لَوَت راحَتَيها حَولَ وَشيٍ وَغالَطَت

لَوَت راحَتَيها حَولَ وَشيٍ وَغالَطَت

بِأَن خَضَبَت حِنّاءها بِسَوادِ

بِأَن خَضَبَت حِنّاءها بِسَوادِ

She curled her palms around embroidery and sought to mislead

Her arms encircled a willowy form, deceiving herself

by claiming she had dyed her henna black.

That she dyed her henna black from my dark complexion.

وَمَا لُوِيَت إِلا عَلى حَشوِ أَضلُعِي

وَمَا لُوِيَت إِلا عَلى حَشوِ أَضلُعِي

وَلا خُضِبَت إِلا بِكَفِّ سُهادِي

وَلا خُضِبَت إِلا بِكَفِّ سُهادِي

Yet they were curled only around what fills my ribs,

Yet she leaned only on my ribs’ enclosure,

and dyed only by the palm of my sleeplessness.

And dyed it only with my palm’s pigment.

وَإِلا فَفي وَشيِ البَنانِ تَلَفَّتوا

وَإِلا فَفي وَشيِ البَنانِ تَلَفَّتوا

بَياضَ وِدادي أَو سَوادَ فُؤادي

بَياضَ وِدادي أَو سَوادَ فُؤادي

Otherwise, look in the embroidery of her fingertips

Else the willows of Bana would have twisted

for the whiteness of my love or the blackness of my heart.

The white of my love or the black of my heart.