1. فَتَقَ الشَبابُ بِوَجنَتَيها وَردَةً

    في فَرعِ إِسحِلَةٍ تَميدُ شَبابا

    Youth opened a rose upon her cheeks,

    On the bough of an isḥil tree swaying with youth.

  2. وَضَحَت سَوالِفُ جيدِها سوسانَةً

    وَتَوَرَّدَت أَطرافُها عُنّابا

    The sides of her neck gleamed white as a lily,

    And her extremities flushed red like jujube berries.

  3. بَيضاءُ فاضَ الحُسنُ ماءً فَوقَها

    وَطَفا بِهِ الدُرُّ النَفيسُ حَبابا

    She was fair-skinned; beauty poured over her like water,

    And precious pearls floated on it as bubbles.

  4. بَينَ النُحورِ قِلادَةً تَحتَ الظَلامِ

    غَمامَةً دونَ الصَباحِ نِقابا

    Among throats, a necklace; beneath the darkness,

    A cloud; before the dawn, a veil.

  5. نادَمتُها لَيلاً وَقَد طَلَعَت بِهِ

    شَمساً وَقَد رَقَّ الشَرابُ سَرابا

    I drank with her by night, when she had risen in it,

    As a sun, while the wine had grown limpid as a mirage.

  6. وَتَرَنَّمَت حَتّى سَمِعتُ حَمامَةً

    حَتّى إِذا حَسَرَت زَجَرتُ غُرابا

    And she sang until I heard a dove,

    Until, when she unveiled herself, I drove off a crow.