Yes, Leila, I swore by the fire of thine eyes
I ne'er could a sweetness unvaried endure;
The bubbles of spirit, that sparkling arise,
Forbid life to stagnate, and render it pure.
But yet, my dear maid, tho' thy spirit's my pride,
I'd wish for some sweetness to temper the bowl;
If life ne'er be suffer'd to rest or subside.
It may not be vapid, but won't it be foul?
Nahegat Ben Jaid (542 - 662) Saudi Arabia
Translated by Joseph Dacre Carlyle
Source: Specimens of Arabian poetry, from the earliest time to the extinction of the Khaliphat, with some account of the authors, by Joseph Dacre Carlyle, Lunn, 1796
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