زُوِّج شيخ لنا عجوزاً

زُوِّج شيخ لنا عجوزاً

تُزهَى بطست لها وتَوْرِ

تُزهَى بطست لها وتَوْرِ

An old man of ours was married to an old woman.

An old hag was married to our sheikh

She prides herself on a washbasin and a bowl of her own.

Adorned with a gown and veil

تُنزِّه الطرف في ذُراها

تُنزِّه الطرف في ذُراها

فلا ترى ثَم غير ثورِ

فلا ترى ثَم غير ثورِ

You let your gaze wander over her heights,

She averts her eyes demurely

and see nothing there but a bull.

Seeing naught but oxen

قد بارها الدهرُ كلَّ بور

قد بارها الدهرُ كلَّ بور

وبارت الدهرَ كل بورِ

وبارت الدهرَ كل بورِ

Time has put her through every trial,

Time has rained misfortunes on her

and she has put Time through every trial.

And she has rained misfortunes on time

دارت تعاويذُها قديماً

دارت تعاويذُها قديماً

في الحَزْن والسهل كلَّ دور

في الحَزْن والسهل كلَّ دور

Her charms made the rounds long ago,

Her spells once circulated

through rough ground and level, on every circuit.

In sorrow and plain, every house

مُلظّةً بالطريق تَهدى

مُلظّةً بالطريق تَهدى

في كل نَجْد وكل غور

في كل نَجْد وكل غور

Ever clinging to the road, she makes her way

Surly on the road she is led

through every highland and every lowland.

In every valley and every barren land

قد أنعلتْ خُفَّها بزوجٍ

قد أنعلتْ خُفَّها بزوجٍ

ولفَّفت رأسها بكَور

ولفَّفت رأسها بكَور

She has shod her hoof with a pair of sandals,

She has shod her shoes with a husband

and wrapped her head in a turban-coil.

And wrapped her head with a veil

تزعم تعويذها شفاء

تزعم تعويذها شفاء

من كل برد وكل فور

من كل برد وكل فور

She claims her charm is a cure

She claims her spell brings healing

for every chill and every fever.

From all cold and all fever

وشيخنا مُحرِزٌ جَداها

وشيخنا مُحرِزٌ جَداها

في كل حال وكل طور

في كل حال وكل طور

And our old man secures her bounty

And our sheikh guards her honor

in every circumstance and every phase.

In every state and every occasion

تمور أكسابُها عليه

تمور أكسابُها عليه

إذا التوى الكسبُ كلَّ مور

إذا التوى الكسبُ كلَّ مور

Her earnings surge upon him

Her livelihood preys on him

when earning grows difficult, in full spate.

When earnings twist every path

حتى إذا ضاجعتْه ليلاً

حتى إذا ضاجعتْه ليلاً

وصافحت زَوره بزور

وصافحت زَوره بزور

Until, when she lay with him at night

Until she lies with him at night

and pressed her chest to his,

And greets his organs with hers

أدلتْ إلى شِدقه لساناً

أدلتْ إلى شِدقه لساناً

ما هو إلا طِحال ثَورِ

ما هو إلا طِحال ثَورِ

she lowered a tongue toward the corner of his mouth—

She extends to his cheek a tongue

nothing but a bull's spleen.

That is but the tripe of an ox

وابتلعتْ أيرهُ بطيزٍ

وابتلعتْ أيرهُ بطيزٍ

ما هو إلا غِمار هَورِ

ما هو إلا غِمار هَورِ

And she swallowed his cock with an arse—

And swallows his member in a rear

nothing but the deep waters of a marsh.

That is but the grime of a mule

فالعدل منها عليه جَور

فالعدل منها عليه جَور

قاتلها الله أيُّ جور

قاتلها الله أيُّ جور

So her fairness toward him is injustice;

So the justice from her is tyranny

may God strike her down—what injustice!

May God destroy her, what tyranny

وحاله الحورُ بعد كورٍ

وحاله الحورُ بعد كورٍ

في ذاك لا الكور بعد حور

في ذاك لا الكور بعد حور

And his lot is unwinding after winding,

And his state is maidens after crones

in that—not winding after unwinding.

In that neither crones nor maidens

أشهدُ إن لم ترح وتغدو

أشهدُ إن لم ترح وتغدو

جليس قعقاعٍ بنِ شور

جليس قعقاعٍ بنِ شور

I swear: unless you go, evening and morning,

I bear witness if you do not depart and be gone

as Qaʿqāʿ ibn Shawr's companion,

You will dwell with Kaka'i son of Shaur

لتَسكننَّ الثرى وشيكاً

لتَسكننَّ الثرى وشيكاً

أو لَتموتَنّ خلف سور

أو لَتموتَنّ خلف سور

you will surely dwell in the dust before long,

You will soon inhabit the earth

or you will surely die behind a wall.

Or you will die behind a wall