يا لَيتَ مُدّةَ بُعدكْ

رَشيقَةٌ مِثلَ قَدّكْ

Would that the span of your absence

were slender, like your figure—

كَمُدة الوَردِ وردَ ال

رَبيع لا وَرد خَدّكْ

as brief as the rose’s life, the rose of

spring, not the rose of your cheek.

فَعُمرُ ذا عُمرُ صَبري

وَعُمرُ ذا عُمرُ صَدّكْ

For the former’s lifespan is the lifespan of my patience,

and the latter’s lifespan, the lifespan of your rejection.

رَضيتُ منك وَإِن لَم

تُنجِز بِلَذّة وعدَكْ

I am content with, from you—even if you do not

fulfill it—the delight of your promise.