أَلَيسَ عَظِيماً أَن نَكُونَ بِبَلدَةٍ

كِلاَنا بِها ثاوٍ وَلا نَتَكَلَّمُ

Is it not great that we are in a town

Where we both live, yet do not speak?

أَمِنّا أُناساً فِى المَوَدَّةِ بَينَنا

فَزادُوا عَلَينا فِى الحَدِيثِ وَأَوهَمُوا

Did people come between our friendship

And added to our talk, and made us believe

وَقالُوا لَنا ما لَم يُقَل ثُمَّ أَكثَرُوا

عَلَينا وَباحُوا بالّذِى كُنتُ أَكتُمُ

Things never said, and spoke too much

About me, revealing what I hid?

وَقَد مُنِحَت عَينِى القَذَى لِفِرَاقِكُم

وَعادَ لَها تَهتانُها فَهىَ تَسجُم

My eyes were pained by your leaving -

Now dimmed, they fill with tears.

مُنَعَّمَةٌ لَودَبَّ ذَرٌّ بِجِلدِها

لَكادَ دَبِيبُ النَّملِ بِالجِلدِ يَكلُمُ

My body thrived, sleek and plump -

An ant's crawl on my skin would speak.