أبى الجهلُ إلا أن يكونَ نساؤنا

أبى الجهلُ إلا أن يكونَ نساؤنا

رجالٌ سوانا والرجالُ نساءُ

رجالٌ سوانا والرجالُ نساءُ

Ignorance insisted that our women be

Ignorance insisted that our women

men other than us, and that the men be women.

Become men, and our men become women

فتلكَ نساءُ الغربِ ساوينَ غيرةً

فتلكَ نساءُ الغربِ ساوينَ غيرةً

وفقنَ رجالَ المشرقِ الجهلاءُ

وفقنَ رجالَ المشرقِ الجهلاءُ

So those women of the West equaled in zeal

So those are the Western women, equal in jealousy

and surpassed the ignorant men of the East.

And they have emasculated the ignorant men of the East

وكلُّ نساءِ الشرقِ ساوينَ في الرضا

وكلُّ نساءِ الشرقِ ساوينَ في الرضا

بذاكَ رجالَ المغربِ العلماءُ

بذاكَ رجالَ المغربِ العلماءُ

And all the women of the East were as content

And all the women of the East are equal in consent

with that as the learned men of the West.

To those learned men of the West

وآيةُ ذلِّ النفسِ أن يحكمَ الهوى

وآيةُ ذلِّ النفسِ أن يحكمَ الهوى

وقد أصبحَ الشرقانِ فيهِ سواءُ

وقد أصبحَ الشرقانِ فيهِ سواءُ

And the sign of the soul's abasement is that passion rules;

And the sign of this weakness is that desire rules

and the two Easts have now become equal in this.

And the two Easts have become equal in it