يا قومُ ما أَغْيرَ قوم الذي

دموعُ عَيْنيَ فيه مُرْفَضَّهْ

O people, how strange are the people who

My tears before them are shed in vain

لما رَأَوْا خاتَمَهُ أَصفراً

والتِّبْرُ فيه صفرةٌ مَحْضَهْ

When they saw his ring was yellow

And pure yellow saffron it did contain

غارُوا وظنُّوا أَنه عاشِقٌ

فصيِّروا خاتَمَهُ فِضَّهْ

They were upset and thought he was a lover

So they tried to break his ring in twain

دَعْهُمْ وما شاءُوا فكم لي بِهِ

من ليلةٍ بالوَصْلِ مُبْيَضَّهْ

Leave them be, whatever they desired

For I have with it many a night lain

أَجْني بها نَرْجسَةً لم تَزَلْ

ذابِلةً أَو وردةً غَضَّهْ

That I plucked a narcissus in full bloom

A rosebud red, not yet in wane

وعضةٌ أَمْحُو بها غُضَّةً

وقبلةٌ أَمْحُو بِها عَضَّهْ

A bite I erased with it, and a kiss

I erased its pain and bane