اسمَع حَديثَ الدَّواوين الَّتي اشتُهِرَت

اسمَع حَديثَ الدَّواوين الَّتي اشتُهِرَت

من بَعد تَنزيهِها باللَّهوِ والعِلَلِ

من بَعد تَنزيهِها باللَّهوِ والعِلَلِ

Hear the tale of the bureaus that became known

Listen to the tales of the scrolls that were famed

After their former purity, for frivolity and faults.

After exonerating them of frivolity and illness

أضحَت وكتابُها أقلامُهم خلقَت

أضحَت وكتابُها أقلامُهم خلقَت

مَعهم كتابتُها لَيسَت تَبَيَّن لي

مَعهم كتابتُها لَيسَت تَبَيَّن لي

They have come to this: their scribes' pens were created

They have become while their scrolls their pens created

With them; their writing is not clear to me.

Along with them their writing does not manifest to me

من كلِّ مُنعَطفِ الصُّدغَينِ مُكتَحلِ الط

من كلِّ مُنعَطفِ الصُّدغَينِ مُكتَحلِ الط

طَرفَينِ مُستَتِرِ الخَدَّينِ بالخَجَلِ

طَرفَينِ مُستَتِرِ الخَدَّينِ بالخَجَلِ

Of every man with curling sidelocks and kohl-lined

From every curve of the two cheeks kohl-lined eyes

Eyes, his cheeks veiled in bashfulness.

Of drooping lids concealing cheeks in shyness

إِذا تَمشى تَرى في قَدِّهِ مَيلاً

إِذا تَمشى تَرى في قَدِّهِ مَيلاً

وبَينَ فَخذَيهِ رُمحٌ غيرُ ذي مَيَلِ

وبَينَ فَخذَيهِ رُمحٌ غيرُ ذي مَيَلِ

When he walks, you see a sway in his figure,

When he walks you see in his neck a tilt

And between his thighs a spear without a bend.

And between his thighs a straight unwavering spear

سَألتُه الوَصلَ يَوماً فاستَجابَ لَه

سَألتُه الوَصلَ يَوماً فاستَجابَ لَه

إِجابةً رَدَّني مِنها عَلى وَجَلِ

إِجابةً رَدَّني مِنها عَلى وَجَلِ

I asked him for union one day, and he responded to it

I asked him for union one day and he obligingly responded

With an answer that sent me back in alarm.

With an answer that spurned me in agitation

حتَّى كشَفتُ لَه حالِي فقَالَ إذا

حتَّى كشَفتُ لَه حالِي فقَالَ إذا

لو كانَ غيرَ الَّذي نَنحوهُ لَم تَصِلِ

لو كانَ غيرَ الَّذي نَنحوهُ لَم تَصِلِ

Until I revealed my condition to him; then he said:

Until I revealed my state, and he said: If it were not

'Were it other than what we seek, you would not attain it.

For what we intend, you would not unite

علَيَّ نَذرٌ وأَيمانٌ مُؤكَّدةٌ

علَيَّ نَذرٌ وأَيمانٌ مُؤكَّدةٌ

أن لا عَلوتُ عَلى ظَهرٍ ولا كَفَلِ

أن لا عَلوتُ عَلى ظَهرٍ ولا كَفَلِ

I am bound by a vow and solemn oaths,

Upon me are vows and oaths confirmed

Never to mount a back or a rump.'

That I not rebel upon a back or shoulder

فقلتُ سِر آمِناً مِن نَقضِ عَهدك ذا

فقلتُ سِر آمِناً مِن نَقضِ عَهدك ذا

فليسَ هَذا الَّذي تَخشاهُ من عَملي

فليسَ هَذا الَّذي تَخشاهُ من عَملي

So I said, 'Proceed, safe from breaking this pledge of yours;

So I said: Go safely, fear no breach of your pact by me

For what you fear is no practice of mine.'

For this is not what you fear from my actions

أخذتُ مِنه بِثَأرٍ لَيسَ يَلزمُني

أخذتُ مِنه بِثَأرٍ لَيسَ يَلزمُني

أولا فَمن كانَ منِّي يوسفُ بن عَلي

أولا فَمن كانَ منِّي يوسفُ بن عَلي

I exacted vengeance from him that was no obligation of mine

I took from him a vengeance that does not obligate me

To begin with—for what was Yusuf ibn Ali to me?

Firstly, so who was from me Joseph son of Ali?

إن كانَ أصبَحَ مُختَلَّ اليَدينِ فَقَد

إن كانَ أصبَحَ مُختَلَّ اليَدينِ فَقَد

أمسَت مُمكنَّةً رِجلاهُ من رجُلِ

أمسَت مُمكنَّةً رِجلاهُ من رجُلِ

If he has become impaired in both hands, then

If he has awoken with paralyzed hands, then

His legs have now become available to a man.

Yesterday his legs were enabled by my legs

ويا عَبيدَ الغَراميلِ التي نَزَلَت

ويا عَبيدَ الغَراميلِ التي نَزَلَت

بِهم من المَجدِ في الأَعلى مِن القُلَلِ

بِهم من المَجدِ في الأَعلى مِن القُلَلِ

And O slaves of the penises that have lodged

And O slaves of love which descended

Them on the loftiest peaks of glory:

Upon them from glory at the highest peaks

لَو كانَ يُكرمُ أيرٌ دونَ صاحِبهِ

لَو كانَ يُكرمُ أيرٌ دونَ صاحِبهِ

لَما تَخرَّطتُم في الوَشي والحلَلِ

لَما تَخرَّطتُم في الوَشي والحلَلِ

If a penis were honored apart from its owner,

If an eagle did not honor its fellow

You would not have slipped into brocade and fine robes.

You would not have tattered yourselves in rags and patches