فديت وجه الأمير في قمرٍ

فديت وجه الأمير في قمرٍ

يجلو القذى نوره عن البصر

يجلو القذى نوره عن البصر

I would give my life for the prince's face—a moon

I ransom the face of the prince, like the moon

whose light clears the motes from the eye.

Its light dispels darkness from sight

فديت من وجهه يشككني

فديت من وجهه يشككني

في أنه من سلالة البشر

في أنه من سلالة البشر

I would give my life for him whose face makes me doubt

I ransom the one whose face makes me doubt

whether he descends from humankind.

That he is of human descent

إن زليخا لو أبصرتك لما

إن زليخا لو أبصرتك لما

ملت إلى الحشر لذة النظر

ملت إلى الحشر لذة النظر

Indeed, had Zulaykha seen you, she would never

If Zulaikha had seen you, she would not

tire of the pleasure of gazing until the Resurrection.

Have inclined to the insects out of the joy of seeing

ولم تقس يوسفاً إليك كما

ولم تقس يوسفاً إليك كما

نجم السهى لا يقاس بالقمر

نجم السهى لا يقاس بالقمر

Nor would she compare Joseph with you, just as

Nor compared Joseph to you, as

the star al-Suha cannot be compared with the moon.

The star of Suhayl is not compared to the moon

وكان يا سيدي قباك إذا

وكان يا سيدي قباك إذا

هربت منها ينقد من دبُرِ

هربت منها ينقد من دبُرِ

And, my lord, your robe would, whenever

And my lord, whenever she fled from him

you fled from her, be torn from behind.

He would follow from behind

بل وحياتي لو كانت يوسفها

بل وحياتي لو كانت يوسفها

لم تك من تهمة العزيز بري

لم تك من تهمة العزيز بري

Rather, by my life, had you been her Joseph,

By my life, if Joseph had been hers

you would not have been innocent of al-Aziz's accusation.

She would not have been accused by the Aziz

لأنني عالمٌ بأنك لو

لأنني عالمٌ بأنك لو

شممت ريا نسيمها العطر

شممت ريا نسيمها العطر

For I know that, if you

Because I know if you

smelled the fragrance of her perfumed breeze,

Had smelled the scent of her breeze

سبقتها وانزبقت تتبعها

سبقتها وانزبقت تتبعها

ما بين تلك البيوت والحجر

ما بين تلك البيوت والحجر

you would outstrip her and dart after her

You would have preceded her and followed after her

among those houses and chambers.

Between those houses and stones

ولم تزل بالكدين تقصرها

ولم تزل بالكدين تقصرها

من قبل وقت العشا إلى السحر

من قبل وقت العشا إلى السحر

And you would keep pounding her with your mallet

And you would not have stopped courting her

from before supper-time until the predawn hours.

From before the time of evening to dawn

وقد علمنا بأن سيدنا ال

وقد علمنا بأن سيدنا ال

أمير ممن يقول بالبظر

أمير ممن يقول بالبظر

And we have learned that our lord, the

And we know that our lord

prince, is among those who believe in the clitoris.

Is not one who abstains from sex

ولم تكن تلك تشتكي أبداً

ولم تكن تلك تشتكي أبداً

ما كان من يوسفٍ من الحذر

ما كان من يوسفٍ من الحذر

And that woman would never have complained

Nor did she ever complain

of the caution Joseph had shown.

About Joseph being cautious

طبعك كالماء في سهولته

طبعك كالماء في سهولته

لكن أبو الزبرقان من حجر

لكن أبو الزبرقان من حجر

Your nature is as yielding as water,

Your nature is like water in its ease

but Abu al-Zibriqan is made of stone.

While Abu Zubayr is of stone

إن الملوك الشباب ما خلقوا

إن الملوك الشباب ما خلقوا

إلا صلاب الفياش والكمر

إلا صلاب الفياش والكمر

Indeed, young kings were not created

Indeed young kings were not created

except with hard penis-heads and glans.

Except with the firmness of steel and alcohol