وَشَاطِرَةٍ لَمَّا رَأَتْني تَنَكَّرَتْ

وَشَاطِرَةٍ لَمَّا رَأَتْني تَنَكَّرَتْ

وَقالَتْ قَبيحٌ أَحْوَلٌ مَا لَهُ جِسْمُ

وَقالَتْ قَبيحٌ أَحْوَلٌ مَا لَهُ جِسْمُ

And when a saucy young woman saw me, she acted as though she did not know me;

And a saucy woman, when she saw me, grew unfriendly,

And said, “Ugly, cross-eyed—he has no physique!”

And said, “Ugly, cross-eyed, with no body to speak of!”

فَإِنْ تُنْكري مِنِّي احْوِلالاً فَإِنَّني

فَإِنْ تُنْكري مِنِّي احْوِلالاً فَإِنَّني

أَديبٌ أَريبٌ لا عَيِيٌّ وَلا فَدْمٌ

أَديبٌ أَريبٌ لا عَيِيٌّ وَلا فَدْمٌ

If you fault me for being cross-eyed, then indeed I am

But if you disapprove of my squint, then indeed I am

A cultured, discerning man—neither tongue-tied nor a dullard.”

Cultured and astute, neither tongue-tied nor dull-witted.