فَدَتكَ نَفسي يا أَبا جَعفَرِ

جارِيَةٌ كَالقَمَرِ الأَزهَرِ

My soul is ransomed for you, O Abu Ja'far

May my soul be your ransom, O Abu Ja'far,

A maiden like the brightest moon

For the sake of a maiden fair as the blooming moon.

تَعَلَّقَتني وَتَعَلَّقتُها

طِفلَينِ في المَهدِ إِلى المَحشَرِ

She clung to me and I clung to her

She clung to me, and I to her,

Two infants in the cradle until the Day of Resurrection

Two children from the cradle until the Resurrection.

كُنتُ وَكانَت نَتَهادى الهَوى

بِخاتَمَينا غَيرَ مُستَنكَرِ

I was, and she was, exchanging love

She and I would exchange tokens of our passion

With our two rings, without shame

Through our rings, openly and without shame.

حَبَستَ لي الخاتَمَ مِنّي وَقَد

سَلَبتَني إِيّاهُ مُذ أَشهُرِ

You withheld from me my ring, and

But you detained my ring from me, and indeed,

You took it from me months ago

You snatched it away some months ago.

فَأَرسَلَت فيهِ فَغالَطتُها

بِخاتَمٍ مِن فِضَّةٍ أَخضَرِ

So she sent her ring, and I deceived her

When she sent word regarding it, I tried to mislead her

With a ring of green silver

With a silver ring set with a green stone.

قالَت لَقَد كانَ لَنا خاتَمٌ

أَحمَرُ يُهديهِ إِلَينا سَري

She said we had a red ring

She said, "Surely we possessed a ring,"

That would bring us together in secret

"A red one, which my noble lover gifted us."

لَكِنَّهُ عُلِّقَ غَيري فَقَد

أَهدى لَها الخاتَمُ لا أَمتَري

But he has given it to someone else

"But he has become attached to another,"

So he gave her the ring, I have no doubt

"And gifted her the ring; of this I have no doubt."

كَفَرتُ بِاللَهِ وَآياتِهِ

إِن أَنا لَم أَهجُرهُ فَليُبصِرِ

I disbelieve in God and His signs

"I renounce God and His holy verses,"

If I do not leave him, let him see

"If I do not abandon him—so let him see!"

أَو باتَ بِالمَخرَجِ مِن تُهمَتي

إِيّاهُ في خاتَمِهِ الأَحمَرِ

Or spend the night finding a way out

"Unless he finds a way to clear himself"

Of my accusation, with his red ring

"Of the charge concerning his red ring."

فَاِردُدهُ تَردُد وَصلَها إِنَّها

قُرَّةُ عَيني يا أَبا جَعفَرِ

Return it, return her affection, she is

So return it, and you will restore her love, for she is

The delight of my eye, O Abu Ja'far

The delight of my eye, O Abu Ja'far.

فَإِنَّني مُتَّهَمٌ عِندَها

وَأَنتَ تَعلَمُ أَنّي بَري

For I am accused by her

For truly I stand accused in her eyes,

And you know I am innocent

While you know well that I am innocent.