ياO منyou whom لهfor him قلبيmy heart أحبloves
يا من له قلبي أحب
حيثsince حوىhe possessed فنّthe art الأدبliterature
حيث حوى فنّ الأدب
O you whom my heart loves,
O you who has my heart's love
For he possesses the art of letters.
Where literature's art resides
عنديI have هناhere عويصةa difficult riddle
عندي هنا عويصة
عمَّيتُI obscured عنهاconcerning it لسببfor a reason
عمَّيتُ عنها لسبب
I have a difficult riddle here,
I was blind to it for a reason
Which I have obscured for a reason.
He rose proudly with his head
بَزّcloth رقىrose برأسهwith its head
بَزّ رقى برأسه
عجباًin conceit وتيهاًand in arrogance فانقلبso it turned over
عجباً وتيهاً فانقلب
Cloth rose headfirst,
Amazingly confused, so he turned
In conceit and arrogance, then turned over.
While she, with a whole heart
وهيand it بقلبٍby reversing كلِّهِall of it
وهي بقلبٍ كلِّهِ
فرأسهso its head صارbecame الذنبthe tail
فرأسه صار الذنب
And it lies in reversing the whole of it:
His head became the tail
So its head became the tail.
Partial English translation: 7 of 8 Arabic lines translated.