أَخَذَtook hold الفَأَرُthe mice بِرِجليof my foot
أَخَذَ الفَأَرُ بِرِجلي
جَفَلواthey swept away مِنهاfrom it خَفافيmy slippers
جَفَلوا مِنها خَفافي
The mice took hold of my foot.
The rat grabbed my legs
The mice laid hold of my leg,
They swept my slippers off it,
My slippers fell off in fright
And scared my slippers away,
وَسَراويلاتٍand trousers سوءٍpoor quality
وَسَراويلاتٍ سوءٍ
وَتَبابينٍand underpants ضِعافِflimsy
وَتَبابينٍ ضِعافِ
and wretched trousers,
And my worn-out trousers
And wretched trousers too,
and flimsy underpants.
And weak undershirt
And flimsy drawers as well.
دَرَجواthey stepped حَوليaround me بِزَفنٍwith dancing
دَرَجوا حَولي بِزَفنٍ
وَبِضَربٍand with beating بِالدِفافِon the tambourines
وَبِضَربٍ بِالدِفافِ
They stepped around me, dancing,
They marched around me loudly
They paced around me dancing,
and with the beating of tambourines.
Beating their tambourines
And beating on tambourines.
قُلتُI said ماwhat هَذاthis فَقالواthen they said
قُلتُ ما هَذا فَقالوا
أَنتَyou مِنamong أَهلِthe people of الزَفافِthe wedding procession
أَنتَ مِن أَهلِ الزَفافِ
I said, “What is this?” Then they said:
I said what's this? They said
I said, "What is this?" They replied,
“You are one of the wedding party.”
You're the groom on his wedding day
"You are one of the wedding party."
ساعَةًfor a while ثَمَّتَthere جازواthey strayed
ساعَةً ثَمَّتَ جازوا
عَنfrom هَوايَmy wishes فيin خِلافِopposition
عَن هَوايَ في خِلافِ
For a while there, they strayed
For an hour they paraded
For an hour, then they moved on,
from my wishes, in defiance.
Against my will and desire
Contrary to my desire.
نقرواthey nibbled وباتواand they spent the night
نقروا وباتوا
دونinstead of أهليmy family فيin لحافيmy blanket
دون أهلي في لحافي
They nibbled and spent the night
They pecked and spent the night
They nibbled and spent the night,
instead of my family, inside my blanket.
Without my family under my blanket
Beneath my quilt, without my kin.
لعقواthey licked وقالواand they said
لعقوا وقالوا
ريحa scent of مسكmusk بسلافِwith fine wine
ريح مسك بسلافِ
They licked and said:
They licked and said
They licked and then declared,
“A scent of musk with fine wine.”
The smell of musk in the bedroom
"The scent of musk and vintage wine."
صَفَعواthey slapped نازَوِيَّةًNāzawiyya حَتّىuntil
صَفَعوا نازَوِيَّةً حَتّى
اِستَهَلَّتshe began to gush بِالرِعافِwith a nosebleed
اِستَهَلَّت بِالرِعافِ
They slapped Nāzawiyya until
They slapped my bride until
They slapped Nazawiyya until
she began to bleed from the nose.
She collapsed overwhelmed
She began to gush with blood.