1. وَيلِي من الرَّشأ الّذي

    سُلْطانُه في المقُلْتينِ

    Woe is me for the young gazelle whose

    dominion lies in his two eyes.

  2. لم تَستَطِعْه مَلافِظي

    فشكَتْ إِلى عينيهِ عيني

    My words could not win him over,

    so my eye complained to his eyes.

  3. فاعتلّ عِلّة خائفٍ

    وشكا مَلامَ العاذِلَين

    So he pleaded the excuse of one afraid,

    and complained of the two reproachers' blame.

  4. ثم استهلّت عينُه

    في وجنتَيهِ بِدَمْعَتين

    Then his eye welled up

    with two tears upon his cheeks.

  5. فكأنّما في خدّه

    ذهبٌ يَذوبُ على لُجَين

    So it was as though upon his cheek

    gold were melting over silver.

  6. فضممُته ولثمتُه

    وأخذْتُ من خدّيه دَيْني

    So I embraced him and kissed him,

    and took from his cheeks my due.

  7. ولقد سألتُ مُعَذَّبي

    يومَ التفرُّقِ قُبْلَتَينِ

    And indeed I asked my tormented beloved

    for two kisses on the day of parting,

  8. وكنَنْتُها في عينِه

    خوفَ الرَّقيبِ بلَحْظِ عَيني

    and hid my plea in his eye,

    for fear of the watcher, with a glance of my eye.

  9. فأجابني إِن شئتَ أن

    تَحظَى بقَطْفِ الوَجْنتَينِ

    Then he answered me: 'If you wish to

    have the good fortune to pluck both cheeks,

  10. فاقطِفهُما بين الرَّقِي

    بِ وبين لحظِ الحاسِديَن

    then pluck them between the watch-

    er and the two enviers' gaze.'