أَعَثَمَةُ اِطلِقي العَلَقَ الرَهينا

أَعَثَمَةُ اِطلِقي العَلَقَ الرَهينا

بِعَيشِكِ وَاِرحَمي الصَبَّ الحَزينا

بِعَيشِكِ وَاِرحَمي الصَبَّ الحَزينا

O ʿAthama, free the captive lover,

A'thamah, let the captive bird go free

By your life, and pity the sorrowful, lovesick man.

For your life's sake, and have mercy on this sad lover

رَبيعَةُ مُغرمٌ بِكِ مُستَهامٌ

رَبيعَةُ مُغرمٌ بِكِ مُستَهامٌ

يَحِنُّ إِلَيكِ مِن شَوقٍ حنينا

يَحِنُّ إِلَيكِ مِن شَوقٍ حنينا

Rabiʿa is enamored of you, distraught with love;

Rabi'ah is infatuated with you, rapturous

He yearns for you with ardent longing.

He longs for you, with a yearning so keen

تَعَرَّضَ زائِراً لَكِ فَاِرحَميهِ

تَعَرَّضَ زائِراً لَكِ فَاِرحَميهِ

فَقَد أَورَثتِ زائِرَكِ الجُنونا

فَقَد أَورَثتِ زائِرَكِ الجُنونا

He sought you out as a visitor, so have mercy on him;

He came visiting you, so have mercy on him

For you have brought madness upon your visitor.

For your visitor you have maddened into madness

رَآكِ وَأَنتِ مُقبِلَة فَلَمّا

رَآكِ وَأَنتِ مُقبِلَة فَلَمّا

رَأَتكِ العَينُ هِجتِ لَنا فُتونا

رَأَتكِ العَينُ هِجتِ لَنا فُتونا

He saw you approaching; and when

He saw you approaching, but when

The eye beheld you, you stirred temptation in us.

His eyes saw you, they stirred up turmoil for us

وَقُمتِ تَأَوَّدينَ وَعَهدُ عَيني

وَقُمتِ تَأَوَّدينَ وَعَهدُ عَيني

بِحُسنِكِ في الحُزونِ تَأَوَّدينا

بِحُسنِكِ في الحُزونِ تَأَوَّدينا

And you rose, swaying; my eye remembers

You got up to bid him farewell, and my eyes

Your beauty as you swayed on rugged ground.

In sorrow at your beauty, bid you farewell

فَلَمّا أَن رَآكِ الناسُ قالوا

فَلَمّا أَن رَآكِ الناسُ قالوا

تَعالى اللَهُ رَبُّ العالَمينا

تَعالى اللَهُ رَبُّ العالَمينا

Then, when the people saw you, they said:

So when the people saw you they said

Exalted is God, Lord of the worlds!

"Glory to Allah, Lord of all beings"

بَدَت مِنكِ الرَوادِفُ مُشرِفاتٍ

بَدَت مِنكِ الرَوادِفُ مُشرِفاتٍ

رَوادِفُ لَم تَدَع لِلناسِ دينا

رَوادِفُ لَم تَدَع لِلناسِ دينا

Your buttocks appeared, jutting out—

Your shapely hips appeared, rising

Buttocks that left people with no faith.

Hips that left nothing for the people of faith

وَقَد أَعطاكِ رَبُّكِ فَاِكُريهِ

وَقَد أَعطاكِ رَبُّكِ فَاِكُريهِ

جَمالاً فَوقَ وَصفِ الواصِفينا

جَمالاً فَوقَ وَصفِ الواصِفينا

And your Lord has given you—so thank Him [reading uncertain]—

And your Lord has granted you, so thank Him

Beauty beyond the describers' descriptions.

A beauty beyond the description of describers

فَما الشَمسُ المُضيئَةُ يَومَ دَجنٍ

فَما الشَمسُ المُضيئَةُ يَومَ دَجنٍ

بِأَحسَنِ مِنكِ يَومَ تَبذُلينا

بِأَحسَنِ مِنكِ يَومَ تَبذُلينا

For the shining sun on a cloudy day is not

The bright sun on a gloomy day

Fairer than you when you appear unadorned.

Is not more beautiful than you when you display yourself

إِذا أَقبَلتِ رُعتِ الناسَ حُسناً

إِذا أَقبَلتِ رُعتِ الناسَ حُسناً

وَإِن أَدبَرتِ قَيَّدتِ العُيونا

وَإِن أَدبَرتِ قَيَّدتِ العُيونا

When you approach, you awe people with your beauty;

If you turn your face the people see beauty

And if you turn away, you fetter their eyes.

And if you turn away, you shackle their eyes

فَلَو أَنَّ المُلوكَ رَأَوكِ يَوماً

فَلَو أَنَّ المُلوكَ رَأَوكِ يَوماً

لَخَرّوا مِن جَمالِكِ ساجِدينا

لَخَرّوا مِن جَمالِكِ ساجِدينا

For if kings saw you one day,

If kings saw you one day

They would fall prostrate at your beauty.

They would prostrate before your beauty

وَلَو أَنَّ النِساءَ مَلَكنَ أَمراً

وَلَو أَنَّ النِساءَ مَلَكنَ أَمراً

لَكُنتِ إِذَن أَميرَ المُؤمِنينا

لَكُنتِ إِذَن أَميرَ المُؤمِنينا

And if women held authority,

If women ruled affairs

You would then be Commander of the Faithful.

Then you would be Commander of the Faithful

لَقَد أُعطيتِ أَردافاً ثِقالاً

لَقَد أُعطيتِ أَردافاً ثِقالاً

وَقَد حُمِّلتِ مالاً تَحمِلينا

وَقَد حُمِّلتِ مالاً تَحمِلينا

You have indeed been given heavy buttocks,

You were given heavy thighs

And you have been laden with wealth that you carry.

And you were burdened with a load you carry

إِذا رُمتِ القِيامَ تَخالُ دِعصاً

إِذا رُمتِ القِيامَ تَخالُ دِعصاً

يُمانِعُكِ القِيامَ فَتَقعُدينا

يُمانِعُكِ القِيامَ فَتَقعُدينا

When you try to rise, one imagines a sand dune

If you stand up straight like a pillar

Keeping you from rising, so you sit down.

Your hips protest and you sit back down

إِذا صَلَّيتِ ثُمَّ سَجَدتِ قُلنا

إِذا صَلَّيتِ ثُمَّ سَجَدتِ قُلنا

أَلا يا لَيتَها سَجَدَت سِنينا

أَلا يا لَيتَها سَجَدَت سِنينا

When you pray and then prostrate yourself, we say:

When you pray and then prostrate we say

Oh, if only she would stay prostrate for years!

"Would that she had prostrated for years"