كَانَتْ عُيُونُ الرِّيَبِ السَّاهِرَهْ

تَرْمُقُ تِلْكَ الطِّفْلَةَ الطَّاهِرَهْ

The watchful eyes of suspicion

Gazed upon that pure child

مَنْ هِيَ بِنْتٌ مِنْ بَنَاتِ الأَسَى

مَعْرُوضَةٌ لِلصَّفْقَةِ الخَاسِرَهْ

Who is she, a daughter of sorrow

Offered for the losing deal

يُطْمِعُ فِيهَا حُسْنُهَا وَالصِّبَا

وَالفَاقَةُ العَضَّاضَةُ الكَافِرَهْ

Her beauty and youth tempt

As does poverty, the blasphemous witch

مَا زَالَ غِرّاً قَلْبُهَا لاهِياً

عَمَّا يَهِيجُ الشَّهْوَةَ الخَادِرَهْ

Her heart remained naively distracted

From what excites the dormant lust

أَيْأَسُ مَا سَارَتْ بِأَطْمَارِهَا

لَمْ تَكُ إِلاَّ بَهْجَةً سَائِرَهُ

Does despair accompany her steps?

She was but a lovely passerby

تحِسُّ لِلأَبْصَارِ فِي نَفْسِهَا

وَقْعَ النَّدَى مِنْ نَبْتَةٍ نَاضِرَهْ

She feels in her soul

The soft touch of dew on a flowering plant

وَتَلْتَقِي كُلَّ ابْتِسَامٍ كَمَا

تَلْقَى الشُّعَاعَ الدُّرَّة الزَّاهِرَهْ

And meets each smile

As a pearl receives the brilliant ray

وَتَقْبَلُ المَدْحَ عَلَى أَنَّهُ

مِصْدَاقُ مَا فِي المُقْلَةِ النَّاظِرَهْ

And accepts praise as if

It matched what her watching eyes revealed

جَاهِلَةً مَا فِي قلوبِ الأُولى

تَأْمَنُهُمْ مِنْ شِيمَةٍ غَادِرَهْ

Oblivious to what the experienced hearts

Conceal of villainous traits

لا تُضْمِرُ المِرْآةُ فِي زَعْمِهَا

شَيْئاً وَرَاءَ الصُّورَةِ الظَّاهِرَهْ

The mirror does not, she believes

Hide a thing behind the visible image