هل للقلوب من العيونِ خلاصُ

أم لا فإن عزاءها معتاصُ

Do hearts have salvation through eyes,

Or not, for their solace is unobtainable.

حرصتْ نفوسُ ذوي الهوى منها على

ما ليس يُدرَكُ والنفوس حِراصُ

The souls of those in love have strived for

What cannot be attained, while souls are greedy.

كيف السبيلُ إلى اقتناص غرائرٍ

يدمى بأسهم لحظها القُنَّاص

How is the path to obtain the secrets

Whose glances wound with arrows of the hunter?

بيضُ السوالف عذبة أفواهُها

ريّا الروادف والبطونُ خمِاص

The cheeks of the beauties have sweet discourse,

Pleasant is their speech, and waists are delicate.

يجْرحْنَنَا بنواظرٍ ما إن لنا

منهن عند جراحهنّ قصاص

They wound us with glances, though for us

There is no retribution for their wounds.

قلصتْ بمن لا صبر دون لقائه

نوقٌ تراهَقُ في البُرى وقِلاص

She who lacks patience without seeing him

Has a camel wasting away in the wilds and thickets.

وحدا ينُصُّ رِكابه وجهَ الضحى

يأْبى الكرى لمطيّه نصَّاص

Alone he guides his riding beast at dawn,

Refusing the caravans a guide.

خرقٌ لأهوال الدجى مُتدرِّعٌ

في بحر كلِّ هجيرةٍ غوّاص

A tear in the horrors of night, armored,

In an ocean where each billow is a diver.

فعِراصُ قلبك بالصِبى معمورةٌ

لما خلتْ ممن تُحبُّ عراص

So the desolation of your heart is inhabited

By those you love who have left it desolate.