إِذا ما بِعتَني كوزاً بخطِّ

إِذا ما بِعتَني كوزاً بخطِّ

فَخَطي ما بَدا لكِ أَن تَخطي

فَخَطي ما بَدا لكِ أَن تَخطي

Whenever you sell me a drinking-cup on credit,

If you sell me a cup on written credit,

If you sell me as a cup with your writing

If you sell me a jug on a tally,

charge me whatever you see fit to write down.

Then write whatever you wish to write;

Then write what you wish to write

then draw whatever lines you wish to draw,

وَزيدي ثُمَّ زيدي ثُمَّ زيدي

وَزيدي ثُمَّ زيدي ثُمَّ زيدي

عَليَّ وَغَلِّظي بِاللَهِ شَرطي

عَليَّ وَغَلِّظي بِاللَهِ شَرطي

And add more, then more, then more—

And add, then add, then add

And add more, then add more, then add more

and add more, then add more, then add more

to my account; by God, make my terms severe.

To my debt—and, by God, make my terms harsher.

Of conditions about me, and thicken your pact by God

against me, and by God, make my terms severe!

وَصُبِّي في أُبيريقٍ صَغيرٍ

وَصُبِّي في أُبيريقٍ صَغيرٍ

كَأَنَّ الأذنَ مِنهُ رجعُ حُطّي

كَأَنَّ الأذنَ مِنهُ رجعُ حُطّي

And pour it into a little ewer,

And pour into a little ewer,

And pour into a small jug

And pour it into a little ewer,

whose handle seems an echo of “Set it down!”

As though its handle were the backward-curving stroke of ḥuṭṭī.

As if its ear is the returning of its spout

whose handle curves like the sweeping script of 'Hutti'.