صَحَّفَت أُمُّكَ إِذ سَم

صَحَّفَت أُمُّكَ إِذ سَم

مَتكَ في المَهدِ أَبانا

مَتكَ في المَهدِ أَبانا

Your mother made a spelling error when she

Your mother erred when she named you,

Your mother made a slip when she nam-

named you Abān in the cradle.

Calling you "fatherless" in the cradle,

ed you 'Abana' in the cradle;

صَيَّرَت باءً مَكانَ ال

صَيَّرَت باءً مَكانَ ال

تاءِ تَصحيفاً عَيانا

تاءِ تَصحيفاً عَيانا

She put a bāʾ in place of the

Replacing the "t" with a "b", a clear mistake.

She substituted a 'B' in place of the

tāʾ—a misspelling plain to see.

We know what she intended,

'T'—a distortion plain to view.

قَد عَلِمنا ما أَرادَت

قَد عَلِمنا ما أَرادَت

لَم تُرِد إِلّا أَتانا

لَم تُرِد إِلّا أَتانا

We know full well what she meant;

She only meant to insult us.

We surely know what she intended:

she meant nothing but a she-ass.

I had scolded her kindly before for that.

She intended nothing but 'Atana' [a she-ass].

وَلَقَد نُبِّئتُها بَر

وَلَقَد نُبِّئتُها بَر

صاءَ قُبلاً وَعِجانا

صاءَ قُبلاً وَعِجانا

And indeed, I was told she was

I'm only telling about this

And I have been told she is lep-

white-spotted on her vulva and perineum.

Because I witnessed it clearly.

rous in her front and her crotch.

إِنَّما أُخبِرُ عَمَّن

إِنَّما أُخبِرُ عَمَّن

عايَنَ الأَمرَ عِيانا

عايَنَ الأَمرَ عِيانا

I report only on the word of one who

May God soon cut off

I merely report from one who

saw the matter with his own eyes.

The tongue of the one who named you.

saw the affair with his own eyes.

قَطَعَ اللَهُ وَشيكاً

قَطَعَ اللَهُ وَشيكاً

مِن مُسَمّيكَ اللِسانا

مِن مُسَمّيكَ اللِسانا

May God soon cut off

May God speedily sever

the tongue of whoever named you.

the tongue of the one who named you.