ياO فِلقَcleft فَمٍof a mouth كشقَّةٍlike a slit فيin شَعرَهa hair
يا فِلقَ فَمٍ كشقَّةٍ في شَعرَه
لاNo قلتI said كمنlike one who أَنعمdirected intently فيهِat it نظرَهhis gaze
لا قلت كمن أَنعم فيهِ نظرَه
O cleft of a mouth, like a slit in a hair!
No—I spoke as one who had looked closely at it.
قَدindeed قلتI said وَدونand beneath صِغرِهِits smallness الخَطُّthe line of facial down بَداappeared
قَد قلت وَدون صِغرِهِ الخَطُّ بَدا
ماnot الواحِدُthe one منof حسنكyour beauty إِلّاexcept عَشَرَهten
ما الواحِدُ من حسنك إِلّا عَشَرَه
I said, as the line of down appeared beneath that tiny mouth:
In your beauty, ‘one’ is nothing but ‘ten.’