أقول لقومٍ لا تقيد نصيحتي

أقول لقومٍ لا تقيد نصيحتي

لديهم ولو أبديت كل الأدلة

لديهم ولو أبديت كل الأدلة

I speak to a people who take no note of my counsel,

I speak to people who do not heed my advice,

I speak to a people with whom my advice holds no weight,

even if I set forth all the proofs before them.

Though I present every proof.

Even though I have displayed every proof before them.

ألا فاتركوا ورد الخدود وشأنه

ألا فاتركوا ورد الخدود وشأنه

فتخديدكم في الخد أقبحُ فعلة

فتخديدكم في الخد أقبحُ فعلة

Take heed: leave the rose of the cheeks alone.

Oh, leave off plucking the roses of your cheeks,

Come now, leave the roses of the cheeks alone,

For your scoring of the cheek is the ugliest deed.

For your tweezing is the ugliest deed.

For your furrowing of the cheek is the ugliest of deeds.

أيعمد ذو لبّ لخدّ مورّد

أيعمد ذو لبّ لخدّ مورّد

ويقسمه عمداً إلى شرّ قسمة

ويقسمه عمداً إلى شرّ قسمة

Would someone of sound mind turn to a rosy cheek

Does one with a blooming cheek

Would a man of intellect target a rosy cheek,

and deliberately divide it in the worst of ways?

Deliberately divide it into the evilest halves?

And deliberately divide it in the worst of ways?

ومادحُ شرط الخدّ في السود صادقٌ

ومادحُ شرط الخدّ في السود صادقٌ

وأما بخد البيض فالقبح عمدتي

وأما بخد البيض فالقبح عمدتي

And whoever praises cheek incisions on the dark-skinned speaks truly;

One who praises dimpled cheeks speaks truthfully of dark cheeks,

He who praises the scar upon dark skin speaks the truth,

but on the cheeks of the fair-skinned, I maintain it is ugly.

But for fair cheeks, ugliness is my point.

But on the cheek of the fair, I maintain it is sheer ugliness.

أما يختشي من أن يكون مخدّدا

أما يختشي من أن يكون مخدّدا

ويدخل في من حاز أفظع قولة

ويدخل في من حاز أفظع قولة

Does he not fear becoming scarred,

Does he not fear becoming one who plucks out hairs,

Does he not fear that he himself might be scarred,

and joining those who have received the harshest words?

And counted among those of the most heinous words?

And fall among those who bear the most dreadful reputation?

فباللحظ لا الموسى تخدّشُ وجنةٌ

فباللحظ لا الموسى تخدّشُ وجنةٌ

فيا ويلتا منه ويا طول حسرتي

فيا ويلتا منه ويا طول حسرتي

For a cheek is grazed by a glance, not a razor.

With gazing, not tweezers, a cheek is scratched,

For it is by the glance, not the razor, that a cheek should be scratched;

So woe is me because of it, and how lasting my sorrow!

Oh what misery for him! Oh how long my sorrow!

So woe is me because of it, and how long is my sorrow!

وإني لأهوى كلّ خدّ مورّدٍ

وإني لأهوى كلّ خدّ مورّدٍ

زها قطّ لم يمسسه موسى بخدشة

زها قطّ لم يمسسه موسى بخدشة

And truly I love every rosy cheek

Indeed, I love every blooming cheek

For indeed, I love every rosy cheek

that has blossomed, never touched by a razor's scratch.

That a tweezer has never touched with a scratch.

That glows radiant, never touched by a razor's scratch.