عَدِمتُ جَهالَتي وَفَقَدتُ حُمقي

عَدِمتُ جَهالَتي وَفَقَدتُ حُمقي

لَقَد أَخطَأتُ وَجهَ طَريقِ عِشقي

لَقَد أَخطَأتُ وَجهَ طَريقِ عِشقي

May I be rid of my ignorance and lose my folly!

I lost my ignorance and missed my foolishness

Indeed, I mistook the direction of my love's path.

I was wrong in the path of my love

كَذَبتُ عَلى لِساني في مُزاحٍ

كَذَبتُ عَلى لِساني في مُزاحٍ

فَقُلتُ لَهُ وَلَم أَنطِق بِحَقِّ

فَقُلتُ لَهُ وَلَم أَنطِق بِحَقِّ

I lied with my tongue in jest,

I lied with my tongue jokingly

so I said to him, speaking no truth:

And told him while I wasn't truthful

أَنا الصَبُّ المُسَهَّدُ في هَواكُم

أَنا الصَبُّ المُسَهَّدُ في هَواكُم

وَجَنَّبتُ المَقالَةَ مَحضَ صِدقِ

وَجَنَّبتُ المَقالَةَ مَحضَ صِدقِ

I am the lovesick one, kept sleepless by my love for you.

I'm the young man laid in your love

And I kept that utterance far from pure truth.

And avoided the whole truth

فَبادَرَ حينَ مِلتُ إِلى اِعتِناقي

فَبادَرَ حينَ مِلتُ إِلى اِعتِناقي

بِوَجهِ عَظايَةٍ وَنَهاجٍ سِلقِ

بِوَجهِ عَظايَةٍ وَنَهاجٍ سِلقِ

Then, when I leaned, he hastened to embrace me,

So when I got tired and hugged him

with a lizard's face and a wolf's panting,

With an awful face and smelly mouth

وَساقَي صَعوَةٍ بِخَطمِ قِردٍ

وَساقَي صَعوَةٍ بِخَطمِ قِردٍ

وَريحِ كَنائِفٍ وَبِنَتنِ شِدقِ

وَريحِ كَنائِفٍ وَبِنَتنِ شِدقِ

and a small sparrow's two legs, with a monkey's muzzle,

And legs of an ape with a foul mouth

and the reek of privies, and a stinking mouth.

And the smell of sweat and stinky lips

تُرى ما أَخفَتا شَفَتاهُ نَحوي

تُرى ما أَخفَتا شَفَتاهُ نَحوي

كَأَنَّ لُثاثَةً عُلَّت بِدِبقِ

كَأَنَّ لُثاثَةً عُلَّت بِدِبقِ

I wonder what his two lips had hidden for me—

As if he was smeared with molasses

as though a morsel had been soaked in birdlime.