وَجارِيَةٍand a maiden شَعرُهاher hair شَطرُهاhalf of her
وَجارِيَةٍ شَعرُها شَطرُها
مُحَكَّمَةٍvested with authority نافِذٍbinding أَمرُهاher command
مُحَكَّمَةٍ نافِذٍ أَمرُها
And a maiden whose hair makes up half of her,
A girl with hair split in two
And a maiden whose tresses are half of her height,
Vested with authority, her command holds sway.
Her command piercing and firm
A sovereign ruler whose word is obeyed,
تَدورُshe circles about وَفيand in كَفِّهاher palm طاقَةٌa bouquet
تَدورُ وَفي كَفِّها طاقَةٌ
تَضَمَّنَهاenclosed it مُكرَهاًunder compulsion شِبرُهاher handspan
تَضَمَّنَها مُكرَهاً شِبرُها
She circles about, a bouquet in her palm,
She turns with a bowl in her hand
She circles, a fragrant bouquet in her palm,
Her handspan forced to enfold it.
Her wrist conceals her guile
Which her hand-span can barely be forced to contain.
فَإِنso if أَسكَرَتناshe intoxicated us فَفيthen in جَهلِهاher ignorance
فَإِن أَسكَرَتنا فَفي جَهلِها
بِماof what فَعَلَتهُshe did it بِناto us عُذرُهاher excuse
بِما فَعَلَتهُ بِنا عُذرُها
So if she intoxicates us, in her ignorance
If she intoxicates us, she is blameless
If she leaves us intoxicated, her unawareness
Of what she has done to us lies her excuse.
For what she does to us, she has an excuse
Of the spell she has cast is her only excuse.
Sol 6.1