حلّ السرور بهذا العقد مُبتدراً

حلّ السرور بهذا العقد مُبتدراً

ونجم طالعه بالسعد قد ظهرا

ونجم طالعه بالسعد قد ظهرا

Joy came rushing to this marriage bond,

Joy has descended upon this bond auspiciously,

and the star of its ascendant appeared with good fortune.

And its rising star with happiness has appeared.

والظلّ كلل وجه الروض فانعطفت

والظلّ كلل وجه الروض فانعطفت

أغصانه بالتهاني تنشر الزهرا

أغصانه بالتهاني تنشر الزهرا

And shade crowned the garden’s face; then swayed

The shade has crowned the face of the meadow, so its branches

its branches, scattering blossoms in congratulation.

With congratulations spread blossoms.

والطير من فرحها في دوحها صدحت

والطير من فرحها في دوحها صدحت

بكل عود عليه لا ترى وترا

بكل عود عليه لا ترى وترا

And the birds sang for joy in their spreading trees,

And the birds from joy in their nests chirped loudly,

on every bough, with not a string to be seen upon it.

At every branch - you see no string.

تقول في صدحها دام الهنا أبداً

تقول في صدحها دام الهنا أبداً

على العرايس كي يقضوا بذا وطرا

على العرايس كي يقضوا بذا وطرا

They say in their singing, “May happiness last forever

They say in their chirping, may your happiness last forever,

for the newlyweds, that through this they may fulfill their desire.”

For the brides, so they may live in this and more.

حزينكم وزواجي كنت فيه كذا

حزينكم وزواجي كنت فيه كذا

قد حلّ عندي بعقدي مَن به حضرا

قد حلّ عندي بعقدي مَن به حضرا

Your sorrowful fellow—at my wedding, that was just what I was.

Your wedding had saddened me, for at my wedding

All who attended my marriage bond had arrived at my home.

I was joined to her who attended.

وكنت عند زواجي قد وصلت إلى

وكنت عند زواجي قد وصلت إلى

حدّ الأشد وعقلي في الورى اشتهرا

حدّ الأشد وعقلي في الورى اشتهرا

And at my wedding I had already reached

And at my wedding, I had reached

full maturity, and my intellect was renowned among humankind.

The utmost in age, and my reason in the world famed.

فكنت أعلم من عقلي وكثرته

فكنت أعلم من عقلي وكثرته

أني إذا نمت مع ظهري يكون ورا

أني إذا نمت مع ظهري يكون ورا

So, from my intellect and its abundance, I knew

So I knew from my reason and its abundance,

that when I slept with my back, it would be behind me.

That if I slept on my back, behind would be.

هذا وعقل عروسي كان أصغر من

هذا وعقل عروسي كان أصغر من

عقلي ولكن حوت في عمرها كبَرا

عقلي ولكن حوت في عمرها كبَرا

Now, my bride’s intellect was smaller than

While the reason of my bride was less than

mine, yet she had amassed great age in her lifetime.

My own, though her lifetime held maturity.

تعضّ لا أختشي من عضّها ألماً

تعضّ لا أختشي من عضّها ألماً

إذ نظمُ أسنانها في ثغرها انتثرا

إذ نظمُ أسنانها في ثغرها انتثرا

She bites, but I fear no pain from her bite,

She bites - I fear not her bite's pain,

since the row of teeth in her mouth had fallen apart.

For the order of her teeth in her mouth scattered.

في السن قد طَعنت ما ضرّ لو طُعنَت

في السن قد طَعنت ما ضرّ لو طُعنَت

بالسن من رمح أو سيف قد انبترا

بالسن من رمح أو سيف قد انبترا

She had advanced in years; what harm if she were stabbed

In age she has pierced - no harm if pierced

with the point of a spear, or a sword already snapped?

By teeth from a spear or sword severed.

في لونها نَمش في أذنها طرش

في لونها نَمش في أذنها طرش

في عينها عمش للجفن قد سترا

في عينها عمش للجفن قد سترا

In her complexion are freckles; in her ear, deafness;

In her complexion, a mole; in her ear, a curl;

in her eye, bleariness that has veiled her eyelid.

In her eye, a stye the eyelid covered.

في طبنها بعج في رجلها عرج

في طبنها بعج في رجلها عرج

في كفّها فلج ما ضرّ لو كُسرا

في كفّها فلج ما ضرّ لو كُسرا

In her belly is a hernia; in her leg, a limp;

In her waist, a hump; in her leg, a limp;

in her hand, paralysis—what harm if it were broken?

In her palm, a cleft - no harm if broken.

في ظهرها حدب في نحرها كبب

في ظهرها حدب في نحرها كبب

في عمرها نوَب كم قد رأت عِبَرا

في عمرها نوَب كم قد رأت عِبَرا

In her back is a hump; in her upper chest, a bulge;

On her back, a hunch; in her throat, a bunch;

her lifetime holds calamities—how many lessons she has witnessed!

In her lifetime, setbacks - how many lessons seen!

يا حسن قامتها العوجاء إذا خطرت

يا حسن قامتها العوجاء إذا خطرت

يوماً وقد سبسبت في جيدها شعرا

يوماً وقد سبسبت في جيدها شعرا

Oh, how lovely her crooked figure when she sways along

O, beauty of her bent stature, when she sways

one day, having let her hair hang loose about her neck!

One day, her hair flowing on her neck.

يحكي كنايف في سمن قد انتشرت

يحكي كنايف في سمن قد انتشرت

وإن تبلبل في سدر حكى كسَرا

وإن تبلبل في سدر حكى كسَرا

It resembles kunafa pastries spread out in ghee;

It tells of date honey spreading,

and if it tangles in sidr-leaf wash, it resembles fragments.

And if it drips on sidr, it mimics sap.

تقول قدّي يُحاكي الغُصن مُنطوياً

تقول قدّي يُحاكي الغُصن مُنطوياً

فقلت يحكيه لو قُدّ وانتشرا

فقلت يحكيه لو قُدّ وانتشرا

She says, “My figure resembles a bough bent over.”

She says, "My nape mimics the bent branch,"

So I said, “It would, if that bough were split and sawn apart.”

So I said, "It mimics it, if erect and spread."

تظلّ تهتف بي حُسني حظيت به

تظلّ تهتف بي حُسني حظيت به

أوّاه لو حاشها موت لها قبرا

أوّاه لو حاشها موت لها قبرا

She keeps calling to me, “My beauty—you were fortunate to get it!”

She keeps calling to me, "My beauty I gained with you!"

Ah, if only death would herd her into a grave of her own!

Oh! If only death missed her - for her, a grave.