1. قالَت لَطيفَ خَيالٍ زارَني وَمَضى

    مُخلِفاً في فُؤادي أَعظَمَ الكَمَدِ

    She said to a phantom vision that visited me and departed,

    Leaving behind the deepest grief in my heart:

  2. إِن كُنتَ حَقّاً لَهُ أَبصَرتَ في سَنِةٍ

    بِاللَهِ صِفهُ وَلا تَنقُص وَلا تَزِدِ

    “If you truly saw him in a doze,

    By God, describe him; leave nothing out and add nothing.”

  3. فَقالَ أَبصَرتَهُ لَو ماتَ مِن ظَمَأ

    عَلى لَهيبٍ جَوى في القَلبِ مُتَّقِدِ

    Then he said, “I saw him: were he to die of thirst,

    With a flame of love’s anguish blazing in his heart,

  4. وَالماءُ أَقرَبُ مِن عَينٍ لِحاجِبِها

    وَقُلتُ قِف عَن وُرودِ الماءِ لَم يُرِدِ

    And water nearer than an eye is to its brow,

    And were I to say, ‘Keep away from the water,’ he would not approach it.”

  5. قالَت صَدَّقتَ وَفاءَ الحُبِّ عادَتَهُ

    وَكَم لَهُ في اِحتِمالِ الوَجدِ مِن جَلَدِ

    She said, “You spoke truly; faithfulness in love is his habit,

    And how much fortitude he has in bearing passionate longing!”

  6. فَقُلتُ وَالشَهدُ مَن فيها يُخَيَّلُ لي

    يا بَردَ هَذا الَّذي قالَت عَلى كَبِدي

    Then I said, imagining honey from her mouth,

    “Oh, how cooling upon my liver are these words she spoke!”