Sol 5.6

  1. Can there be any blame in remembering the beloved?

    Or any relief from the heart’s anguish?

  2. Or how could I forget our journey, consecrated as pilgrims,

    the day we encamped at al-Nakhl, coming from Amaj?

  3. That day the go-between said, “She has given leave—

    then come unobserved, and enter.”

  4. I came forward, walking toward their tents,

    in a fragrant waft, toward her redolent scent.

  5. Her hands descend over the sheer fabric of her finery;

    the lilting chime of her jewelry deafens me.

  6. When she unveils, she reveals a radiant face,

    bearing neither a blemish nor anything unsightly.

Sol 5.6