فإن أك حالِكاً فَالمِسك أَحوى

فإن أك حالِكاً فَالمِسك أَحوى

وَما لِسَواد جِلدي من دَواءِ

وَما لِسَواد جِلدي من دَواءِ

If I am dark, musk is darker still,

For if I am pitch-black, musk is darker still;

and there is no remedy for my skin’s blackness.

And there is no remedy for the blackness of my skin.

وَلي كَرم عَنِ الفَحشاءِ ناءٍ

وَلي كَرم عَنِ الفَحشاءِ ناءٍ

كَبُعد الأَرضِ من جو السَماءِ

كَبُعد الأَرضِ من جو السَماءِ

Yet I possess a nobility far removed from indecency,

And I have nobility far removed from indecency,

as far as earth is from the heights of heaven.

As far as the earth is from the expanse of heaven.

وَمِثلي في رِجالِكم قَليل

وَمِثلي في رِجالِكم قَليل

وَمثلك لَيسَ يُعدَم في النِساءِ

وَمثلك لَيسَ يُعدَم في النِساءِ

Few among your men are the equal of me,

And few among your men are like me,

while women like you are never hard to find.

And your like is not lacking among women.

فَاِن تَرضى فَرُدّي قَول راضٍ

فَاِن تَرضى فَرُدّي قَول راضٍ

وَاِن تَأَبي فَنَحن عَلى السَواءِ

وَاِن تَأَبي فَنَحن عَلى السَواءِ

So if you consent, reply with words of consent;

So if you consent, reply with words of acceptance;

and if you refuse, then we stand on equal terms.

And if you refuse, then we are on equal footing.