ولِكلِّ أُنثى ضَرَّةٌ

ولِكلِّ أُنثى ضَرَّةٌ

والعدلُ ضَرَّة أُمِّه

والعدلُ ضَرَّة أُمِّه

And every woman has a co-wife,

Every woman has a flaw,

and the upright man is his mother's co-wife.

And justice is the flaw of her mother,

فَطِنٌ يُناقِشُها الحِسا

فَطِنٌ يُناقِشُها الحِسا

بَ عَلى لَياليَ عَمِّه

بَ عَلى لَياليَ عَمِّه

Shrewd, he calls her to account

So the perceptive son discusses it

over his paternal uncle's nights.

During the nights of his uncle,

باتَت مُجانِبَتي عَلي

باتَت مُجانِبَتي عَلي

هِ وكنتُ أوفِرُ قسمِه

هِ وكنتُ أوفِرُ قسمِه

She spent the night shunning me because of

My estrangement from him became heavy on me,

him, and I used to increase his share.

While I was generous with his allotment,

حتَّى إذا الخَلالُ

حتَّى إذا الخَلالُ

خَلاها وفَرَّ بِجُرمِهِ

خَلاها وفَرَّ بِجُرمِهِ

Until, when al-Khallal

Until when the intimate friend

left her and fled with his guilt.

Deserted him and fled with his crime,

هَذا الفُضولُ بعَينِه

هَذا الفُضولُ بعَينِه

ألا قَنِعت بِعلمِهِ

ألا قَنِعت بِعلمِهِ

This is meddling itself—

This meddler with his own eyes,

could you not have been content with his knowledge?

If only he had been satisfied with his knowledge.