مُستَيقِظُ اللَحظِ في أَجفانِ وَسنانِ

قَبَّلتُ فاهُ فَحَيّاني بِرَيحانِ

Awakened in an instant in my eyelids and teeth

A wakeful glance within slumberous eyelids,

I kissed his mouth and he greeted me with basil

I kissed his mouth, and he greeted me with the scent of basil,

مُستَعبِدٌ لِلأَماني حُسنُ مَنظَرِهِ

عَفُّ الضَميرِ وَأَمّا لَحظُهُ زانِ

Enslaved to the beauty of his appearance are my wishes

The beauty of his appearance enslaves all desires,

Chaste is my conscience, while his glance is adorned

Chaste of conscience, yet his glance plays the sinner,

لَم تَتَّصِل بِعُيونِ الناسِ لَحظَتُهُ

إِذا اِستَوى كُلُّ إِسرارٍ وَإِعلانِ

His gaze does not meet with the eyes of people

His gaze has never met the eyes of the people,

When all secrets and announcements are equal

Even when the hidden and the manifest stand equal,

يا مَن تَأَنَّقَ باريهِ فَصَوَّرَهُ

دِعصاً مِنَ الرَملِ في غُصنٍ مِنَ البانِ

O you who sculpted his Creator and depicted Him

O you whose Creator fashioned him with such elegance,

As a staff of sand in a branch of sweet basil

Placing a sand dune upon a willow bough.