زَرَّتْ أزِرَّتَهَا عَلَى الأقْمَارِ

أوَمَا رَأيْتَ مَطَالِعَ الأنْوَارِ

She donned her veil over the moons,

Or have you not seen the rising of lights?

وَتَبَسَّمَتْ عَنْ رَاحِ رِيق خِلْتُهُ

بَرَداً أذِيبَ بِمَرْشَفِ النُّوَّارِ

And she smiled with the fragrance of her breath,

Coolness that melts with the fan of lights.

وَتَبَرْقَعَتْ بِسَحَابِ بُرْقُعِهَا فَمَا

أبْهَى طُلُوعَ البَدْرِ فِي الأسْحَارِ

And she fluttered with the clouds of her veil, so

The rising of the full moon in the dark is not more radiant.

وَتَضَوَّعَتْ جَنَّاتُ وَجْنَتِهَا فَقُلْ

فِي نَشْرِ طَيّ حَدَائِقِ الأزْهَارِ

And her gardens and orchard blossomed, so say

In the spreading of the fragrance of flower gardens.

وَسَطَا عَلَى العُشَّاقِ جَفْنُ لِحَاظِهَا

أسَمِعْتَ جَفْنًا نَابَ عَنْ بَتَّارِ

And her eyelid's slumber came over the lovers,

Have you heard of an eyelid that could substitute for an affectionate one?

وَرَنَتْ جَآذِرُ طَرْفِهَا عَنْ سَاحِرٍ

أغْرَى فُؤَادَ الصَّبّ بِالإنْذَارِ

And the coquetry of her glance lamented about a sorcerer

Who seduced the heart of the youth with warning.

حَمْرَاءُ بَيْضَاءُ الإزَارِ كَأنَّهَا

شَمْسٌ تَجَلَّتْ فِي ضِيَاءِ نَهَارِ

Red and white is her waist-wrapper as though

A sun shone in the light of day.

لَوْ لَمْ تَكُنْ كَالغُصْنِ مَا هَاجَتْ عَلَى

ذَاكَ القَوَامِ بَلاَبِلُ الأطْيَارِ

If she were not like a branch, the songbirds would not

Have clamored around that figure.

كَلاَّ وَلاَ هَامَ الشَّقِيقُ بِخَدّهَا

إلاَّ لِتُظْهِرَ جَنَّةً فِي نَارِ

No, and the anemone would not have become passionate for her cheek

Except to reveal a paradise in fire.

مَثِّلْ مَعَاطِفَهَا وَوَرْدَ خُدُودِهَا

عَلَمًا يَلُوحُ بِهِ ضِرَامُ شَرَارِ

Make her coats and the roses of her cheeks

A flag waved by the hands of the noblest men.

وَاعْجَبْ لِنَاظِرِهَا أرَاقَ دَمِي وَقَدْ

لَبِسَ الجُفُونُ عَلَيْهِ ثَوْبَ غَيَارِ

And wonder at her beholder who shed my blood while

The eyelids donned upon it the dress of absence.

حَاكَمْتُ عَنْتَرَ خَالِهَا فِي خَدّهَا

وَالأصْلُ فِي الدَّعْوَى عَلَى دِينَارِ

I judged her mole on her cheek and her birthmark

And the origin of the claim is upon a gold coin.

فَقَضَى بِتَعْذِيبِ الحَشَا نُعْمَانُهُ

لَمَّا قَضَى بِتَنَعُّمِ الأبْصَارِ

So Nu'man judged with the torment of passions

When he judged with the delight of sights.

لَمْ أبْكِهَا لَكِنْ بِنَظْرَةِ غَيْرِهَا

طَهَّرْتُ أجْفَانِي بِدَمْعٍ جَارِ

I did not cry for her, but with the glance of another

I purified my eyelids with flowing tears.