وَمَن لِسَقيمٍ يَكتُمُ الناسَ ما بِهِ

لِزَينَبَ نَجوى صَدرِهِ وَالوَساوِسُ

And who can a sick man tell of his illness

Except for Zainab - confidant of his heart and worries

أَقولُ لِمَن يَبغي الشِفاءَ مَتى تَجِئ

بِزَينَبَ تُدرِك بَعضَ ما أَنتَ لامِسُ

I say to those who seek a cure, when will you come

With Zainab and attain some of what you desire

فَإِنَّكَ إِن لَم تُشفَ مِن سَقَمي

فَإِنِّيَ مِن طِبِّ الأَطِبّاءِ يائِسُ

For if you are not cured of my sickness

Then I despair of the cures of physicians

فَلَستُ بِناسٍ لَيلَةَ الدارِ مَجلِساً

لِزَينَبَ حَتّى يَعلُوَ الرَأسَ رامِسُ

I am not one on the night of parting to sit with a gathering

For Zainab, until my head rests dazed

خَلاءً بَدَت قَمراؤهُ وَتَكَشَّفَت

دُجُنَّتُهُ وَغابَ مَن هُوَ حارِسُ

The quarters appeared like a moon, her coverings lifted

And her guardians disappeared

فَما نِلتَ مِنها مَحرَماً غَيرَ أَنَّنا

كِلانا مِنَ الثَوبِ المُوَرَّدِ لابِسُ

You attained nothing forbidden from her, except that we

Were both clad in purple raiment

نَجِيَّينِ نَقضي اللَهوَ في غَيرِ مَأثَمٍ

وَلَو رُغِمَت مِلكاشِحينَ المَعاطِسُ

Innocently, we whiled away our amusement without sin

Even if the frowning censors sneered