1. سألتُ له اللهَ أن يهدأَ

    فقد تعب العقدُ مِمّا رأى

    I asked God to grant it peace,

    For the necklace was weary of what it had seen.

  2. رفيقٌ لخصركِ ما ينثني

    وكم قصَّرَ العِقدُ، كم أبطأ

    A companion to your waist, never wavering,

    And how often the necklace fell short, how it tarried!

  3. أطال على الصدر تعريجَه

    ودار بكنزين قد خُبِّئا

    It prolonged its detour over the bosom,

    And circled two treasures that had been concealed.

  4. وراح، وجاءَ فلمّا اهتدى

    تَدلّى ولكنّه ألجأ

    It went and came; then, when it found its way,

    It hung down, yet sought refuge.

  5. فيا سِتِّ عفواً، فإن الذي

    تعلّقَ بالصدر ما أخطأ

    So, lady, pardon me, for the one

    Who clung to the bosom did not err.

  6. على ربوتَيْ لذّةٍ، واشتهاءٍ

    أطال الإقامةَ، واستمرأ

    Upon two hills of pleasure and desire,

    It prolonged its stay and relished it,

  7. وعبَّ من الأَرَج العنبريِّ

    مَخافةَ في العمر أن يظمأ

    And drank deeply of the fragrance of ambergris,

    For fear that in its lifetime it might thirst.

  8. وشارفَ عند سقيطِ القميصِ

    نعيمَ العيونِ الذي لألأ

    And, where the shirt fell, it drew near

    The eyes’ delight that glittered.