للّه لذة أوقات نعمت بها

بالبسط دهرا على بسط من الزهر

God, what delight in the hours I enjoyed,

long in merriment upon carpets of flowers!

يروق مغتبقا كأسي ومصطبحا

ولم ازل اصل الآصال بالبكر

My cup delighted me as I drank at dusk and dawn,

and I never ceased joining evenings to mornings,

حيث الشهاب واثواب الصبا جدد

والعيش حلو الجنى صاف بلا كدر

where the bright flame and the robes of youth were new,

and life was sweet of fruit, clear and untroubled.

وفتية من بني الاتراك ما سفرت

الا وآذن بدر التم بالسفر

And a young woman of Turkish lineage—never did she unveil

but the full moon announced its departure.

وما بدت بصباح الثغر باسمة

الا وقد قميص الليل من دبر

Nor did she appear smiling, with the dawn of her mouth,

but night's shirt was torn from behind.

لا تستطيع اليها العين تنظرها

كالشمس تحجب رائيها عن النظر

The eye cannot look upon her;

like the sun, she bars her beholder from gazing.

ازرت بيان النقا لينا معاطفها

وعفرت في وجوه الكنس العفر

Her curves outdid the [bān-trees] of the dunes in suppleness,

and cast dust in the faces of tawny, sheltering gazelles.

رشيقة القد ترنو من لواحظها

وقدّها يا حياء البيض والسمر

Slender of figure, she gazes from the corners of her eyes;

and her figure—how it shames bright swords and brown spears!

رخيمة الدل يغني حسن منطقها

وثغرها لك عن كأس وعن وتر

Gentle in her coquetry, her lovely speech suffices,

as does her mouth, in place of cup and lute-string for you.

تبرقعت برداء الحسن واتشعت

بحندس الشعر واستغنت عن الخمر

She veiled herself in beauty's mantle and [wrapped herself]

in the pitch-darkness of her hair, needing no veils.

قوامها باعتدال قد غدا الفا

في غاية الحسن بين الطول والقصر

Her well-proportioned figure has become an alif,

at beauty's utmost, between tallness and shortness.

صغيرة السن بالالباب عابثة

اتى بها الحسن من آياتها الكبر

Young in years, she toys with minds;

Beauty brought her forth as one of her greatest marvels.

لو لم تكن من ذوات الخدر اذ نفرت

لقلت ما هذه يوما من البشر

Had she not been one of the secluded women when she shied away,

I would have said, 'She is no human creature at all.'

يا قاتل الله عذالي بها فلقد

لاموا فباؤوا بذنب غير مغتفر

Oh, may God slay my reproachers over her! For indeed,

they blamed me and so incurred an unforgivable sin.

قالوا سواها لو استبدلت قلت لهم

نعم تبدلت بالاسقام والغير

They said, 'If only you chose someone else!' I told them:

'Yes—I exchanged her for sickness and misfortune.'