تَقولُ سُلَيمى لِجاراتِها
أَرى ثابِتاً يَفَناً حَوقَلا
Suleima says to her neighbors,
"I see Thabit weak and frail,
لَها الوَيلُ ماوَجَدَت ثابِتاً
أَلَفَّ اليَدَينِ وَلا زُمَّلا
Woe to her, she found Thabit
With limp hands and no strength.
وَلا رَعِشَ الساقِ عِندَ الجِراءِ
إِذا بادَرَ الحَملَةُ الهَيضَلا
His legs don't tremble in fright
When the brave men attack.
يَفوتُ الجِيادَ بِتَقريبِهِ
وَيَكسو حَوادِها القَسطَلا
He misses his steed when called
And covers his shame with lies.
وَيَعتَرِقُ النَقنَقَ المُسبَطِرُّ
وَالجَأبُ ذا العانَةِ المِسحَلا
The boastful one is humiliated
And the arrogant is brought low.
وَأَدهَمَ قَد جُبتُ جِلبابَهُ
كَما اِجتابَتِ الكاعِبُ الخَيعَلا
And Ahdam's cloak is torn
As the truthful one tears the liar's robes.
إِلى أَن حَدا الصُبحُ أَثنائَهُ
وَمَزَّقَ جِلبابَهُ الأَيلَلا
Until dawn ended his exploits
And the night shredded his cloak,
عَلى شَيمِ نارٍ تَنَوَّرتُها
فَبُتُّ لَها مُدبِراً مُقبِلا
Over embers that consumed him
I fled him turning this way and that.
فَأَصبَحتُ وَالغولُ لي جارَةٌ
فَيا جارَتا أَنتِ ما أَهوَلا
So I woke and the ghoul was my neighbor,
Oh neighbor, how awful you are!
وَطالَبتُها بُضعَها فَاِلتَوَت
بِوَجهٍ تَهَوَّلَ فَاِستَغوَلا
I asked her for my virginity back
But she turned with a twisted face.
فَقُلتُ لَها يا اِنظُري كَي تَرَي
فَوَلَّت فَجُنتُ لَها أَغوَلا
I said look and see what you see,
She turned and I lunged to attack.
فَطارَ بِقِحفِ اِبنَةِ الجِنِّ ذو
سَفاسِقَ قَد أَخلَقَ المِحمَلا
The daughter of a Jinn flew off
Having created this burden.
إِذا كُلَّ أَمهَيتُهُ بِالصَفا
فَحَدَّ وَلَم أُرِهِ صَيقَلا
When I confronted her gently
She fled before I could draw my sword,
عَظاءَةَ قَفرٍ لَها حُلَّتانِ
مِن وَرَقِ الطَلحِ لَم تُغزَلا
A hill whose saddles are stitched
From untwisted palm leaves.
فَمَن سالَ أَينَ ثَوَت جارَتي
فَإِنَّ لَها بِاللَوى مَنزِلا
Let whoever asks where my neighbor went,
Know she has a home in the twisted valley.
وَكُنتُ إِذا ما هَمَمتُ اِعتَزَمتُ
وَأَحرِ إِذا قُلتُ أَن أَفعَلا
Whenever I decide and determine
To do a thing, I do it."
