تُعاتِبُني عِرسي عَلى أَن أُطيعَها

تُعاتِبُني عِرسي عَلى أَن أُطيعَها

لَقَد كَذَبَتها نَفسُها ما تَمَنَّتِ

لَقَد كَذَبَتها نَفسُها ما تَمَنَّتِ

My wife reproaches me, insisting that I obey her.

My wife reproaches me so that I will obey her;

Her own soul has surely deceived her in what she wished for.

indeed, her own soul has deceived her in what she wished for.

وَظَنَّت بِأَنّي كُلَّما رَضَيَت بِهِ

وَظَنَّت بِأَنّي كُلَّما رَضَيَت بِهِ

رَضِيتُ بِهِ يا جَهلَها كَيفَ ظَنَّتِ

رَضِيتُ بِهِ يا جَهلَها كَيفَ ظَنَّتِ

She imagined that whatever pleased her,

And she thought that whenever she was pleased with something,

would please me too—how ignorant she is! How could she think it?

I would be pleased with it—oh, her folly! How could she think so?

وَصاحَبتُها ما لَو صَحِبتُ بِمثلِهِ

وَصاحَبتُها ما لَو صَحِبتُ بِمثلِهِ

عَلى ذُعرِها أُروِيَّةً لاطمَأَنَّتِ

عَلى ذُعرِها أُروِيَّةً لاطمَأَنَّتِ

I have lived with her so gently that, had I treated

And I kept her company in a way that, had I done the same

a frightened mountain gazelle the same way, it would surely have grown calm.

with a female ibex, despite its fright, it would surely have felt secure.

وَقَد غَرَّها مِنّي عَلى الشَيبِ وَالبِلى

وَقَد غَرَّها مِنّي عَلى الشَيبِ وَالبِلى

جُنوني بِها جُنَّت حِيالي وَخُنَّتِ

جُنوني بِها جُنَّت حِيالي وَخُنَّتِ

What has misled her about me, despite my gray hair and decline,

And what beguiled her in me, despite gray hair and decline,

is my infatuation with her: she raves at me and whines.

was my madness for her—she went mad before me and whimpered.

وَلا ذَنبَ لي قَد قُلتُ في بَدءِ أَمرِنا

وَلا ذَنبَ لي قَد قُلتُ في بَدءِ أَمرِنا

وَلَو عَلِمَت ما عُلِّمَت ما تَعَيِّتِ

وَلَو عَلِمَت ما عُلِّمَت ما تَعَيِّتِ

I am not to blame; I said so at the very outset of our life together.

And I am not to blame; I spoke at the beginning of our affair,

Had she understood what she was taught, she would not have been at a loss.

and had she understood what she was taught, she would not have been perplexed.

تَشَكّى إِلى جاراتِها وَبَناتِها

تَشَكّى إِلى جاراتِها وَبَناتِها

إِذا لَم تَجِد ذَنباً عَلَينا تَجَنَّتِ

إِذا لَم تَجِد ذَنباً عَلَينا تَجَنَّتِ

She takes her complaints to her neighbors and daughters.

She complains to her neighbors and her daughters;

Whenever she finds no fault in us, she invents one.

when she finds no fault in us, she invents one.

أَلَم تَعلَمي أَنّي إِذا خِفتُ جَفوَةً

أَلَم تَعلَمي أَنّي إِذا خِفتُ جَفوَةً

بِمَنزِلَةٍ أَبعَدتُ عَنها مَطيَّتي

بِمَنزِلَةٍ أَبعَدتُ عَنها مَطيَّتي

Do you not know that whenever I fear a cold reception

Did you not know that, when I fear cold treatment

at a stopping place, I drive my mount far away from it?

at a dwelling, I take my mount far away from it?

وَإِنّي إِذا شَقَّت عَليَّ قَرينَتي

وَإِنّي إِذا شَقَّت عَليَّ قَرينَتي

ذَهَلتُ وَلَم أَحنِن إِذا هيَ حَنَّتِ

ذَهَلتُ وَلَم أَحنِن إِذا هيَ حَنَّتِ

And whenever my wife makes life hard for me,

And indeed, when my wife makes things hard for me,

I turn away and do not yearn, even when she yearns.

I put her out of mind and do not yearn when she yearns.