1. أَخَذَ الفَأَرُ بِرِجلي

    جَفَلوا مِنها خَفافي

    The mice took hold of my foot.

    They swept my slippers off it,

  2. وَسَراويلاتٍ سوءٍ

    وَتَبابينٍ ضِعافِ

    and wretched trousers,

    and flimsy underpants.

  3. دَرَجوا حَولي بِزَفنٍ

    وَبِضَربٍ بِالدِفافِ

    They stepped around me, dancing,

    and with the beating of tambourines.

  4. قُلتُ ما هَذا فَقالوا

    أَنتَ مِن أَهلِ الزَفافِ

    I said, “What is this?” Then they said:

    “You are one of the wedding party.”

  5. ساعَةً ثَمَّتَ جازوا

    عَن هَوايَ في خِلافِ

    For a while there, they strayed

    from my wishes, in defiance.

  6. نقروا وباتوا

    دون أهلي في لحافي

    They nibbled and spent the night

    instead of my family, inside my blanket.

  7. لعقوا وقالوا

    ريح مسك بسلافِ

    They licked and said:

    “A scent of musk with fine wine.”

  8. صَفَعوا نازَوِيَّةً حَتّى

    اِستَهَلَّت بِالرِعافِ

    They slapped Nāzawiyya until

    she began to bleed from the nose.