عِنْدي لأضْيَافي إذا اشتدَّ السَّغَبْ

قَطَائِفٌ مثلُ أَضَابيرِ الكُتُبْ

When hardship befalls my guests

I have delicacies like book covers

كأنّهُ إذا تَبَدَّى من كَثَبْ

كَوَائِرُ النّحْلِ بَيَاضاً وثُقَبْ

As though when he comes out from hiding

Like the cell of a bee, white and hollow

قد مَجَّ دُهْنَ اللَّوْزِ مما قَدْ شَرِبْ

وابتَلَّ ممّا عامَ فيهِ وَرَسَبْ

Filled with almonds from what was drunk

And soaked from what years were spent therein

وجاءَ ماءُ الوَرْدِ فيهِ وَذَهَبْ

وغابَ في السُّكَّرِ عَنّا واحْتَجَبْ

And the rose water entered it and vanished

And disappeared into the sugar from us and was veiled

فَهُوَ عَلَيْه حَبَبٌ فوق حَبَبْ

مدرّجٌ كَمِثْلِ تَدْرِيجُ الكُتُبْ

So it is layered upon it, layer over layer

Arranged like the pages of books

إذا رآه والهُ القلب طَرِبْ

أَطْيَبُ منه أنْ أَرَاهُ يَنْتَهِبْ

When one sees it and his heart flutters from it

Nothing is sweeter than to see him stealing it away

كل امرئٍ لذَّتْهُ فيمَا أَحَبْ

Everyone finds their pleasure in what they love