مرفقة أعطيتها فردةً

مرفقة أعطيتها فردةً

رُمتُ لها أختاً فلم يَتَّفقْ

رُمتُ لها أختاً فلم يَتَّفقْ

I was given a cushion, without a mate;

I gifted her a single earring,

I sought a sister for her, but had no success.

And threw for her a sister, but it did not coincide,

يقولُ مَنْ أبصرها عندنا

يقولُ مَنْ أبصرها عندنا

موضوعةً ما هي إلا سَرقْ

موضوعةً ما هي إلا سَرقْ

Whoever sees her in our home says,

Whoever saw it with us says,

as she lies there, “She is nothing but stolen goods.”

"It is nothing but theft!"

قالت وقد صدّرتُ بيتي بها

قالت وقد صدّرتُ بيتي بها

مقالَ موتور مغيظ حنَقْ

مقالَ موتور مغيظ حنَقْ

She spoke, after I had given her pride of place in my house,

She said, and she introduced my poem with it,

the words of one wronged, angered, and furious.

A speech full of resentment and suppressed anger,

واستنكرْت ما هو مُستنكرٌ

واستنكرْت ما هو مُستنكرٌ

من ضيعة القرمز بين الخرقْ

من ضيعة القرمز بين الخرقْ

And she deplored what was indeed deplorable:

And she rejected what should be rejected,

the wasting of scarlet cloth among rags.

Of the loss of the crimson among the rags,

وذكرتْ أختاً لها عندكم

وذكرتْ أختاً لها عندكم

كانت وإياها معاً في نسق

كانت وإياها معاً في نسق

And she mentioned a sister of hers with you,

And she mentioned a sister she had with you,

who had been together with her in one row:

Who was with her together in a pair,

تعساً لمن فرَّق ما بيننا

تعساً لمن فرَّق ما بيننا

ولم يكن في الحق أن نفترقْ

ولم يكن في الحق أن نفترقْ

“Woe to whoever parted us,

Woe to those who separated us,

when it was not right that we should part!”

And it was not right that we be parted.