1. ورُبَّ عجوز تحاكي السَّعالي

    تشير وتنهي وتأمر أمرا

    And many an old woman resembles the she-ghouls,

    gesturing, forbidding, and issuing commands.

  2. يقابلها شيخها بامتثال

    ويسعى لخدمتها مستمرّا

    Her old husband responds with obedience,

    and constantly strives to serve her.

  3. وتقعد تحكي كلاماً سخيفاً

    ومستمعوها يقولون سحرا

    And she sits speaking foolish words,

    while her listeners call it magic.

  4. تقول بداري كلب وهرّ

    وللهرّ ذعر إذا الكلب هرّا

    She says, 'In my house are a dog and a cat,

    and the cat is frightened when the dog growls.

  5. ويرقبني الهرّ إن كنت آكل

    يُمنى ليمنى ويُسرى ليسرى

    And the cat watches me when I eat,

    right to right, and left to left.

  6. وبنتي ليزا تؤاسيه مما

    لديها فمنها يلازم حجرا

    And my daughter Liza shares with it what

    she has, so it stays in her lap.

  7. وقد كان عندي من قبل جرو

    تلوّن بطنا وصدراً وظهرا

    And before, I had a puppy,

    mottled on belly, chest, and back.

  8. وكنت عليه لفي غاية الحر

    ص اسقيه ملء كؤوسي درّا

    And I took the utmost care of it,

    giving it my cups filled to the brim with milk.

  9. فجاءت عزيزة قوم إلينا

    فرامته مني والعين شكرى

    Then a woman dear to her people came to us,

    and sought it from me, the eye brimming with tears.

  10. وكان ينام على فخذيّ

    ويلحس رُغفي إذا ما اسبطرا

    It used to sleep on my thighs,

    and lick my loaves whenever it stretched out.

  11. وكان فلان أتاني عام كذا

    بُجريّ فما عاش شهرا

    And so-and-so had come to me, in such-and-such a year,

    with a little puppy, but it did not live a month.'

  12. وتسأل أن تنس تاريخ ذاك ال

    نهار المعظم زيداً وعمرا

    And she asks—should you forget the date of that

    exalted day—Zayd and Amr.

  13. فأما النساء فمما اختصصن

    به أكل ما أشبه التين نحرا

    As for women, among their specialties

    is eating things like figs by 'slaughtering' them.

  14. ويأكلن والراح منهن بالجلد

    مستترات ويمضغن سرّا

    And they eat, their palms clad in leather,

    hidden away, and chew in secret.

  15. وتسمع للشاي قرقرة من

    معاهن تحكي هنا قرَّ قرّا

    And you hear the tea gurgling from

    their guts, echoing here: 'qarr, qarra.'

  16. وتأخذ في صحنها بالمشكَّة

    قدراً من اللحم يشبه ظفرا

    And on her plate, with a fork, she takes

    a portion of meat resembling a fingernail.

  17. فتعلكه برهة من زمان

    ليمرأ من بعد أن يتهرّا

    Then she chews it for a while,

    so it goes down easily after turning to mush.

  18. وزوج المضيف تقول له خذ

    عزيزي مما أمامك وَزْرا

    And the host's wife says to him, 'Take,

    my dear, a load of what is before you.'

  19. فيشكرها ويقول لقد

    كثر الفضل منك عليّ ودرّا

    He thanks her and says, 'Indeed,

    your kindness toward me has abounded and overflowed.'

  20. وتجلس تقسم أكل الضيوف

    فتعطيك من ذاك نزرا فنزرا

    And she sits dividing up the guests' food,

    giving you a morsel of it, then another morsel.

  21. وفي كل نزر تنال تطأطئ

    رأسك رغماً وتشكر شكرا

    And with every little portion you receive, you bow

    your head unwillingly, and give thanks.

  22. وإن يك لونان قالت لك اختر

    نصيبك مما هنّا وتحرّا

    And if there are two dishes, she tells you, 'Choose

    your share from what is here, and be discerning.'

  23. كان لم يجز بين ذينك جمع

    كأنك ناكح أختين تترى

    As though combining those two were forbidden,

    as though you were marrying two sisters in succession.