beneath him

Two fires, from my soul and his cheeks

بِتنَا نُشَعشِعُ وَالعَفَافُ نَدِيمُنَا

خَمرَينِ مِن غَزَلِي وَمِن كَلِمَاتِهِ

We stayed awake, and chastity our company

Two wines, from my amorousness and his words

فَضَمَمتُهُ ضَمَّ البَخِيلِ لِمَالِهِ

أَحنُو عَلَيهِ مِن جَمِيعِ جِهَاتِهِ

So I embraced him in a miser's embrace

I pity him from all his sides

أَوثَقتُهُ فِي سَاعِدَيَّ لأنَّهُ

ظَبيٌ خَشِيتُ عَلَيهِ مِن فَلَتَاتِهِ

I bound him in my arms for he

Is a gazelle I feared would escape me

وَالقَلبُ يَدعُو أَن يُصَيّرَ سَاعِداً

لِيَفُوزَ بِالآمَالِ فِي ضَمَّاتِهِ

And the heart invokes to make an arm

To succeed in hopes during its embraces

حَتَّى إِذَا هَامَ الكَرَى بِجُفُونِهِ

وَامتَدَّ فِي عَضُدَيّ طَوعَ سِنَاتِهِ

Until when sleep wandered his eyelids

And yielded in my arms following its years

عَزَمَ الغَرَامُ عَلَيَّ فِي تَقبِيلِهِ

فرفضتُ أُبدِي الطَّوعَ مِن عَزَمَاتِهِ

Passion resolved I kiss him

But I refused to show compliance from its resolves

وَأَبَى عَفَافِي أَن أُقَبِّلَ ثَغرَهُ

وَالقَلبُ مَطوِيٌّ عَلَى جَمَرَاتِهِ

And my chastity refused to kiss his lips

While my heart is folded over his embers

فَاعجَب لِمُلتَهِبِ الجَوَانِحِ غُلَّةً

يَشكُو الظَّما وَالماءُ في لَهَواتِهِ

How strange is the greed of flaming passions

Complaining of thirst while water is in its distraction