سُقياً لِلُبنى وَلا سُقيا لِعاناتِ

سُقيا لِقَطرَبُّلٍ ذاتِ اللَذاذاتِ

Watered for the blossoms, but not watered for hardships,

May rain water Lubna, but no rain for 'Anat,

Watered for the grapevines of most delightful fruits,

And rain for Qatrabbul, the abode of all delights,

وَإِنَّ فيها بَناتِ الكَرمِ ما تَرَكَت

مِنها اللَيالي سِوى تِلكَ الحُشاشاتِ

Wherein are damsels of generosity who have left

For therein dwell daughters of the vine, of whom

Of them only those bashful maidens for the nights,

The nights have left naught but their lingering spirits,

كَأَنَّها دَمعَةٌ في عَينِ غانِيَةٍ

مَرهاءَ رَقرَقَها ذِكرُ المُصيباتِ

As if a teardrop in the eye of a singing girl

As clear as a tear in the eye of a fair beauty,

Made tender by the memory of misfortunes,

With unadorned gaze, set shimmering by memories of woe,

تَنزو إِذا مَسَّها قَرعُ المِزاجِ كَما

تَنزو الجَنادِبُ أَوقاتَ الظَهيراتِ

It flows when the temper is struck, as

She leaps when the stroke of the mixing water touches her,

Locusts flow at times of afternoon,

Just as grasshoppers leap in the heat of the midday sun,

وَتَكتَسي لُؤلُؤاتٍ مِن تَعَطُّفِها

عِندَ المِزاجِ شَبيهاتٍ بِواواتِ

And it puts on pearls of her kindness

And clothes herself in pearls from her swirling motion,

At temper resembling the letter wāw.

Which resemble, upon mixing, the curves of the letter Waw.