أشكوI complain of السقامillness وتشكوand complains of مثلهthe like of it امرأتيmy wife
أشكو السقام وتشكو مثله امرأتي
فنحنso we فيin الفرشthe beds والأعضاءand the limbs نرتجُّwe tremble
فنحن في الفرش والأعضاء نرتجُّ
I complain of illness, and my wife complains of the same.
I complain of illness and so does my wife
So we tremble in our beds and in our limbs.
As we lie in bed with aching limbs
نفسانtwo souls والعظمand the bones فيon نطعٍa leather mat يجمعناbrings us together
نفسان والعظم في نطعٍ يجمعنا
كأنَّماas though نحنُwe فيin التمثيلِthe comparison شطرَنجُchess
كأنَّما نحنُ في التمثيلِ شطرَنجُ
Two souls, our bones on a leather mat that brings us together—
Two souls yet our bodies are as one
As though, by analogy, we were a game of chess.
As if we're chess pieces in a game