قَسَمًا بِصبْحِ جَبِينِكَ المُتَنَفِّسِ

مَا شِيبَ ثَوْبُ مَحَبَّتِي بِتَدَنُّسِ

By the dawn on your breathing forehead,

My love has not faded or become sullied.

يَا مَنْ إذَا هُزَّتْ مَعَاطِفُ قَدّهِ

هَزَأتْ بِأعْطَافِ الغُصُونِ الميَّسِ

O you, who when your necklaces are shaken,

Mock the branches of smooth myrtle.

أنْفَقْتُ كنْزَ الدَّمْعِ فيكَ وَحَبَّذَا

مَا قَدْ نَفَقْتُ على الجمَالِ الأكْيَسِ

I spent the treasure of my tears on you and was pleased

By what I spent on the most sagacious beauty.

وَهتكتُ أمْرَ الحُبّ فيكَ وَطَابَ لِي

خَلْعُ العِذَارِ عَلَى العِذَارِ السُّنْدُسِي

I disclosed the secret of love for you and it was good for me

To take off chastity for chastity of silken raiment.

رَشَقَتْ لحَاظُك فِي فُؤَادِي أسهُمًا

قَدْ فَوَّقَتْهَا عنْ حَوَاجِبِكَ القِسِيّ

Your glances shot arrows into my heart

That surpassed your frowning eyebrows.

حَتَّامَ أبذلُ فِي هَوَاكَ حُشَاشَتِي

وَتُصَانُ عني يَا شَقِيقَ الانفس

I lavish my companionship for your love,

While you are guarded from me, O intimate friend!

لَوْ شِئْتَ مَا عَذَّبْتَ قَلْبًا بِالجفَا

يَا مُوحِشًا بسوَاكَ لَمْ يَتَأنَّسِ

If you wished, you would not torment a heart with estrangement,

O you who are desolate without you has not been consoled!

أيَحِلُّ فِي شَرْعِ المَحَبَّةِ أنَّنِي

أجْنِي الصدُودَ مِنَ الظِّبَاءِ الأنَّسِ

Is it lawful in the law of love that I

Reap coyness from the gazelles that are intimate?

أَوْ أنْ يَبِيتَ الطرْف بَعْدَ رُقَادِهِ

يَرْعَى السُّهَادَ مِنَ العُيُونِ النُّعَّسِ

Or that after slumber the eyelid in the night

Tends the lamps from the drowsy eyes?

أ َوْ أنَّنِي أعْتَاضُ يَا كُلَّ المُنَى

بِالصَّبْرِ عَنْ لَثْمِ الثغُورِ اللُّعَّسِ

Or that I replace, O epitome of wishes,

Patience for kissing the miserable lips?

مَنْ لِي بِبَدْرٍ قَدْ جَلاَ كأس الطِّلاَ

في كَوْكَبٍ فَمَحَا ظَلاَمَ الحِنْدِسِ

Who do I have like a full moon that shone a cup of liquor

In a planet and erased the darkness of chamomile?

غُصْنٌ وَلَكِنْ بِالفُكَاهَةِ مُثْمِرٌ

بَدرٌ وَلَكِنْ بِالْمَلاَحَةِ مُكْتَسِ

A branch, but fruitful with jest,

A full moon, but gathered with agreeableness.

لم أنْسَهُ إذْ زَفَّ بِكْرَ مُدَامَةٍ

لأجَلّ نُدْمَانٍ بِأبهَجِ مَجْلسِ

I did not forget him when he approached with a young wine-bearer

For the sake of the joy of an auspicious assembly,

وَسَعَى بِشَمْسٍ فِي سَمَاءِ زُجَاجَةٍ

وَأدَارَ رَاحًا فِي مَحَاجِرِ نَرْجِسِ

And he flowed with a sun in the sky of a flask

And turned the wind in the nostrils of narcissus,

وَغَدَا يُغَاِزلُنِي بِسِحْرِ لَوَاحِظٍ

أزْرَتْ بِألحَاظِ الجَوَارِي الكُنَّسِ

And he came to flirt with me with the magic of a seducer’s glance,

Adorned with the ogling of smooth-skinned maidens.

فَسَكَرْت لَمَّا أنْ سُقِيتُ بِلَحْظِهِ

أضعَافَ مَا أُسْقِيتُه بِالاكؤسِ

So I got drunk when I was given to drink from his glance

More than what I was given to drink from cups.

عَنِّي بِكَاسِكَ يَا نَدِيمُ فَإنَّمَا

سُكْرِي بِكَاسِ جُفُونِهِ في مَجْلِسِي

Spare me your cup, O boon companion, for I am only

Drunk from the cup of his eyelids in my sitting place.