عُودي إِلَى حُسْنِ التأتي

عُودي إِلَى حُسْنِ التأتي

فَلَقَدْ جَهِلْتِ مَنِ اجْتَنَبتِ

فَلَقَدْ جَهِلْتِ مَنِ اجْتَنَبتِ

Return to graceful, tactful ways.

Return to your beauty's splendor

For you did not know whom you shunned.

For you have been ignorant of whom you shunned

كَمْ تُظْهرين مُحجبّاً

كَمْ تُظْهرين مُحجبّاً

مَهْلاً فما هي عَيْنُ بِنْتِ

مَهْلاً فما هي عَيْنُ بِنْتِ

How often you reveal what is veiled!

How much you show that's veiled

Easy now—for it is no girl's eye.

Patience - her eyes are no girl's

فلَقدْ عَلِمْنا بِالَّذي

فلَقدْ عَلِمْنا بِالَّذي

قَدْ كانَ مِنْكِ وقَدْ عَلمْتِ

قَدْ كانَ مِنْكِ وقَدْ عَلمْتِ

For we have learned of what

For we knew what was

Has come from you—and you know it too.

From you, and you knew

قالتْ ألستُ مِنَ الحرائِرِ

قالتْ ألستُ مِنَ الحرائِرِ

قُلْتُ بل يا سِتّي كُنْتِ

قُلْتُ بل يا سِتّي كُنْتِ

She said, 'Am I not among the free women?'

She said "Am I not free?"

I said, 'Rather, my lady, you used to be.'

I said "Yes, my lady, you were"

ما أَنْتِ ذَاكَ السَّمْهَرِيِّ

ما أَنْتِ ذَاكَ السَّمْهَرِيِّ

قوامُهُ فلمَ احْتَجبْتِ

قوامُهُ فلمَ احْتَجبْتِ

You are not that one, spear-straight

You are not that radiant one

In stature—so why have you veiled yourself?

Whose keeper, so why the veil?

وَجْهٌ إِذَا مَا لاَحَ قُلْ

وَجْهٌ إِذَا مَا لاَحَ قُلْ

تُ لِقُبْحِهِ ما بُلْتُ تَحْتي

تُ لِقُبْحِهِ ما بُلْتُ تَحْتي

A face that, whenever it appears, I say:

A face, when it appears, say

At its ugliness, 'That's what I pissed beneath me!'

"How ugly!" - I seek no shelter