حبيبٌ أراني الله يومَ فِرَاقِهِ

غَويت وما أبصْرتُ في حبه رُشْدِي

A beloved whom God showed me the day we parted

I went astray, not seeing in his love my rightmindedness

رقَقْتُ له من قبحه المحْضِ رِقَّةً

ألاَنْت لهُ قَلْبِي فَقَادَتْ له وُدِّي

I softened towards his utter ugliness, softness

Did you not, my heart, lead me to love him?

فَتَاه بِوجْهٍ يَطْرفُ العينَ قِبْحُهُ

له صورة كالشَّمسِ في الأعين الرُّمد

I saw him with a face so ugly the eyes blink

He has the form of the sun in bleary eyes

ولا عَجَبٌ أن كانَ من كانَ مِثْلَهُ

تشَبَّهَ بالمعْشوُقِ في التيِّه والصدِّ

No wonder that he who was like him

Resembled the beloved in confusion and rejection

إذا لم يكن قِرْداً تَمَاماً حِكَاية

وقبحاً فلم تكملْ لهُ صورة القردِ

Unless he were totally an ape, his story would not be complete

And in ugliness, the image of the ape would not be perfect for him