إِنَّ سُلَيمى وَاللَهُ يَكلَؤُها

ضَنَّت بِشَيءٍ ما كانَ يَرزَؤُها

Surely Sulayma, whom God confound,

Has become disaffected with something she never expected.

وَعَوَّدَّتني فيما تُعَودُِّني

أَظماءَ وَردٍ ما كنتُ أَجزَؤُها

She has accustomed me to enduring patiently

The long night whose length I never thought I could endure.

وَلا أَراها تَزالُ ظالِمَةً

تُحَدِثُ لي نَكبَةً وَتَنكؤُها

And I see that she persists in wronging me,

Stirring up calamity for me and then blaming it on me.

وَتَزدَهيني من غَيرِ فاحِشَةٍ

أَشياءُ عَنها بالغَيبِ أنبؤُها

And without being indecent she tells me of things,

About which I can only guess from hints she drops.

لَو تُهنِيَ العاشِقينَ ما وَعَدَت

لَكانَ خَيرَ العِداةِ أَهنؤُها

If she were true to her promises to lovers,

Her perfidy would be far better hidden.

شَبَّت وَشَبَّ العَفافُ يَتبَعُها

فَلَم يُعَب خِدنُها وَمَنشَؤُها

She grew up and chastity grew up with her,

So her scruple and her breeding were never impugned,

وَبَوَّأَت في صَميم مَعشَرِها

فَنَمَّ في قَومِها مُبَوَّؤُها

And she took her place in the choicest ranks,

And one held in highest honor by her tribe,

خَودٌ تُعاطيكَ بَعدَ رَقدَتِها

إِذا يُلاقي العُيونَ مَهدَؤُها

A cheek that even when it sleeps

Rivals the eyes in its allure when it wakes,

كأساً بفيها صَهباءَ مُعرِقَةً

يَغلو بِأَيدي التِجار مَسبَؤُها

A wine-filled cup passing from hand to hand

Among the merchants, who bid high to own it.