أَعْرِفُ يَا سَيِّدَتِي غَادَةً

ذِكْرُ اسْمِهَا يُغْنِي عَنِ النَّعْتِ

I know, my lady Ghada,

Mentioning her name is enough to describe her.

لَهَا مُحَيَّا كَمُحَيَّا الضُّحَى

أَوْ كَمُحَيَّاكِ إِذَا بِنْتِ

She has a smile like the smile of dawn,

Or like your smile when you grin.

وَقَدُّهَا الْعَادِلُ فِي مَيْلِهَا

كَقَدِّكِ الْعَادِلِ إِنْ مِلْتِ

Her height, upright in its tilt,

Is like your height when you lean.

أَوَّلُ حَرْفٍ مِنْ حُرُوفِ اسْمِهَا

أَوَّلُ حَرْفٍ قَدْ تَعَلَّمْتِ

The first letter of her name

Is the first letter you learned.

وَحَرْفُهُ الثَّانِي كَنَقْطِ النَّدَى

مُنْعَقَدَ التَّاجِ مِنَ النَّبْتِ

And its second letter is like a drop of dew

Forming a crown of plants.

وَحَرْفُهُ الثَّالِثُ إِنْ شِئْتِهِ

ضَمِيرَ وَصْلٍ كَانَ مَا شِئْتِ

And its third letter, if you wish,

Is a conjunction as you wish.

فَمَا الَّذِي أَلْغَزْتُ فِيهِ وَمَنْ

فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَصْفِ تَبَيَّنتِ

So what have I rhymed about and who

In that description did you recognize?

فَقَالَتِ الخَوْدُ وَقَدْ رَابَهَا

لأَنْتَ أَدْرَى قُلْتُ بَلْ أَنْتِ

She said, confused, “But you know more - say it!”

I said “No, it is you.”