دع قضْبَ نَعْمَان أَو كُثْبانَ يَبرين

ما قلَّبَ القَلبَ إِلاَّ أَعينُ العِينِ

Let Nu'man's staff or sand dunes delight,

None has tossed my heart but the eyes of eyes.

وقد تعشَّقَ قلبي مَنْ بِنَظْرتِه

يميتُني وبأُخْرى منه يُحْيِيني

And my heart fell in love with one whose glance

Kills me, and with another glance he revives me.

يضنى فؤادي ويُضْني جفنَ مقلتِه

بكسرها فهو يضنِيها ويُضْنِيني

My soul suffers, and the bend of his eyelashes hurts it

By breaking it, so it hurts it, and hurts me.

قد أَشبَه الغُصْنَ في قدٍّ وفي هَيَفٍ

وأَشبَه الرُمْح في لَوْنٍ وفي لِينِ

He resembles a branch in height and slenderness

And resembles a spear in color and softness

قولوا لهُ قد دخلنا رَوْضَ وجنتهِ

مع أَن صُدْغاً عليها مِثْلُ زُرفين

Tell him we entered his garden and meadow

Even though, like a mole, it has something like a gap between the teeth

وقالَ واللْثمُ يَجْني منه وَرْدَتَهُ

إِن كُنْتُ أَجْني عَليْهِ فهوَ يجْنِيني

And he said, while his lips were picking his rose:

"If I pick it, he picks me"

فرَّقْتُ باللَّثم نُونَ الصُّدغ أَو رجعت

نونينِ منه وكان الصدغ كالنُّونِ

I separated the "noon" of the mole, or I returned

My two "noons" from him, and the mole was like the "noon"

ولو شريتُ بِنَفْسِي لَثْمَ مَبْسمِه

لكنْتُ أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي غير مغبون

And if I had bought his smile's kiss with my soul

I would know that I am not cheated

فمٌ كميمٍ وفيهِ سينُ مُبْتَسمٍ

واضيعةَ العقلِ بين الميمِ والسِينِ

A mouth like the letter "meem", and in it a smiling "seen"

And the mind is lost between the "meem" and the "seen"

يُبْدِي التَّبسمُ عِقداً من مُقَبَّله

فلؤلؤُ الثَّغْرِ منه غَيْرُ مَكْنُونِ

The smile shows a string of pearls from his kiss

The pearls of his mouth are not hidden

لو لم تكن فتنةُ المعصومِ طلعتُه

لما بُلِيت بِقَلْبٍ فِيه مفتون

If the beauty of the innocent one had not risen

My heart would not have been afflicted with one smitten

إِنْ رُمْتُ صبراُ فَنفْسِي لا تطاوِعُني

أَو رمت هجراً فَقلْبي لا يخلِّيني

If I try patience, my soul does not obey me

Or if I shun him, my heart does not release me

وإِن رأَيتَ انصرافي في تَعَشُّقِه

تعمّداً فالتَّثَنِّي منه يُثنِيني

And if you see my passion for him

Is intentional, his coyness makes me coy

يا مَنْ أَقام لَنا تصفيفُ طُرَّتهِ

وقائعاً أَذكرتْنا يَومَ صِفِّين

O he whose turban's pleats

Reminded us of the day of martyrdom

إِنِّي لأَحْسدُ عِقداً أَنت لابسُه

وكيفَ يحْظى بذَاك الجيدِ من دُوني

I envy a necklace you are wearing

And how can that neck get it instead of me?

لولاكَ ما قلت يا عَيْني كَذا أَبداً

جُودِي ويا عبراتي هكذا كُوني

If it weren't for you I'd never say this, O my eye

My generosity and my tears, just be this way

وقلت للنَّفْس من وَجْدي من كَلَفي

في الحُبِّ يا نفسُ هُوني في الهوَى هُوني

And I said to my soul, of my love and my affliction

In love, O soul, console me; in passion, console me!