خُذُوا خَبَراً عَنْ نَظْمِ دَمْعِي وَنَثْرِهِ

عَنِ الحُبِّ يُنْبِيكُم بِغَامِضِ سِرِّهِ

Hear the tale of the rhythm of my tears and prose,

Of love that gives you hints of its obscure secret.

وَلا تَسْأَلوا عَمَّنْ هَويْتُ فإِنَّني

أَغارُ عَليْهِ أَنْ أَبُوحَ بِذكرِهِ

Ask not who I love, for I

Am jealous to confess his name.

وَإِنْ رُمْتُمُ وَصْفِي بَدِيعَ جَمالِهِ

فَأَيْسَرُ مَا فِيهِ الجمالُ بِأَسْرِهِ

And if you guess the beauty of his perfection,

The easiest of him is beauty in its captivity.

مَليحٌ جَلا لِي ضَوْء بَدرٍ كمالُهُ

وَلكِنْ أَراني يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ بِهَجْرِهِ

A bright full moon has shone its perfect light on me,

Yet I see myself in a moonless night without him.

أَميرُ جَمالٍ ما انْتَضَى سَيْفَ ناظرٍ

على عاشِقٍ إِلَّا وقامَ بِنَصْرِهِ

That prince of beauty whose sword no gazer can withstand

Except to help a lover at his need.

غَزالٌ غَزا قَلْبِي بِفاتِرِ طَرْفِهِ

وَأَحْرَق أَحْشائِي بِبَارِدِ ثَغْرِهِ

A gazelle has raided my heart with his languid glance,

And burned my insides with his cool mouth.

وَقَدْ كانَ عَهْدِي الدُّرُّ في البَحْرِ قَبْلَما

رَأَيْتُ رِضَاباً مِنْهُ يَجْرِي بِدُرِّهِ

Once to me pearls were in the sea before I saw

The pleasure of them streaming in his radiance.