أَموت بمن لو مرَّ ذيلُ قميصِه

على ميِّتٍ أَحياهُ بعد مَمَاتِهِ

I die for one whose robe trailing

Would revive the dead if o'er them trailing.

وأَعشَقُ من قد شاع عن سُكْرِ قَدِّه

حديثٌ تَثَنَّى عِطفُه من رُوَاتِه

And I love him whose perfumed locks

Are the theme of talk in all men's talks.

فمِن كلِّ قلبٍ حاز كلَّ صِفَاتِهِ

وَذاك لأَنَّ الحسن بعضُ صِفَاتِه

He has every fair and lovely trait;

Beauty's very self those traits create.

غلبتُ عليه الخلقَ وَحدي فلم يَعُدْ

لَهُمْ طَمَعٌ في عَطْفِه والْتِفاتِه

I have turned mankind away from him,

None may hope his smile to win.

وقبّلتُه في الخَدِّ عشرين قُبْلةً

وَذاكَ نصابٌ لم أَقُمْ بِزَكَاتِهِ

Twenty kisses on his cheek I printed,

Though to pay his due I ne'er attempted.

تخوَّفَ من صَدِّي فصدَّ تَجنُّباً

وذلك ذنبٌ لم أَكُنْ من جُنَاتِه

He feared my ardor and withdrew,

A fault of his which ne'er I knew.

وأَعْرَضَ تِيهاً واستطالَ تَكَبُّراً

فلو قلتُ خُذْ قَلْبي لما قال هاته

In pride he turned and went away,

Had I said "My heart! Come, take it, pray!"

وحُوشِيتُ أَنْ أَعْتَاضَ مِنْ بَعْدِ حُبِّه

بِأَنْ أَتَسَلَّى عَنْه لاَ وَحَياتِهِ

He had not said me no. But I

Feared to solace me when he was by.