جاء مع الفجر وفي طرفه

بقية الأحلام من ليلته

He came with dawn, and in his gaze

lingered remnants of his night's dreams.

يختال فيها وهو دار بما

يصمي قلوب الناس من خطرته

He struts amid them, knowing how

his swaying gait slays people's hearts.

لو أنه يمشي على خافقي

لما أحس القلب من رقته

If he walked upon my beating heart,

the heart would not feel him, so gentle is he.

لكن سيف اللحظ من جفنه

أمضى من الصمصام في فتكته

But the sword of the glance from his eyelid

is deadlier in its strike than a keen-edged sword.

قد عيل صبري في هوى أغيدٍ

الضعف والقوة من عدّته

My patience is spent in love for a graceful youth;

weakness and strength are among his weapons.

رفقاً حبيب الروح هذا مدى

ما يفتن الزاهد عن خطته

Be gentle, beloved of my soul! This is the extent

of what lures the ascetic from his course.

انكرت فعل السحر دهراً وقد

آمنت بالسحر لدن رؤيته

For ages I denied the workings of magic, yet

I believed in magic the moment I saw him.

أهدي إلينا نرجسا طيبا

وقد تلقى الطيب من راحته

He gave us a fragrant narcissus,

and it had received its fragrance from his palm.

عبيره من عطر أنفاسه

ولونه الفاتن من مقلته

Its fragrance comes from the perfume of his breath,

and its enchanting color from his eye.

ماذا عسى نجزيه عن فضله

وهذه الأرواح في قبضته

How might we repay him for his generosity,

when these souls are in his grasp?

فدى لعينيه نفوس الورى

فالعالمُ الساحر من فتنته

Let the souls of humankind be ransom for his eyes,

for the world's enchantment springs from his charm.

أولعتُ بالحسن فتياً وإن

شبت فلن أنجو من ريقته

I was enamored of beauty as a youth, and even if

I grow gray, I shall never escape his saliva.