أَرى واحداً في الحسنِ ثانِيَ عِطْفه

يتيه بطرفٍ أَو بتصحيفِ طَرْفِه

I see one whose charm is unmatched

Bewitching with a glance or blink of his eye

فربَّ جَريحٍ بالجوى لم يُداوه

وربَّ غريم في الهوى لم يُوفِّه

Many a wounded heart unhealed by yearning

Many a foe in love left unappeased

وما زال جِسْمي ساكناً مثلَ جَفْنِه

كما صَار قَلْبي خَافِقاً مثلَ شَنْفه

My body still as if in slumber

My heart aflutter like his eyelid

ومِنْ نَحْو شِعْري جاءَه بابُ نَعْته

لعلِّيَ أَقْرا بَعْده بَابَ عَطْفه

Toward my hair came praise for its beauty

Perhaps after he'll send words of affection

وكم لِفَمي من حُجَّةٍ عند حَجْله

بتقبيله أَو وقفةٍ عند وقْفِه

Many the pleas my lips make when they meet

With kisses or when paused at his halt

وقبَّلته في خدِّه أَلفَ قُبْلَةٍ

ومَنْ لِفَمي من قُبْلَةِ بَعْد أَلْفه

I kissed his cheek thousands of times

But after thousands what's one more kiss?

ولم أُفن بالتقبيل وردةَ خدِّه

ولكن بها أَفْنَيْتُ حِنَّاءَ كَفِّه

The kisses faded not his rosy cheek

But through them my palm's henna paled away

ودينارُ خدٍّ قد كنزت لأَنَّني

عليه بخيلٌ لستُ أَسْخُو بصرفه

The gold coin of his cheek I hoarded

For I'm miserly, freely I do not spend it

وسلطانُ حسنٍ بل إِمامُ مَلاحةٍ

إِذا أَمَّ صلَّى الحسنُ مِن خَلْفِ صفِّه

The sultan of beauty, the imam of charm

When beauty prays, its loveliness leads the ranks

يكادُ وإِنِّي قد أَكادُ إِذا بدا

أَذوبُ لحُزْنيَ أَو يذوبُ لِطَرْفِه

I all but melt from sadness or from his glance

Yet his eyelid denies such weakness coyly

ويَجْحَدُ ضعَف الجفنِ منه تدللاً

وكَسرةُ ذاك الجفن عُنوانُ ضَعْفِه

That broken lid reveals his frailty

I sipped a cup that almost from my waist

رَشفْتُ رُضَاباً كدت من خَصَري به

أُفارق نَفْساً طالبتْني برشْفه

Parted my soul called to its draft