تجادلْنا أماءُ الزهرِ أذكى

تجادلْنا أماءُ الزهرِ أذكى

أمِّ الخلاَّفُ أمْ وردِ القطافِ

أمِّ الخلاَّفُ أمْ وردِ القطافِ

We debated: is blossom water more fragrant—

We debated: is blossom water more fragrant,

or willow, or roses freshly plucked?

or willow water, or water from gathered roses?

وعقبى ذلك الجدلِ اصطلحْنا

وعقبى ذلك الجدلِ اصطلحْنا

وقدْ حصلَ الوفاقُ على الخلافِ

وقدْ حصلَ الوفاقُ على الخلافِ

And after all that argument, we came to terms:

And at that debate’s end, we came to terms,

our accord was reached upon “disagreement”—the willow.

and agreement was reached on willow (khilāf—also meaning ‘disagreement’).