أَنت الأَخيرُ هوىً وأَنت الأَولُ

فلذاكَ أَنت عَلى الملاحِ مفَضَّلُ

You are the last love and the first

Thus you are preferred over all

أَنت الحبيبُ محبَّةً لا تَنْتهي

ولها عليكَ ولايةٌ لا تُعزَل

You are the beloved, a love that has no end

With authority over you that cannot be removed

ما الشمسُ حُمْرةُ خَدّها من حُسْنِهَا

لكم تَرَاكَ كما أَرَاكَ فَتَخْجَلُ

The redness of the sun's cheek is not from its beauty

As much as seeing you it becomes shy

لَوْ جُدْت لي بالنَّفْس منك لقلتُ من

شَرَهِ المحبَّة إِنَّهُ لمُبَخلُ

If I possessed a soul for you I would say who

Dislikes intense love he is certainly stingy

وَجْدِي وَوَجْدُ سِوايَ فيكَ تفاوَتَا

إِنِّي أَجِدُّ وإِنَّ غَيْرِيَ يَهْزلُ

My passion and another's passion for you differ

I passionately love while another jest

كلُّ الخُدودِ مِنَ العيونِ صبابةً

تُسْقَى بماءٍ واحدٍ وتفَضَّلُ

All cheeks are watered by the eyes

With one water yet they differ

يا راقدَ الأَجْفَانِ جَفْني ساهرٌ

بل يا قصيرَ الوَصْلِ لَيْليَ أَطول

O you with closed eyelids while my eyelids are awake

Or rather O brief union my night is longer

ومُهدِّدِي بالقَتْلِ حَيْثُ جُنُودُهُ

لفْظٌ يَقُولُ ولحظُ طَرْفٍ يَفْعَلُ

And threatening me with death though his soldiers

Are but words that speak and a glance that acts

ما لحظُهُ سَهْمٌ وَقَلْبي مَقْتَلٌ

بَلْ كُلُّهُ سَهْمٌ وَكُلِّيَ مَقْتَلُ

His glance is an arrow and my heart a slaughter

No, all is arrows and all mine is slaughter

لأَبَحْتَ سَفْكَ دَمي وذَاك محرّمٌ

وَمَنَعْتَ عَذْبَ لَمَاكَ وَهْو مُحَلَّلُ

You forbid shedding my blood though forbidden

And prevent tasting your sweetness though permissible

وَوَحَقِّ عِقْدِكَ عِقْدِ ثَغْرِكِ إِنَّني

سأُعِيدُهُ باللَّثْمِ وهْوَ مُفَصّلُ

By the pact of your mouth's pact if I

Return it with a kiss it is dissolved

لَيَقِلُّ فِكْري إِنَّهُ لَكَ مَعْبَرٌ

وَيَقِلُّ قلْبي إِنه لَكَ مَنْزِلُ

My thoughts of you are a crossing

And my heart for you is a dwelling