ريبُ الدارِ مَطلَبُهُ بَعيدُ

يَرى نَظَري فَيَعلَمُ ما أُريدُ

The trouble of the house is a distant quest,

He sees my gaze and knows what I intend.

أَقولُ لَهُ وَقَد أَخلَتهُ عَينٌ

مِنَ الرُقَباءِ ناظِرُها حَديدُ

I address him when the eye of every watcher

Has left him—those spies whose look is iron-sharp.

أَتَمنَعُ ريقَكَ المَعسولَ عَنّي

وَأَنتَ عَلى الجِدارِ بِهِ تَجودُ

"Do you withhold your honeyed nectar from me,

While you bestow it generously upon the wall?"

فَرَنَّقَ مُغضَباً لَحَظاتِ عَينٍ

عَلَيهِ بِغَيرِ قَوّادٍ تَقودُ

In anger, he clouded the glances of his eyes,

Glances that lead the heart without a guide.

وَكادَ يَقولُ شَيئاً غَيرَ أَنّي

سَبَقتُ إِلى اليَمينِ بِلا أَعودُ

He was on the verge of speaking, but I

Rushed to swear an oath: "I shall not do it again!"

فَقالَ لَوِ اِقتَصَرتَ عَلَيهِ جُدنا

وَلَكِن قَد عَلِمنا ما تُريدُ

He replied, "Had you limited yourself to that, we would have yielded,

But we know well what else you desire."