مَا أَنصفُ الصَّحَنيْنِ مِنّي وَاصِفٌ

عَجِلَتْ بَدِيهةُ فِكْرِةِ المُتَوالي

No describer does justice to my two bowls,

So quickly runs the thought of one who follows.

لَمْ يُهدِ مَلْكُ الصِّينِ أَحْسَنَ منهما

أَخَوَيْنِ كالقَمريْن عِندَ كَمالِ

No gift of China's king was better than them -

Two brothers like the full moons at their prime.

أُرْزٌ تُجاوِرُهُ هَرِيسَةُ فَسْتُقٍ

كالخَدِّحُفَّ بِعَارِضٍ سَبَّالِ

Rice that neighbors a pistachio dessert,

Like a perfumed cheek next to a soft chin.

وَيَروقُني مَعْ ذا وذا سَنْبُوسَجٌ

حُلْوُ الضَّمِيرِ مُرَقّقُ السِّرْبالِ

With this and that I fancy some chamomile tea,

Sweet of heart, dressed in a silken robe.

عَجَباً لهُ كُلُّ الأَنَامِ تُحِبُّهُ

وَلَهُ مِن الأَقْوامِ شَخْصٌ قَالِ

How wondrous! All people love him,

Yet to his people he remains aloof.