قَدْ كُنْتِ بَارِعَةً فِي الفَتْكِ مَوْلاَتِي

قَدْ كُنْتِ بَارِعَةً فِي الفَتْكِ مَوْلاَتِي

صَدَّقْتُ زَيْفَكِ وَاسْتَغْنَيتُ عَنْ ذَاتِي

صَدَّقْتُ زَيْفَكِ وَاسْتَغْنَيتُ عَنْ ذَاتِي

You were indeed adept at killing, my lady.

You were skilled in deception, my mistress

I believed your deceit and dispensed with myself.

I believed your lies and neglected myself

لَمْ أُبْصِرِ الخِنْجَرَ المَسْمُومَ فِي يَدِهَا

لَمْ أُبْصِرِ الخِنْجَرَ المَسْمُومَ فِي يَدِهَا

وَلاَ البَرَاثِنَ فِي دَيْجُورِهَا العَاتِي

وَلاَ البَرَاثِنَ فِي دَيْجُورِهَا العَاتِي

I did not see the poisoned dagger in her hand,

I did not see the poisoned dagger in her hand

nor the claws in her savage darkness.

Nor the claws in her vicious claws

فَاجْتَثَّتِ الرُّوحَ مِنِّي وَاقْتَفَتْ أَلَقِي

فَاجْتَثَّتِ الرُّوحَ مِنِّي وَاقْتَفَتْ أَلَقِي

تُؤْذِي الجِرَاحَ وَلَمْ تَأْبَهْ لأَنَّاتِي

تُؤْذِي الجِرَاحَ وَلَمْ تَأْبَهْ لأَنَّاتِي

So she uprooted the soul from me and pursued my radiance,

So she ripped out my soul without a body and snatched my glimmer

aggravating the wounds; she paid no heed to my groans.

She hurts the wounds and did not care for my whimpers

بَكَيْتُ حُزْناً قُبَيِلَ النَّزْعِ مِنْ أَلَمٍ

بَكَيْتُ حُزْناً قُبَيِلَ النَّزْعِ مِنْ أَلَمٍ

وَالذَّرْفُ فِي مُقْلَتِي يَرْثِي لِمَأْسَاتِي

وَالذَّرْفُ فِي مُقْلَتِي يَرْثِي لِمَأْسَاتِي

I wept in grief and pain just before death's throes.

I wept in sorrow just before being pulled out in pain

And the flow of tears in my eye mourns my tragedy.

And my tears in my eyelids mourn for my tragedy

قُتِلْتُ رُوحاً بِلاَ جِسْمٍ وَأَرَّقَنِي

قُتِلْتُ رُوحاً بِلاَ جِسْمٍ وَأَرَّقَنِي

سَلْبُ السِّيَاطِ لِمَا بِي مِنْ حَشَاشَاتِ

سَلْبُ السِّيَاطِ لِمَا بِي مِنْ حَشَاشَاتِ

I was slain in spirit, without a body, and kept sleepless by

I was killed in spirit without a body and it kept me awake

the whips' stripping away of the remnants of life within me.

The looting of the whips for what I have of despicabilities

حَمْقَاءُ رَعْنَاءُ إِنْ قَالَتْ فَمَنْطِقُهَا

حَمْقَاءُ رَعْنَاءُ إِنْ قَالَتْ فَمَنْطِقُهَا

إِفْكٌ تَسَتَّرَ فِي دَيْمُومِ آفَاتِ

إِفْكٌ تَسَتَّرَ فِي دَيْمُومِ آفَاتِ

Foolish, reckless—if she speaks, her speech is

Stupid, vulgar if she said, her speech

falsehood concealed in a wilderness of blights.

Is a lie hidden in the garment of defects

تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَغْتَنِي مِنْ جَيْبِ عَاشِقِهَا

تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَغْتَنِي مِنْ جَيْبِ عَاشِقِهَا

بِالسَّلْخِ لِلْوَجْهِ كَيْداً قَبْلِ أَنْ تَأْتِي

بِالسَّلْخِ لِلْوَجْهِ كَيْداً قَبْلِ أَنْ تَأْتِي

She wants to grow rich from her lover's pocket,

She wants to get rich from her lover's pocket

by flaying the face in malice before she comes.

By skinning the face cunningly before coming

كَمْ شَمَّمَتْنِي أَرِيجَ الصُّبْحِ مُنْتَشِياً

كَمْ شَمَّمَتْنِي أَرِيجَ الصُّبْحِ مُنْتَشِياً

وَالشَّوْقَ مُؤْتَلِقاً عِنْدَ المُلاَقَاةِ

وَالشَّوْقَ مُؤْتَلِقاً عِنْدَ المُلاَقَاةِ

How often she made me breathe the morning's fragrance in rapture,

How much did the scent of the morning make me smell good

and longing, radiant when we met.

And longing is glowing at the meeting

حَتَّى إِذَا كَادَ عَقْدُ الوَصْلِ يَجْمَعُنَا

حَتَّى إِذَا كَادَ عَقْدُ الوَصْلِ يَجْمَعُنَا

أَذْكَتْ بِعُودَيْنِ مِنْ غَدْرٍ مُعَانَاتِي

أَذْكَتْ بِعُودَيْنِ مِنْ غَدْرٍ مُعَانَاتِي

Until, when the bond of union was about to bring us together,

Until when the bond of union almost gathered us

she stoked my suffering with two sticks of treachery.

She kindled with two firebrands of treachery my sufferings

أَنْيَابُهَا السُّحْمُ سَالَ السُّمُّ بَيْنَهُمَا

أَنْيَابُهَا السُّحْمُ سَالَ السُّمُّ بَيْنَهُمَا

تُرِيدُ نَهْشِي وَقَذْفِي فِي المَتَاهَاتِ

تُرِيدُ نَهْشِي وَقَذْفِي فِي المَتَاهَاتِ

Her black fangs—venom flowed between the two of them.

Her filthy fangs, poison flowed between them

She wants to tear into me and hurl me into the mazes.

She wants to bite me and throw me into the labyrinths

مُلِحَّةٌ قَوَّضَتْ بِالزُّورِ نِقْمَتُهَا

مُلِحَّةٌ قَوَّضَتْ بِالزُّورِ نِقْمَتُهَا

لِلشَّامِتِينَ بِلاَ رِفْقٍ أَسَاسَاتِي

لِلشَّامِتِينَ بِلاَ رِفْقٍ أَسَاسَاتِي

Relentless—her vengeance tore down with lies

Salty, she undermined with falsehood her vengeance

my foundations, without mercy, for those who gloat.

To the gloaters ruthlessly the foundations of me

تَسِيرُ وَالهَاتِفُ المَحْمُولُ فِي يَدِهَا

تَسِيرُ وَالهَاتِفُ المَحْمُولُ فِي يَدِهَا

كَأَنَّهَا حَيَّةٌ تَطْوِي المَسَافَاتِ

كَأَنَّهَا حَيَّةٌ تَطْوِي المَسَافَاتِ

She walks with the mobile phone in her hand,

She walks and the mobile phone is in her hand

as though she were a snake folding up the distances.

As if it were a snake that folds distances