دع الأمطارَ تعتور الديارا

ودر عنها إلى ديرِ العذارى

Let the rains traverse the abodes

Let the rains efface the camping grounds and ruins,

And turn away from them to the monastery of virgins

And turn instead to the Convent of the Virgins.

وعَج عن نعتِ أروى أو لُبَيني

بعبدِ يشوع فاعدل عن أوارى

And refrain from describing the maid of Arwa or Labina

Swerve from the praise of Arwa or Lubayna;

With the worshipper of Jesus so turn away from the brides

With Abd-Yishu, replace the memory of Awara.

بظبي كالهلال من النصارى

محاسنهُ تزهّدُ في العذارى

With a gazelle like the crescent of Christians

Choose a gazelle among Christians, gleaming like the crescent moon,

Its beauty makes virgins ascetic

Whose charms make one renounce all maidens.

تركتُ له الحسانَ الحورَ لمّا

شغلتُ بحبّهِ قلبي فبارى

I left it with beautiful houris when

For him I abandoned the fair, dark-eyed beauties,

I busied my heart with love for him so it was evident

When his love seized my heart and prevailed.

يقُلنَ وقد صرفتُ هواي عنها

فهنّ لنبوَتي عنها حيارى

They say when I diverted my love from them

They say—now that I have turned my passion from them,

So they were confused about my prophethood because of it

Bewildered by my shunning and my distance—

بأيّةِ حجّةٍ أم أيِّ رأي

عدلتَ عن الحنيفِ إلى النصارى

With what argument or what opinion

"By what logic, or by what strange decree,"

Did you turn from the Hanifite to the Christians?

"Have you swerved from the True Faith to the Christians?"

فقلتُ لأنّ بُرصوماً نصيبي

يرخّصُ في الفخار لهم جهارى

So I said because Barsoum is my fate

I replied: "Because Barsoum is my destiny,"

Who permits clay vessels for them openly

"Who openly permits them their proud delights."

وكانَ نكاحُهنَّ يراهُ حوباً

مخافةَ أن يناسلنَ الشرارا

And he saw their marriage as love

"He considers the bedding of women a sin,"

Fearing they would multiply evildoers

"Dreading they might birth a wicked brood."

يرى الأفخاذَ جنّةَ كل أيرٍ

إذا ما قامَ ليلاً أو نهارا

He sees thighs as the paradise of every penis

"He deems the thighs a paradise for every rod,"

If he stands at night or day

"Whenever it rises up, by night or day,"

قيامَ مؤذنٍ في يوم غيم

يميناً ظلّ ينظرُ واليسارا

Like the standing of a muezzin on a cloudy day

"Rising like a muezzin on a cloudy day,"

Looking right and left

"Who gazes anxiously to the right and left."

فإن عدمَ استراحَ براحتيهِ

ولم يخشَ الأثامَ ولا الشنار

So if he doesn't rest his two legs

"If a partner is lacking, he finds solace in his palms,"

And doesn't fear sins or disgrace

"Fearing neither sin nor public shame."

لذلك بولسٌ قد كان قدماً

يرى نيكَ الورى أمراً كبارا

That's why Paul used to be foremost

"For this reason, Paul, in times of old,"

In seeing the intimacy of people as a great matter

"Deemed the bedding of mortals a heavy burden,"

وقال ألا ترى الإنسانَ مهما

تحرّكَ أيرهُ يوماً وثارا

And he said don't you see that man no matter

"Saying: 'Do you not see that whenever man,'"

How his penis moved one day and stirred

"'Has his member stir and rise in revolt,'"

ثناه عن عبادتهِ فقيسوا

بما قد قلتُ واعتبروا اعتبارا

Distracting him from His worship so judge

"'It distracts him from worship? So judge by this,'"

Based on what I said and consider carefully

"'By what I have spoken, and take heed.'"

بعيسى لم يرق يوماً دماءً

ولا عن غادةٍ كشفَ الإزارا

With Jesus he never shed blood one day

"Look to Jesus: he never shed the blood of a virgin,"

Or uncovered the genitals of a maiden

"Nor did he ever lift a maiden's veil."

وبالبرهان فاعتبروا فما إن

يرى مَن ساح في الدنيا وسارا

And consider with evidence so indeed

"Consider the proof, for never was he seen,"

Whoever roams the world and traveled

"By any who roamed or wandered the earth,"

وحيداً ليس يصحبه رفيقٌ

يبادله جهاراً أو سرارا

Alone with no companion

"Solitary, without a male companion,"

Who reciprocates with him openly or secretly

"To exchange intimacies, in secret or open sight."

وفي الإفراد ألفي ذا اغتلام

على بطّيخةٍ ينزو بدارا

And I found pleasure while infatuated

"And in his solitude, he found release for his lust,"

With a melon vendor in a house

"Upon a watermelon, thrusting in haste,"

يقولُ النيك كرّرهُ مراراً

إلى أن صبَّ نطفتَهُ درارا

He says good, repeat it repeatedly

"Saying: 'Repeat the act, again and again,'"

Until he poured his semen copiously

"'Until the seed pours forth in a streaming flow.'"

لذا عنكنّ ملتُ إلى النصارى

إلى مَن لا يرى ذا النيكَ عارا

Thus from you I turned to the Christians

"Therefore, I turned from you women to the Christians,"

To those who don't see this good as shameful

"To those who see no shame in this delight."