وَنَظرَةُ عَين تَعلّلتُها

وَنَظرَةُ عَين تَعلّلتُها

حذاراً كَما نَظَر الأَحوَلُ

حذاراً كَما نَظَر الأَحوَلُ

And with a fleeting glance I consoled myself,

And a glance of the eye in which I sought solace,

A glance from an eye I made excuses for

warily, as a cross-eyed man looks:

warily, as a cross-eyed man looks;

Beware, as the cross-eyed one glanced

تَقَسَّمتُها بَينَ وَجه الحَبيب

تَقَسَّمتُها بَينَ وَجه الحَبيب

وَطَرف الرَقيب مَتى يَغفَلُ

وَطَرف الرَقيب مَتى يَغفَلُ

I divided it between the beloved’s face

I divided it between the beloved's face

I divided it between the face of the beloved

and the watcher’s eye, to see when he might look away.

and the watcher's eye, to see when he would become inattentive.

And the gaze of the watcher, lest he be distracted