وَزَائِرِ والعُيُونُ هَاجِعَةٌ

وَقَلْبُهُ مِنْ رَقِيْبِهِ جَزِعُ

Many a visitor, while all eyes lay sleeping—

his heart quaking at his watcher—

مُنَغِّصٌ وَصْلَهُ بِحِشْمَتِهِ

يَعْتَدِلُ اليَأْسُ فِيْهِ والطَّمَعُ

his bashful reserve thwarting union,

with despair and hope evenly balanced within him.

كَانَتْ شِفَائِي مِنْ خَدِّهِ قُبَلٌ

لَوْ جَادَ أَوْ مِنْ رُضَابِهِ جُرَعُ

Kisses from his cheek would have been my cure,

had he bestowed them—or draughts of his saliva.

فَبَاتَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ أَمَلٌ

دُونَ الذِي رُمْتُ مِنْهُ مُنْقَطَعُ

So a hope spent the night between me and him,

cut off short of what I sought from him.

يُدْنِي لِلَثْمِي ريَاضَ وَجْنَتِهِ

طَوْرَاً وَيَبْدُو لَهُ فَيَمْتَنِعُ

He brings the gardens of his cheek near for me to kiss

one moment; then another thought occurs to him, and he holds back—

كَأَنَّهُ مُزْنَةٌ مُخَتَّلةٌ

تُسِفُّ لِلْقَطْرِ ثُمَّ تَنْقَشِعُ

as though he were a proud, strutting rain cloud,

hanging low with rain, then dispersing.