إنّ التي عَذّبَتْ نَفْسي بما قَدَرَتْ

كُلَّ العذاب فما أَبْقَتْ ولا تَرَكَتْ

She who has tortured my soul with what she decreed

With every torment, she neither spared nor forsook

مازَحْتُها فَبَكَتْ واستَعْبَرتْ جَزَعاً

عَنّي فلَمَّا رأتين باكياً ضَحِكَتْ

I jested with her, and she wept copiously

Turning away from me in grief, but when she saw me crying, she laughed

فَعُدْتُ أَضْحكُ مسروراً بِضِحْكتِها

حَتّى إذا ما رأتني ضاحكاً فَبكَتْ

So I returned laughing, pleased at her laughter

Until when she saw me laughing, she cried

تَبْغي خلافي كما خَبّت بِراكِبِها

يوماً قلوصٌ فَلمّا حَثَّها بَركَتْ

She wants the opposite of me, as she disobeyed her rider

One day a colt, but when he spurred her, she bolted

أَلَيْسَ مِنْ عَجَبٍ بل زادني عَجَباً

مملوكةٌ مَلَكَتْ من بعدما مُلِكَتْ

Is it not strange - nay, it increased my wonder

A slave girl who ruled after she was ruled

كأَنَّها دُرَّةٌ قَدْ كُنْتُ أَذْخَرُها

لِيَوْمِ عُسْرٍ فَلَمَّا رُمْتُها هَلَكَتْ

As if she were a pearl I used to hoard

For a day of hardship, but when I threw it, it was lost