1. تَأتي الدَلالَ سَجِيَّةً وَتَصَنُّعاً

    وَأَراكَ في حالَي دَلالِكَ مُبدِعا

    You practise coquetry by nature and by artifice,

    And I find you masterful in both forms of your coquetry.

  2. تِه كَيفَ شِئتَ فَما الجَمالُ بِحاكِمٍ

    حَتّى يُطاعَ عَلى الدَلالِ وَيُسمَعا

    Be haughty as you wish, for beauty is no sovereign

    Until it is obeyed and heeded, despite its coquetry.

  3. لَكَ أَن يُرَوِّعَكَ الوُشاةُ مِنَ الهَوى

    وَعَلَيَّ أَن أَهوى الغَزالَ مُرَوَّعا

    You may let tale-bearers frighten you away from love,

    And I must love the gazelle, frightened as it is.

  4. قالوا لَقَد سَمِعَ الغَزالُ لِمَن وَشى

    وَأَقولُ ما سَمِعَ الغَزالُ وَلا وَعى

    They said, “The gazelle has indeed listened to the tale-bearer.”

    And I say, “The gazelle neither listened nor understood.”

  5. أَنا مَن يُحِبُّكَ في نِفارِكَ مُؤنِساً

    وَيُحِبُّ تيهَكَ في نِفارِكَ مَطمَعا

    I am the one who loves you, finding comfort even in your flight,

    And loves your haughtiness, finding hope even in your flight.

  6. قَدَّمتُ بَينَ يَدَيَّ أَيّامَ الهَوى

    وَجَعَلتُها أَمَلاً عَلَيكَ مُضَيَّعا

    I set the days of love before me,

    And made them a hope squandered on you.

  7. وَصَدَقتُ في حُبّي فَلَستُ مُبالِياً

    أَن أُمنَحَ الدُنيا بِهِ أَو أُمنَعا

    And I have been true in my love, so I do not care

    Whether through it I am granted the world or denied it.

  8. يا مَن جَرى مِن مُقلَتَيهِ إِلى الهَوى

    صِرفاً وَدارَ بِوَجنَتَيهِ مُشعشَعا

    O you, from whose eyes wine flowed into love,

    Unmixed, and through whose cheeks it coursed, diluted:

  9. اللَهَ في كَبِدٍ سَقَيتَ بِأَربَعٍ

    لَو صَبَّحوا رَضوى بِها لَتَصَدَّعا

    For God's sake, spare a liver you have plied with four [cups];

    If they gave Radwa these to drink at dawn, it would surely split apart.