An Eye for an Eye

From the diwan "al-Manaqir," to appear shortly

Where, O Hind, where in your absence shall I find
a maiden who loves with two tearful eyes?
Among the throngs of girls and gazelles
few are they who know how to speak with an eye.
If she deems our meetings too many,
in a whole month she grants not even two glances;
and if I reckon up my wealth with her,
I am a bankrupt in my fortune, empty-handed.

★

What soul, like my soul, draws its sustenance
in the orchards of love from a pair of winks?
And girls are fruit for love —
every branch is laden with twins.

★

We, O Hind, follow the religion of love:
our law is cash, while people's religion is credit.
We have accepted the religion of Moses as revealed truth —
so accept its verse: an eye for an eye.