لما خطبتُ إلى خليعةَ نفسها

لما خطبتُ إلى خليعةَ نفسها

قالت خليعة ما أرى لك ما لا

قالت خليعة ما أرى لك ما لا

When I asked Khulayʿah herself to marry me,

When I asked Khaliʿa for her own hand in marriage,

Khulayʿah said, “I see that you have no wealth.”

Khaliʿa said, “I see you have no wealth.”

أودى بمالي يا خليعُ تكرُّمي

أودى بمالي يا خليعُ تكرُّمي

وتخرُّقي وتحمُّلي الأثقالا

وتخرُّقي وتحمُّلي الأثقالا

“My wealth was consumed, O Khulayʿah, by my generosity,

“My generosity, O Khaliʿ, has exhausted my wealth,

my lavish spending, and my shouldering of heavy burdens.

and my extravagance and my bearing of burdens.

إني وجدِّكِ لو شهدتِ مواقفي

إني وجدِّكِ لو شهدتِ مواقفي

بالسفحِ يومَ أُجِلّل الأبطالا

بالسفحِ يومَ أُجِلّل الأبطالا

Truly, by your forefather, had you witnessed my stands in battle

Indeed, by your fortune, had you witnessed my stands in battle

on the mountainside, the day I shrouded the champions,

at the mountain’s foot, the day I covered the heroes

سيفي لسرَّكِ أن تكوني خادماً

سيفي لسرَّكِ أن تكوني خادماً

عندي إذا كرهِ الكماةُ نِزالا

عندي إذا كرهِ الكماةُ نِزالا

my sword would surely have made you glad to become a servant

with my sword—you would have been glad to be a servant

in my household, when even armored warriors shrank from combat.”

with me, when the armored warriors dreaded single combat.”