يا أيها النفر الذين تعجبوا

يا أيها النفر الذين تعجبوا

من قصة امرأة العزيز ويوسفِ

من قصة امرأة العزيز ويوسفِ

O you men who marveled

O you who are amazed

at the story of al-Aziz's wife and Yusuf:

By the story of al-Aziz's wife and Joseph

هاتيكم فتنت بأحسن من مشى

هاتيكم فتنت بأحسن من مشى

ممن عرفناه ومن لم نعرف

ممن عرفناه ومن لم نعرف

That woman was smitten with the fairest ever to walk,

Than any we knew or did not know

among those we have known and those we have not.

By her right and his she tempted me

وبحقها وبحقه فتنت به

وبحقها وبحقه فتنت به

أنثى وأغيد كالقضيب الأهيف

أنثى وأغيد كالقضيب الأهيف

And she was rightly smitten with him, as he deserved:

A female and a whiteness like an erect rod

a woman, and a graceful youth like a slender bough.

So cease your wonder at them, and wonder

فدعوا التعجّب منهما وتعجبوا

فدعوا التعجّب منهما وتعجبوا

من قشعمين كلاهما كالأسقف

من قشعمين كلاهما كالأسقف

So cease marveling at those two, and marvel instead

At two old men, both like bishops

at two decrepit old men, each like a bishop.

The decrepit one enticed me with his agedness

فتن المهرَّم بالمشيَّخ منهما

فتن المهرَّم بالمشيَّخ منهما

قل لي فأية طرفة لم أُطرف

قل لي فأية طرفة لم أُطرف

The decrepit one of them was smitten with the aged one.

Tell me which glance did I not glance with

Tell me: what oddity have I not been treated to?

His verse in his abode made me hope

بايتُّه في بيته فأملَّني

بايتُّه في بيته فأملَّني

يشكو إليَّ هوى عميد مُدنَف

يشكو إليَّ هوى عميد مُدنَف

I spent the night with him in his house, and he bored me,

That he would complain to me of passionate love

complaining to me of a love-stricken, languishing man's passion.

An old man tempting his like, both

شيخ يراود مثله وكلاهما

شيخ يراود مثله وكلاهما

قد زحزح السبعين عنه بنيِّف

قد زحزح السبعين عنه بنيِّف

An old man seeking to seduce his like, and both

Having crossed seventy with steps faltering

had each left seventy a few years behind him.

He kept unveiling me and kissing, aroused

ما زال ينشرني ويلثم فيشتي

ما زال ينشرني ويلثم فيشتي

حتى ركبت قرا حمار أعجف

حتى ركبت قرا حمار أعجف

He kept arousing me and kissing my glans,

Until I mounted the back of a barren donkey

until I mounted the back of a scrawny donkey.

I uncovered him, stripping his clothes

كشَّفتُ منه ثيابه عن سوءة

كشَّفتُ منه ثيابه عن سوءة

شوهاء شقت عن عجان أعرف

شوهاء شقت عن عجان أعرف

I pulled his clothes aside, uncovering a private part—

To reveal an ugly, split replica

hideous, cleft to reveal a shaggy perineum.

As if the white of his replica surrounded

وكأن شيب عجانه حول استه

وكأن شيب عجانه حول استه

بدد الخليط على جوانب معلف

بدد الخليط على جوانب معلف

And the gray hair of his perineum around his anus looked like

Scattering the mixture on the sides of a trough

scattered bits of mixed fodder along a feeding trough's sides.

I endured a remembered night from him

قاسيت منه ليلة مذكورة

قاسيت منه ليلة مذكورة

لولا دفاع الله لم تتكشَّف

لولا دفاع الله لم تتكشَّف

At his hands I endured a memorable night;

If not for God's defense, it would not be exposed

but for God's protection, it would never have lifted.

It was as if his night upon me in its length

فكأن ليلته علي لطولها

فكأن ليلته علي لطولها

باتت تمخَّضُ عن صباح الموقف

باتت تمخَّضُ عن صباح الموقف

So his night, so long upon me, seemed

Labored till dawn at the place of standing

to labor all night to bring forth the dawn of Judgment Day.