بَكَرَت عَلَيَّ بِسُحرَةٍ تَلحاني
وَكَفى بِها جَهلاً وَطَيشِ لِسانِ
She took me unawares with her sorcery beguiling me
While ignorance and frivolity were enough for her
وَلَقَد حَفِظتُ وَصاةَ مَن هُوَ ناصِحٌ
لي عالِمٌ بِمَآقِطِ الخُلّانِ
And I had kept the behest of him who was my sincere adviser
A scholar knowing the ways of the crafty and cunning
حَتّى إِذا بَرَتِ العِظامَ زَجَرتُها
زَجرَ الضَنينِ بِعِرضِهِ الغَضبانِ
Until when my bones were wasted, I chided her
Like one chiding a yearling camel, bursting with rage
فَرَأَيتُها طَلَحَت مَخافَةَ نَهكَةٍ
مِنّي وَبادِرَةٍ وَأَيَّ أَوانِ
So I saw her withdraw, fearing a splitting blow from me
In horrified haste - what a moment that was!
وَلَقَد عَلِمتِ وَأَنتِ غَيرُ حَليمَةٍ
أَلّا يُقَرِّبَني هَوىً لِهوانِ
And you knew, un-Halimah-like,
That no passion should bring me down to ignominy
هَبِلَتكِ أُمُّكِ هَل لَدَيكِ فَتُرشِدي
في آخِرِ الأَيّامِ مِن تِبيانِ
Foolish woman! Does it not behove you now to guide
Me, in my dotage, with good advice?
أَرعى الأَمانَةَ لا أَخونُ وَلا أُرى
أَبَداً أَدَمِّنُ عَرصَةَ الخَوّانِ
I keep faith, I am no traitor, I will never be
A lodger forever in the abode of treachery
وََتَنكَّرَت لي بَعدَ وُدٍّ ثابِتٍ
أَنّى تَجامُعُ وَصَلِ ذي الأَلوانِ
And yet you turned from me, after love steadfast
How do you reconcile this perfidy, changeling?
يَوماً طِواعُكَ في القِيادِ وَتارَةً
تَلقاكَ تُنكِرُها مِن الشَنَآنِ
One day complaisant to be led, another day
Aloof, disdaining me out of spite
طَوراً تُلاقيهِ أَخاكَ وَتارَةً
تَلقاهُ تَحسَبُهُ مِن السودانِ
At times meeting your brother amiably, at others
Deeming him a blackamoor to be shunned
وَمَريضَةٍ قَفرٍ يُحاذَرُ شَرُّها
مِن هَولِها قَمِنٍ مِنَ الحَدَثانِ
A scabby, mangy hag whose evil is to be feared
So hideous, so obscene, so coarse of face
غَبراءَ خاضِعَةِ الصُوى جاوَزتُها
لَيلاً بِكاتِمةِ السُرى مِذعانِ
A dusty crone, abasing herself in the gloaming
As I stole away silently under cover of night
حَرفٍ تَمُدُّ زِمامَها بِعُذافِرٍ
كَالجِذعِ شُذِّبَ ليفُهُ الرَيّانِ
A shrew who extends her rein with claws
Like a lopped palm-trunk stripped of its leaves
غَضبى لِمَنسِمِها صَياحٌ بِالحَصى
وَقعَ القَدومِ بِغَضرَةِ الأَفنانِ
My rage at her yell was a shower of pebbles
And the thud of feet in the meadows green
تَستَشرِفُ الأَشباحَ وَهيَ مُشيحَةٌ
بِبَصيرَةٍ وَحشِيَّةِ الإِنسانِ
She made out phantoms though blear-eyed she was
With the wild instincts, not eyes, of a human
خَوصاءَ صافِيَةٍ تَجودُ بِمائِها
وَسطَ النهارِ كَنُطفَةِ الحَرّانِ
A brazen, shameless hussy, who vaunted her wares
Under the noonday sun like a zealous pedlar
تَنفي الظَهيرَةَ وَالغُبارَ بِحاجِبٍ
كَالكَهفِ صينَت دونَهُ بِصِيانِ
Repelling the noonday heat and dust with a brow
Like a cave - with a veil she had screened its portal
زَهراءُ مُقلَتُها تَردّدَّ فَوقَها
عِندَ المُعَرَّسِ مُدلِجُ القِردانِ
Rosy-cheeked, batting her eyelids above
As the pimp hovered around the bridegroom at the wedding
أَعيَت مَذارِعُها عَلَيهِ كَأَنَّما
تَنمي أَكارِعُهُ عَلى صَفوانِ
Her tricks to seduce him were endless, as though
She sought to wean him from Safoan's side
فَتَعَجرَفَت وَتَعَرَّضَت لِقَلائِصٍ
خوصِ العُيونِ خَواضِعِ الأَذقانِ
So she flaunted herself and exposed her blemishes -
Timid, soft-eyed, submissive - how false!
شَبَّهتُها لَهِقَ السَراةِ مُلَمَّعاً
مِنهُ القَوائِمُ طاوِيَ المُصرانِ
I compared her to an arrogant, prancing stud
Knock-kneed, bow-legged, splay-hoofed and bandy
فَغَدا بِمُعتَدِلَينِ لَم يُسلَبُهُما
لا فيهِما عِوَجٌ وَلا نَقِدانِ
Then he came, straight and upright, undamaged
No flaws in either, no defects
وَكِلاهُما تَحتَ الضَبابِ كَأَنَّما
دَهَنَ المُثَقِّفُ ليطَهُ بِدِهانِ
And both were veiled in mist as though
The tanner had anointed them in his pit
وَغَدا بِسامِعَتي وَأىً أَعطاهُما
حَذَراً وَسَمعاً خَالِقُ الآذانِ
And he had given me hearing and - wonder above wonders -
Sight, by the grace of the Creator of ears and eyes
