لا يَقُل أحمقُ النساءُ بلاءُ

لا يَقُل أحمقُ النساءُ بلاءُ

هنَّ واللهِ رحمةٌ وعزاءُ

هنَّ واللهِ رحمةٌ وعزاءُ

Let no fool say: women are an affliction.

The foolish do not say that women are a calamity,

They are, by God, mercy and solace.

Rather they are mercy and consolation.

من فؤادي لكلِّ أُنثى نصيبٌ

من فؤادي لكلِّ أُنثى نصيبٌ

فهو عرشٌ عزَّت عليهِ النساء

فهو عرشٌ عزَّت عليهِ النساء

Every woman has a share of my heart;

In my heart there is a share for every female,

for it is a throne on which women are exalted.

For it is a throne upon which women are honored.

إذ أضاعَ الجنَّاتِ آدمُ جَهلاً

إذ أضاعَ الجنَّاتِ آدمُ جَهلاً

خَفَّفَت عنهُ همَّهُ حواء

خَفَّفَت عنهُ همَّهُ حواء

When Adam lost the gardens through ignorance,

When Adam lost the heavens out of ignorance,

Eve eased his sorrow.

Eve eased his worries for him.

وعلى الخطةِ التي رَسَماها

وعلى الخطةِ التي رَسَماها

يتمشَّى البناتُ والأبناء

يتمشَّى البناتُ والأبناء

And along the course they both charted,

And upon the plan that they sketched out,

daughters and sons walk.

Girls and boys go about.

برقَ الأنسُ في تبسُّمِ أُنثى

برقَ الأنسُ في تبسُّمِ أُنثى

منهُ سعدٌ وقوةٌ ورجاء

منهُ سعدٌ وقوةٌ ورجاء

Joy flashed in a woman's smile;

The light of intimacy sparkles in the smile of a female,

from it come good fortune, strength, and hope.

From it comes happiness, strength and hope.

حبُّها نعمةٌ لنا وَلدَيها

حبُّها نعمةٌ لنا وَلدَيها

تتَساوى السرَّاءُ والضرّاء

تتَساوى السرَّاءُ والضرّاء

Her love is a blessing to us, and with her

Her love is a blessing for us and her children,

prosperity and adversity are alike.

In it, happiness and sadness are equal.

كملاكٍ في الارضِ حلّت وجلّت

كملاكٍ في الارضِ حلّت وجلّت

والمحيّا فيهِ السَّنى والسناء

والمحيّا فيهِ السَّنى والسناء

Like an angel she dwelt on earth, exalted;

Like an angel she settled on earth,

and her countenance holds radiance and grandeur.

In her is beauty, sublimity and glory.

فطيوبُ الحياةِ في شَفَتيها

فطيوبُ الحياةِ في شَفَتيها

ما لقلبٍ عن حبِّها استِغناء

ما لقلبٍ عن حبِّها استِغناء

For life's fragrances are on her lips;

The goodness of life is in her lips,

no heart can do without her love.

No heart can do without loving her.

فهو روضٌ من حبِّها وهي ماءٌ

فهو روضٌ من حبِّها وهي ماءٌ

وهو طيرٌ يحومُ وهي الهواء

وهو طيرٌ يحومُ وهي الهواء

For it is a garden through her love, and she is water;

She is a garden from her love, and she is the water,

and it is a bird that circles, and she is the air.

He is a bird hovering and she is the air.

جمَّةٌ في الحياةِ أدواءُ كلٍّ

جمَّةٌ في الحياةِ أدواءُ كلٍّ

ولكلِّ الأدواءِ منها دواء

ولكلِّ الأدواءِ منها دواء

Each person's ailments in life are many;

There are pains in life for everyone,

and from her comes a cure for every ailment.

And for every pain there is a cure from her.

هي مثلُ النسيمِ والماءِ لطفاً

هي مثلُ النسيمِ والماءِ لطفاً

وصفاءً وفي حِماها السماء

وصفاءً وفي حِماها السماء

She is like the breeze and water in gentleness

She is like a soft breeze and water,

and purity, and heaven lies within her sanctuary.

Purity, clarity, and in her protection is the sky.

وجهُها عن أشعةِ الشمسِ يُغني

وجهُها عن أشعةِ الشمسِ يُغني

وسطَ مَغنىً فيهِ الظلامُ ضياء

وسطَ مَغنىً فيهِ الظلامُ ضياء

Her face makes the sun's rays needless,

Her face makes the sun's rays sufficient,

within a dwelling where darkness is light.

And brightens the darkness with light in the midst of gloom.

عبد الأقدمونَ منها مثالاً

عبد الأقدمونَ منها مثالاً

وبها قد تغزَّل الشعراء

وبها قد تغزَّل الشعراء

The ancients worshipped a likeness of her,

The ancients worshipped her as an ideal,

and poets have indeed composed love verses about her.

And through her the poets were inspired.

ليستِ المرأةُ الضعيفة عندي

ليستِ المرأةُ الضعيفة عندي

إنما نحن في الهوى الضعفاء

إنما نحن في الهوى الضعفاء

In my eyes, woman is not the weak one;

To me, woman is not weak,

it is we who are weak in love.

Rather it is we who are weak in love.

كم جَثَونا ذلّاً على قدميها

كم جَثَونا ذلّاً على قدميها

وبكينا وَجداً ولذَّ البكاء

وبكينا وَجداً ولذَّ البكاء

How often we knelt in submission at her feet,

How often we kneel in humiliation at her feet,

and we wept with longing, and weeping was sweet.

Crying ardently, savoring the tears.

في هواها يهونُ كلُّ عزيزٍ

في هواها يهونُ كلُّ عزيزٍ

ويذلُّ الملوكُ والأمراء

ويذلُّ الملوكُ والأمراء

In love for her, every mighty one is brought low,

In her love every mighty one is humbled,

and kings and princes are humbled.

Kings and princes are abased.

ويضلُّ الرهبانُ إن طرقتهم

ويضلُّ الرهبانُ إن طرقتهم

في صلاةٍ ويجهلُ الحكماء

في صلاةٍ ويجهلُ الحكماء

And monks go astray if she visits them

Monks go astray if she crosses their path

at prayer, and the wise become ignorant.

In prayer, and the wise are confused.

أيها المدَّعونَ بُغضَ نساءٍ

أيها المدَّعونَ بُغضَ نساءٍ

كم عليكم تسلّطت حسناء

كم عليكم تسلّطت حسناء

O you who claim to hate women,

O you who claim to hate women,

how often a beauty has held sway over you!

How many beauties have overpowered you!

فأقلُّوا من الملامِ وذلّوا

فأقلُّوا من الملامِ وذلّوا

فلديهنَّ يضعفُ الأقوياء

فلديهنَّ يضعفُ الأقوياء

So lessen your reproaches and humble yourselves,

Lessen your blame, and surrender,

for in their presence the strong grow weak.

For before them even the strong are weak.

هُنَّ أوفى في الحبِّ منكم وأقوى

هُنَّ أوفى في الحبِّ منكم وأقوى

لا تقولوا منهنَّ قلَّ الوفاء

لا تقولوا منهنَّ قلَّ الوفاء

They are more faithful in love than you, and stronger;

They are more faithful in love than you, and stronger.

do not say that faithfulness is scarce among them.

Do not say they lack loyalty.

وفسادُ النساءِ منكم فلولا

وفسادُ النساءِ منكم فلولا

غدرُكم دامَ للجمالِ الحياء

غدرُكم دامَ للجمالِ الحياء

And women's corruption comes from you; so, were it not for

And women's corruption is from you, for if not

your treachery, beauty would have kept its modesty.

For your betrayal, modesty would endure.

أنصِفوا المرأة التي خُنتُموها

أنصِفوا المرأة التي خُنتُموها

فهي في الخدرِ نجمةٌ زهراء

فهي في الخدرِ نجمةٌ زهراء

Do justice to the woman you betrayed,

Be fair to the woman you betrayed,

for in her secluded chamber she is a radiant star;

For in loss she is a radiant star.

وهي سلطانةٌ تُدَبِّرُ مُلكاً

وهي سلطانةٌ تُدَبِّرُ مُلكاً

وهي ليلى في الشعرِ والخنساء

وهي ليلى في الشعرِ والخنساء

and she is a sultana who governs a kingdom;

She is a queen who manages a kingdom,

and in poetry she is Layla and al-Khansa;

She is Layla in poetry and al-Khansa.

وهي أختٌ تحنُو وأمُّ تصلِّي

وهي أختٌ تحنُو وأمُّ تصلِّي

وهي زوجٌ من نسلِها الأنبياء

وهي زوجٌ من نسلِها الأنبياء

and she is a caring sister and a mother who prays;

She is a sister who shows affection, a mother who prays,

and she is a wife from whose line the prophets descend.

She is a wife from whom come the prophets.