فقدتُكِ يا كنيزةُ كلَّ فقدٍ

فقدتُكِ يا كنيزةُ كلَّ فقدٍ

وذُقتِ الموت أولَ من يموتُ

وذُقتِ الموت أولَ من يموتُ

May I lose you, Kunayza—lose you utterly;

May I lose you utterly, O Kunayza,

and may you taste death, the first of all who die.

And may you taste death, the first of those to die.

فقد أوتيتِ رحبَ فمٍ وفرجٍ

فقد أوتيتِ رحبَ فمٍ وفرجٍ

كأنك من كلا طَرَفَيكِ حُوتُ

كأنك من كلا طَرَفَيكِ حُوتُ

For you were endowed with vast breadth of mouth and vulva,

For you were endowed with a wide mouth and vulva,

as though at both your ends you were a whale.

As though you were a whale at both your ends.

ويابسةُ الأسافلِ والأعالي

ويابسةُ الأسافلِ والأعالي

كأنكِ في المجالس عَنكبوتُ

كأنكِ في المجالس عَنكبوتُ

And shriveled below and above,

And withered in your lower and upper parts,

as though you were a spider among the company.

As though you were a spider at gatherings.

عظامٌ قد براها السُّلُّ برياً

عظامٌ قد براها السُّلُّ برياً

فما فيها لبعض الطير قوتُ

فما فيها لبعض الطير قوتُ

Consumption has whittled your bones clean,

Bones that consumption has thoroughly whittled away,

so not a morsel remains in them, even for a bird.

So they hold no sustenance for even a few birds.

وإن غنَّيتِ زنَّيت الندامى

وإن غنَّيتِ زنَّيت الندامى

فلا عَمِرتْ بحضرتك البُيوتُ

فلا عَمِرتْ بحضرتك البُيوتُ

And if you sing, you make the revelers fornicate;

And if you sing, you brand the drinking companions fornicators;

then may no house flourish in your presence.

So may no houses flourish in your presence.

رُزقتُك ليلةً فرُزقتُ رزقاً

رُزقتُك ليلةً فرُزقتُ رزقاً

بوُدِّي أنه أبداً يفوتُ

بوُدِّي أنه أبداً يفوتُ

I was granted you for one night, and thus granted a bounty—

I was granted you one night, and so was granted a bounty—

one I dearly wish would pass me by forever.

I wish it would forever pass me by.

سأقترحُ السكوتَ عليك دهري

سأقترحُ السكوتَ عليك دهري

فأحسنُ ما تُغنينَ السكوتُ

فأحسنُ ما تُغنينَ السكوتُ

All my life I shall recommend silence to you;

I shall request silence of you all my life,

for the finest thing you sing is silence.

For the best thing you sing is silence.