سَلِّني بالله عن فلانِ

سَلِّني بالله عن فلانِ

فقد تسلَّيت عَنْ فُلانَهْ

فقد تسلَّيت عَنْ فُلانَهْ

Distract me, for God's sake, from a certain man;

Ask me by God about so-and-so,

for I have already got over a certain woman.

For I have found solace away from his infatuation,

وعشقُها راح من زَمانٍ

وعشقُها راح من زَمانٍ

لأَنَّ عِشْقَ النِّسا زَمَانَه

لأَنَّ عِشْقَ النِّسا زَمَانَه

And love for her vanished long ago,

And her love has passed for some time,

because loving women is a chronic affliction.

Because women's love has its time.

فليس فيهنَّ لا وفاءٌ

فليس فيهنَّ لا وفاءٌ

ولا حفاظٌ ولا أَمَانَه

ولا حفاظٌ ولا أَمَانَه

For there is no faithfulness in them,

There is in them neither loyalty,

nor loyalty, nor trustworthiness—

Nor chastity, nor safety,

من كلِّ مَهْتومَةِ الثنايا

من كلِّ مَهْتومَةِ الثنايا

وكلِّ مَحْلُولَةِ المثَانَه

وكلِّ مَحْلُولَةِ المثَانَه

each one with broken front teeth,

From every woman with curved hips,

and each one with a slack bladder,

And each one with flirtatious eyes,

مائِلة السُّفْل من مُنَاهَا

مائِلة السُّفْل من مُنَاهَا

لو دَعَمتْه بأُسْطوانه

لو دَعَمتْه بأُسْطوانه

her lower part drooping from her cravings,

Leaning her lower body from her residence,

even if she props it up with a pillar.

If she supported it with a pillar,

تَودُّ يومَ الوَغَى وتَبْغي

تَودُّ يومَ الوَغَى وتَبْغي

لو طعنوها بأَلْفِ زَانَهْ

لو طعنوها بأَلْفِ زَانَهْ

She longs for the day of battle and wishes

She longs on the day of turmoil and desires,

they would pierce her with a thousand spears.

Even if they pierced her with a thousand adulteries.

جمالُها الدَّهرَ مستعارٌ

جمالُها الدَّهرَ مستعارٌ

وحسنُها داخِلُ الخِزَانه

وحسنُها داخِلُ الخِزَانه

Her beauty is forever borrowed,

Her beauty is borrowed for ages,

and her loveliness lies inside the cabinet.

And her grace is kept inside storage,

وكل شيءٍ تنساهُ إلا

وكل شيءٍ تنساهُ إلا

المَلالَ والغَدرَ والخِيانَه

المَلالَ والغَدرَ والخِيانَه

And she forgets everything except

And she forgets everything except

boredom, treachery, and betrayal.

Boredom, betrayal, and dishonesty.

وتسلبُ العقلَ بالتجنِّي

وتسلبُ العقلَ بالتجنِّي

وتدّعي أَنَّه مَجانَهْ

وتدّعي أَنَّه مَجانَهْ

And she steals reason through false accusations,

And she takes away sanity with coquetry,

and claims that it is wantonness.

And claims it is free of charge,

فاعْتَضْتُ منها ببدرِ تِمٍّ

فاعْتَضْتُ منها ببدرِ تِمٍّ

بظبي رملٍ بغصنِ بانَهْ

بظبي رملٍ بغصنِ بانَهْ

So I exchanged her for a perfect full moon,

So I sought refuge in a full moon

for a gazelle of the sands, for a bān-tree branch.

A gazelle of the sands, with a supple branch.

يزهو بليلٍ على نهارٍ

يزهو بليلٍ على نهارٍ

ووردةٍ فَوق أَقْحَوَانه

ووردةٍ فَوق أَقْحَوَانه

He is resplendent with night above day,

It brags at night over the day,

and a rose above a daisy.

And a rose above buds,

ما ثغرهُ وَحْدَه جُمَانٌ

ما ثغرهُ وَحْدَه جُمَانٌ

بل شخصُه كُلُّه جُمَانَه

بل شخصُه كُلُّه جُمَانَه

It is not only his mouth that is pearls;

Not only are his lips perfect,

rather, his whole person is a pearl.

But his whole being is perfection.

إِنَّ انتهاكي به استتارٌ

إِنَّ انتهاكي به استتارٌ

وإِنَّ عِشْقي له دِيَانَهْ

وإِنَّ عِشْقي له دِيَانَهْ

Indeed, my transgression with him is discretion,

That I was fascinated by him is a concealment,

and indeed, my love for him is piety.

And my love for him is a religion,

على فؤادِي به ضمانٌ

على فؤادِي به ضمانٌ

فإِنَّه دائمُ الضَّمانَهْ

فإِنَّه دائمُ الضَّمانَهْ

My heart has a guarantee through him,

He is guaranteed in my heart,

for he is constant in his guarantee.

For he is everlasting assurance.

ثلاثةٌ فيه تَيَّمْنَني

ثلاثةٌ فيه تَيَّمْنَني

الحسنُ والعقلُ والصِّيانَه

الحسنُ والعقلُ والصِّيانَه

Three things in him have enthralled me:

Three things in him bring me good fortune:

beauty, intellect, and chastity.

Beauty, intellect, and chastity.

رَمى فلمْ يُخطِ إِذْ رَماني

رَمى فلمْ يُخطِ إِذْ رَماني

سهمٌ رمى من بَني كِنانة

سهمٌ رمى من بَني كِنانة

He shot and did not miss when he shot at me—

He shot his arrow but did not miss,

an arrow that shot, from Banū Kinānah.

When he, who belongs to the tribe of Kinanah, shot me.