يا غُلاماً يريدُ كتما

يا غُلاماً يريدُ كتما

ني أموراً وقد فشا

ني أموراً وقد فشا

O boy who wishes to conceal

O young man who wants to conceal

O lad desiring to conceal

things from me, though word has spread,

Matters from me though they're exposed

Matters from me that have already spread,

أترى أنّ ما بنا

أترى أنّ ما بنا

صمَمٌ عنكَ أو غَشا

صمَمٌ عنكَ أو غَشا

do you think our affliction

Do you think what's between us

Do you imagine that we suffer

is deafness to you, or blindness?

Is deafness to you or blindness?

From deafness toward you, or blindness?

قد راينا أمشاجَ طر

قد راينا أمشاجَ طر

فكَ باللمحِ جُمّشا

فكَ باللمحِ جُمّشا

We have seen the mingled play

We've seen the faces of fate

We have observed the mingled signals

of your gaze, teasing with glances,

In an instant become wrinkled

Of your eye flirting within the glance,

وتهاديك بالرقا

وتهاديك بالرقا

ع إذا خفتَ من وَشا

ع إذا خفتَ من وَشا

and your exchange of

And your whispering gently

And your exchange of written scraps

notes, when you feared someone who told tales,

When you're scared of harshness

When you feared the slanderer;

حاكياتٍ بطونها

حاكياتٍ بطونها

عُرورةً أو مُرَقّشا

عُرورةً أو مُرَقّشا

their contents imitating

Storytellers whose bellies

Their contents mimicking the script

ʿUrūra or Muraqqish.

Are either embroidered or painted

Of Urwa or Al-Muraqqish.

بأبي لستُ أنثني

بأبي لستُ أنثني

عنكَ يا مشبهَ الرّشا

عنكَ يا مشبهَ الرّشا

My father be your ransom! I will not turn

By my father I won't bend away

By my father! I shall not turn aside

from you, O you who resemble a gazelle fawn.

From you, resembling a feather

From you, O likeness of the fawn.

طرفُكَ الفاترُ الفتو

طرفُكَ الفاترُ الفتو

ن لنا صار أعمَشا

ن لنا صار أعمَشا

Your languid, bewitching gaze

Your languid charming glance

Your languid, captivating gaze

has grown bleary toward us.

Has become blind toward us

Has become bleary-eyed towards us.

ما تراهُ فترعوي

ما تراهُ فترعوي

عن هوى شرّ من مَشى

عن هوى شرّ من مَشى

Won't you look at him and turn away

What you see and then shepherd

Do you not see him, that you might refrain

from loving the worst man who ever walked?

Away from the desire of walking evilly

From loving the worst who walks the earth?

وجدَ اللومَ ضائعاً

وجدَ اللومَ ضائعاً

فامتلا منهُ واحتشا

فامتلا منهُ واحتشا

He found blame going to waste,

He found blame to be lost

He found that blame was wasted on him,

so he filled and stuffed himself with it.

So he became full of it and settled

So he filled and stuffed himself with it.

فإذا ما رأيتَهُ

فإذا ما رأيتَهُ

وهو مستجفل الحشا

وهو مستجفل الحشا

Then, whenever you see him,

So when you see him

So whenever you look upon him

with his belly swollen,

While he is humble and subdued

As he stands with trembling innards,

قلتَ راعٍ لذي اليما

قلتَ راعٍ لذي اليما

مةِ يستاقُ أكبُشا

مةِ يستاقُ أكبُشا

you would say, 'A shepherd for the man of

You'd say a shepherd of the Owner

You would say: A shepherd of Yamama

al-Yamāmah, driving rams.'

Of majesty who fetches sheep

Driving a flock of rams.