قصُرَتْ شنطفٌ وقلَّتْ وذلَّتْ

قصُرَتْ شنطفٌ وقلَّتْ وذلَّتْ

غيرَ بظر تجرُّه كالطِّحالِ

غيرَ بظر تجرُّه كالطِّحالِ

Shantaf has shrunk, dwindled, and been abased,

Her purse shrank, diminished, and declined,

Save for a clitoris she drags like a spleen.

Nothing left but a swollen clitoris to pull along.

ضُيِّقتْ عينُها ووُسِّع فُوها

ضُيِّقتْ عينُها ووُسِّع فُوها

ومشقُّ استِها وثَقبُ المبال

ومشقُّ استِها وثَقبُ المبال

Her eye was narrowed and her mouth widened,

Her eye narrowed and her mouth gaped wide,

As were the cleft of her arse and her urinary opening.

The gap of her legs and the hole of her anus laid bare.

فهي شيءٌ كأنّما صاغهُ اللَّ

فهي شيءٌ كأنّما صاغهُ اللَّ

هُ لصفع القفا وقفدِ القذال

هُ لصفع القفا وقفدِ القذال

So she is a thing seemingly fashioned by God

She's a sight, as if molded by the Maker

For slapping the nape and cuffing the back of the head.

To slap cheeks and couple with the wretched.

وهي تختالُ بين بُرقعِ قبحٍ

وهي تختالُ بين بُرقعِ قبحٍ

وقميصٍ من الضَّنى والهزالِ

وقميصٍ من الضَّنى والهزالِ

And she struts between a veil of ugliness

Strutting about in a gown of ugliness

And a shirt of wasting sickness and emaciation.

And a shift of distress and emaciation.

وإذا ما تنادرتْ رخُصَ الثل

وإذا ما تنادرتْ رخُصَ الثل

جُ وأضحى فحمُ الغضا وهْو غالِ

جُ وأضحى فحمُ الغضا وهْو غالِ

Whenever she cracks a joke, snow grows cheap,

When cheap dates are handed around

And ghada charcoal grows costly.

She grabs the burnt ember though it's expensive.

قردةٌ نردةٌ نواةٌ حصاةٌ

قردةٌ نردةٌ نواةٌ حصاةٌ

بومةٌ ثومةٌ عظامٌ بوالي

بومةٌ ثومةٌ عظامٌ بوالي

A she-monkey, a die, a date-stone, a pebble,

An ape, a sow, a kernel, a pebble,

An owl, a garlic bulb, worn-out bones.

An owl, a garlic clove, just skin and bones.

لو غدا طولُ بظرِها لقناةِ ال

لو غدا طولُ بظرِها لقناةِ ال

ظهرِ منها لألحقتْ بالطوالِ

ظهرِ منها لألحقتْ بالطوالِ

If the length of her clitoris were given to the column of her

If her clitoris were to extend to the canal

Back, she would be counted among the tall.

Of her back, it would join the tall.

بنتُ سبعين بل ثمانين بل تس

بنتُ سبعين بل ثمانين بل تس

عينَ بل ضعفُها من الأحوالِ

عينَ بل ضعفُها من الأحوالِ

Seventy years old—no, eighty—no,

A woman of seventy, no, eighty, no, ninety years old,

Ninety—no, twice that many years.

Nay, twice as much from her condition I'm told.

ضامرٌ وجهُ طيزها غيرَ تركي

ضامرٌ وجهُ طيزها غيرَ تركي

يٍ ولكن ينموزجيُّ السُّؤال

يٍ ولكن ينموزجيُّ السُّؤال

The face of her arse is gaunt—not Turkish,

Withered is the face of her bottom, not Turkish

But typical of beggars.

But wrinkled with questioning.

صاح بي عُمرُها وقد غازلتني

صاح بي عُمرُها وقد غازلتني

لا تُعرِّجْ بدارسِ الأطلال

لا تُعرِّجْ بدارسِ الأطلال

Her age cried out to me as she flirted with me:

Her age shouted at me as I flirted,

"Do not linger at effaced ruins."

"Do not loiter in the ruins!"

طالبتني بأن أنيك وما القِر

طالبتني بأن أنيك وما القِر

دُ ولو حلّ نيكهُ بحلالِ

دُ ولو حلّ نيكهُ بحلالِ

She demanded that I fuck her; yet a monkey,

She asked me to fuck her, but I won't sully

Even if fucking it were lawful, is not lawful.

My cock, even if she offered it free.

قلتُ ميلي إلى القرودِ بصُغْرٍ

قلتُ ميلي إلى القرودِ بصُغْرٍ

ليس لفْقُ النِّكالِ غيرَ النكالِ

ليس لفْقُ النِّكالِ غيرَ النكالِ

I said: "Turn abjectly to the monkeys;

I said, "My taste tends toward little monkeys,

A scourge's only mate is another scourge."

For the act of fucking is nothing but fucking."

قالت الخَلقُ كلُّهم قد قَلَوْنِي

قالت الخَلقُ كلُّهم قد قَلَوْنِي

قلتُ أعييتِ حيلةَ المحتالِ

قلتُ أعييتِ حيلةَ المحتالِ

She said: "People—all of them—have come to hate me."

She said, "All people call me beautiful."

I said: "You have exhausted the schemer's ingenuity."

I said, "You've exhausted the tricks of tricksters."