لِلَّه مهجةُ والهٍ لم يَثنِها

عَذلُ العواذل من لواعج حُزنها

For God is an untouched jewel

That no jeweler has yet crafted

ذكرت صبابَتها وَمَعهد فنِّها

وَمليحةً تَسبي الأَنام بحسنها

I recalled her youth and her art studio

As a beauty who captivates people with her looks

وَمهفهفاً عبثَ الدلالُ بقدِّهِ

لَمّا رأَته من المحاسِن فردَها

And a coquette whom the matchmaker toyed with her braids

When he saw her unique beauty

أَورَت عليه من الصَبابة وقدها

حتّى إِذا ما جرَّعته صدَّها

She showed him some coquetry and lifted her train

Until she made him drink her affection then she spurned him

أَهوى يقبِّلُها وَيلثم خدَّها

حنِقَت عليه وأَسرعت في ردِّهِ

He leaned in to kiss her and caress her cheek

She sulked at him and quickly pushed him back

فاِزداد إِذ ردَّته عظمَ نِكايةٍ

فأَباحَ ما أَخفاه دون كناية

So the more she rebuffed him, the more lovesick he became

And unveiled what he had kept discreet without innuendo

لَمّا رأَت لا يَنتَهي عن غايَةٍ

لطمت عوارضَه بغير جناية

When she saw he would not stop short of his goal

She slapped his cheek, though not violently

منه فأَثَّر كفُّها في خَدِّهِ

فبدت محاسنُ للجمال ببطشِها

He trembled under her blow on his cheek

Displaying beauty’s power in her assault

وَفشت سرائرُ للهوى لم يُفشِها

إِذ أَثَّرت في وجنتيه بخدشِها

As passions of love she had not revealed gushed forth

When her scrape left its mark on both his cheeks

فاِخضرَّ آسُ عذاره من نقشِها

واِحمرَّ باطنُ كفِّها من وردِهِ

So the bough of his freshness turned green from her scratch

And the palm of her hand turned rosy from his cheek