كَنَز اللَه في كنيزةَ نتناً

كَنَز اللَه في كنيزةَ نتناً

خالص النوع ليس مما يُغشُّ

خالص النوع ليس مما يُغشُّ

God has stored up in Kunayza a stench

God stored up a stench in Kunayza,

pure in kind, incapable of adulteration:

pure of its kind, entirely unadulterated:

بخَرٌ يصدعُ الصفا وخُشامٌ

بخَرٌ يصدعُ الصفا وخُشامٌ

وصُنانٌ فإنما هي حَشُّ

وصُنانٌ فإنما هي حَشُّ

foul breath that cracks hard rock, and a nasal reek,

bad breath that splits rock, a foulness of the nose,

and rank armpit odor—for she is nothing but a privy.

and rank armpit odor—she is nothing but a privy.

فإذا ما تْحدَّثتْ أو تغنّت

فإذا ما تْحدَّثتْ أو تغنّت

طفقتْ آنُفُ الندامى تُخشُّ

طفقتْ آنُفُ الندامى تُخشُّ

Whenever she speaks or sings,

Whenever she speaks or sings,

the revelers’ noses begin to clog.

the drinking companions' noses begin to be plugged.

وتراها تستكتم الطيبَ والمَرْ

وتراها تستكتم الطيبَ والمَرْ

تك أسرار نَتْنها وهْي تَفْشُو

تك أسرار نَتْنها وهْي تَفْشُو

You see her asking perfume and al-mur—

You see her asking perfume and litharge

—tak to conceal her stench, while she herself spreads it abroad.

to keep her stench's secrets, though they spread.

وتصدّى للنيك في زينة الدُّن

وتصدّى للنيك في زينة الدُّن

يا وما تُشتَهى ولا تُسْتَهشُّ

يا وما تُشتَهى ولا تُسْتَهشُّ

She offers herself for fucking amid the finery of this wor—

She offers herself for fucking in the finery of this

—ld, though she neither feels desire nor inspires it.

world, yet is neither desired nor eagerly welcomed.

ريحُها وهي حيةٌ ريح ميتٍ

ريحُها وهي حيةٌ ريح ميتٍ

باتَ في القبرِ ثم أبداهُ نبشُ

باتَ في القبرِ ثم أبداهُ نبشُ

Her odor while alive is the odor of a corpse

Her smell while alive is the smell of a corpse

that spent the night in the grave, then was exposed by exhumation.

that lay overnight in a grave, then digging laid it bare.

تنفرُ الأنفسُ السواكنُ منها

تنفرُ الأنفسُ السواكنُ منها

حين تَدنُو فإنما هي وحْشُ

حين تَدنُو فإنما هي وحْشُ

Even tranquil souls recoil from her

Peaceful souls recoil from her

when she approaches—for she is nothing but a beast.

when she draws near, for she is a wild beast.

عُوِّضَت من ذوائب وقرونٍ

عُوِّضَت من ذوائب وقرونٍ

حملَ أنفٍ فيه لفرخينِ عُشُّ

حملَ أنفٍ فيه لفرخينِ عُشُّ

Instead of tresses and braids, she was given

In place of tresses and braids, she was given

as a burden a nose housing a nest for two chicks.

the burden of a nose housing a nest for two chicks.

ثمّ من أقبح البريّة طُرّاً

ثمّ من أقبح البريّة طُرّاً

زَفَّها عاجِلاً إلى القبرِ نعشُ

زَفَّها عاجِلاً إلى القبرِ نعشُ

Then, as the ugliest of all creation,

And she is among the ugliest of all creation—

a bier hurriedly bore her, bride-like, to the grave.

may a bier soon bear her in bridal procession to the grave.

وجهها الأغثر المجدَّر يحكي

وجهها الأغثر المجدَّر يحكي

جعسَ أمسٍ أصابَ أعلاه طشُّ

جعسَ أمسٍ أصابَ أعلاه طشُّ

Her dusty, pockmarked face resembles

Her dingy, pockmarked face resembles

yesterday’s turd, its crown struck by a splash of rain.

yesterday's turd, its top struck by drizzle.

جُدريٌّ ما شانها وهو شينٌ

جُدريٌّ ما شانها وهو شينٌ

كل أثرٍ في ذلك الوجه نقشُ

كل أثرٍ في ذلك الوجه نقشُ

Smallpox did not disfigure her, though it is itself a blemish;

Smallpox did not mar her, though it is a blemish:

every scar upon that face is an ornament.

every mark on that face is an ornament.

كل شيءٍ محا حُلاها فزَينٌ

كل شيءٍ محا حُلاها فزَينٌ

كل شيءٍ وارَى التراب ففرشُ

كل شيءٍ وارَى التراب ففرشُ

Whatever erased her beauty thereby beautified her;

Whatever effaces her charms is an adornment;

whatever earth covered of her, it spread as bedding.

whatever conceals dirt is a carpet.

غيرُ مستنكرٍ مع المسخ قُبحٌ

غيرُ مستنكرٍ مع المسخ قُبحٌ

غير مستشنعٍ مع الحفْرِ حَرْشُ

غير مستشنعٍ مع الحفْرِ حَرْشُ

With such deformity, no ugliness seems out of place;

Ugliness is no surprise beside monstrous deformity;

amid such pits, no roughness seems hideous.

roughness is no horror beside pitting.

ومجال الوشاح منها وثيرٌ

ومجال الوشاح منها وثيرٌ

ومجال الخلْخال والحجل حَمشُ

ومجال الخلْخال والحجل حَمشُ

The part of her body encircled by the sash is soft and plump,

The part of her that bears the sash is well padded;

while the parts encircled by anklet and leg-rings are scrawny.

the part that bears anklets and ankle-rings is scrawny.

وبها غُلمةٌ تزيد على الني

وبها غُلمةٌ تزيد على الني

ك استعاراً كالنّارِ حين تُحشُّ

ك استعاراً كالنّارِ حين تُحشُّ

She has a blaze of lust surpassing fuck—

She has a lust that grows with fucking,

—ing, flaring like a fire when stoked.

blazing hotter, like fire when stoked.

ولها كَعْثب كَظِلف غزالٍ

ولها كَعْثب كَظِلف غزالٍ

فيه صدع كأنما هو خَدشُ

فيه صدع كأنما هو خَدشُ

She has a vulva like a gazelle’s hoof,

She has a vulva like a gazelle's hoof,

with a cleft in it as though it were a scratch.

with a cleft in it that seems no more than a scratch.

ما تحب النكاح إلا نطاحاً

ما تحب النكاح إلا نطاحاً

من بعيدٍ كما تراجَع كبشُ

من بعيدٍ كما تراجَع كبشُ

She loves intercourse only as butting,

She likes sex only as a ramming charge

from afar, just as a ram draws back.

from far away, as a ram draws back.

وإذا أقْفَلَتْ على الأير كالكل

وإذا أقْفَلَتْ على الأير كالكل

بة يوماً فقُفْلُها ما يُفَشُّ

بة يوماً فقُفْلُها ما يُفَشُّ

And if she clamps onto a penis like a she—

And if she locks onto a cock like a

—dog one day, her grip cannot be sprung.

bitch one day, her lock cannot be sprung.

لا يُعِدُّ الرشا لها نائكُوها

لا يُعِدُّ الرشا لها نائكُوها

هي أولى بأن تُنَاكَ وتَرشو

هي أولى بأن تُنَاكَ وتَرشو

Those who fuck her provide no payment for her;

Those who fuck her prepare no bribes for her;

she is fitter to be fucked and pay the fee herself.

she ought rather to be fucked and do the bribing.

صوتُها بالقلوب غيرُ رفيق

صوتُها بالقلوب غيرُ رفيق

بل له بالقلوب عُنفٌ وبطشُ

بل له بالقلوب عُنفٌ وبطشُ

Her voice shows hearts no gentleness;

Her voice is not gentle with hearts;

rather, it inflicts violence and brutal assault upon them.

rather, it treats hearts with violence and brutal force.

وتُغني فتُورثُ السمع وقْراً

وتُغني فتُورثُ السمع وقْراً

فَعَلَيْها لمن تغنّته أرْشُ

فَعَلَيْها لمن تغنّته أرْشُ

When she sings, she bequeaths deafness to hearing,

She sings, bequeathing deafness to the ear;

so she owes compensation to everyone she sings to.

so she owes damages to whomever she sings to.

تَدَّعي غُنَّة الشباب ويأبى

تَدَّعي غُنَّة الشباب ويأبى

ذاك صوتٌ لها جريشٌ أجشُّ

ذاك صوتٌ لها جريشٌ أجشُّ

She claims the nasal sweetness of youth, but that claim is refuted

She claims the nasal resonance of youth, but

by that coarse and rasping voice of hers.

her rasping, hoarse voice belies it.

فإذا رقَّقَتْهُ بالجهدِ منها

فإذا رقَّقَتْهُ بالجهدِ منها

خِلتَ أن في حلقها شعيراً يُجشُّ

خِلتَ أن في حلقها شعيراً يُجشُّ

If, with great effort, you try to soften it as it issues from her,

And when she strains to soften it,

you would think barley was being ground in her throat.

you would think barley was being ground in her throat.

تَتَناغى وعودها بنهيقٍ

تَتَناغى وعودها بنهيقٍ

كنهيقِ الحمارِ ناغاه جَحْشُ

كنهيقِ الحمارِ ناغاه جَحْشُ

She and her lute answer one another in brays,

She and her lute exchange brays,

like a donkey’s bray answered by a foal.

like an ass's braying, answered by a foal.

هي وَخْشٌ وإنّ دهراً سَمِعْنا

هي وَخْشٌ وإنّ دهراً سَمِعْنا

فيه من مِثلها غناءً لوخْشُ

فيه من مِثلها غناءً لوخْشُ

She is a brute; and though throughout an age we have heard

She is vile; and an age in which we have heard

singing by her likes, it was singing fit for brutes.

singing from her like is vile indeed.

قال بعض المُجّان لما رآها

قال بعض المُجّان لما رآها

ولذيذٌ بمثلها الطنز هشُّ

ولذيذٌ بمثلها الطنز هشُّ

One wag said when he saw her,

One of the wags said when he saw her—

and, delighting in mockery of her, grinned:

and mockery of her like is sweet, merry sport—

فزت بالحسن يا كنيزة طرّاً

فزت بالحسن يا كنيزة طرّاً

أنت بلقيس لو أعانك عرشُ

أنت بلقيس لو أعانك عرشُ

“You have won all beauty, Kunayza, entirely;

"You have won all beauty, O Kunayza!

you are Bilqis—if only a throne would aid you.

You would be Bilqis, if a throne came to your aid.

عوَّذتْ وجهكِ الأفاعي من العي

عوَّذتْ وجهكِ الأفاعي من العي

نِ بنفثٍ فيه من السُّمِّ رَشُّ

نِ بنفثٍ فيه من السُّمِّ رَشُّ

The vipers have charmed your face against the evil e—

Vipers have charmed your face against the evil eye

—ye, breathing upon it a spray of venom.

with spittle bearing a sprinkling of venom.

وقليلٌ لوجهك النفثُ منهنْ

وقليلٌ لوجهك النفثُ منهنْ

ن حقيرٌ أو يتبع النفثَ نهشُ

ن حقيرٌ أو يتبع النفثَ نهشُ

A mere puff upon your face from the—

Their spitting is too little for your face,

—m is paltry, unless their puff is followed by a bite.”

paltry, unless a bite follows the spitting."