ما لِهِند وَكُلُّ حَسناءَ هِندُ

ما لِهِند وَكُلُّ حَسناءَ هِندُ

كُلُّ يَومٍ تَبدو بِزِيٍّ جَديدِ

كُلُّ يَومٍ تَبدو بِزِيٍّ جَديدِ

What ails Hind—and every beauty is a Hind?

What is the matter with Hind? For every beauty is a Hind.

Every day she appears in new attire.

Every day she appears in a new guise.

تَلبِسُ الثَوبَ يَومَها وَهيَ تَطريـ

تَلبِسُ الثَوبَ يَومَها وَهيَ تَطريـ

ـه وَتَطريهِ عِندَها كُلُّ خَودِ

ـه وَتَطريهِ عِندَها كُلُّ خَودِ

She wears the dress that day, praising

She wears a gown for a day, praising it,

it, while every fair maiden with her praises it.

And every young beauty praises it in her presence.

فَإِذا جاءَ غَيرُهُ أَنكَرَتهُ

فَإِذا جاءَ غَيرُهُ أَنكَرَتهُ

فَرَأَينا الحَميدَ غَيرَ حَميدِ

فَرَأَينا الحَميدَ غَيرَ حَميدِ

Then, when another comes, she disowns it;

But when another arrives, she disavows the first,

thus we find the praiseworthy unworthy of praise.

And we see the once-lauded object become despised.

أَولَعَت نَفسَها بِكُلِّ طَريفٍ

أَولَعَت نَفسَها بِكُلِّ طَريفٍ

لَيتَها أَولَعَت بِبَعضِ التَليدِ

لَيتَها أَولَعَت بِبَعضِ التَليدِ

She has enamored herself of every novelty;

She has obsessed herself with every novelty;

would that she loved something time-honored!

Would that she were fond of something ancient instead.

أَصبَحَت تَعشَقُ المِشَد وَلَم أُبـ

أَصبَحَت تَعشَقُ المِشَد وَلَم أُبـ

ـصِر طَليقاً مُتَيَّماً بَِلقُيودِ

ـصِر طَليقاً مُتَيَّماً بَِلقُيودِ

She has come to adore the corset, and I have not

She has grown to love the corset, though I have never seen

seen a free person enamored of shackles.

A free soul so enamored with shackles.

رَحمَةً بِالخُصورِ أَيَّتُها الغيـ

رَحمَةً بِالخُصورِ أَيَّتُها الغيـ

ـد وَرِفقاً رِفقاً بِتِلكَ القُدودِ

ـد وَرِفقاً رِفقاً بِتِلكَ القُدودِ

Have mercy on the waists, O graceful

Have mercy upon your waists, O slender beauties,

women, and be gentle, gentle with those figures!

And be gentle, be gentle with those figures.

ما جَنَتهُ الزُنودُ حَتّى يَنالَ الـ

ما جَنَتهُ الزُنودُ حَتّى يَنالَ الـ

ـعُريُ مِنها يا عارِياتِ الزُنودِ

ـعُريُ مِنها يا عارِياتِ الزُنودِ

What crime have the arms committed, to be harmed

What crime have the forearms committed that

by nakedness, O bare-armed women?

Exposure should claim them, O women of bared arms?

لَهَفَ نَفسي عَلى المَعاصِمِ تَغدو

لَهَفَ نَفسي عَلى المَعاصِمِ تَغدو

غَرَضَ الحَرِّ عُرضَةً لِلجَليدِ

غَرَضَ الحَرِّ عُرضَةً لِلجَليدِ

How my soul grieves for the wrists that become

My soul grieves for wrists that have become

targets of heat, exposed to ice!

Targets for the heat and exposed to the biting frost.

عَلامَ الأَذيالُ أَمسَت طِوالاً

عَلامَ الأَذيالُ أَمسَت طِوالاً

كَلَيالي الصُدودِ أَو كَالبُنودِ

كَلَيالي الصُدودِ أَو كَالبُنودِ

Why have the trains grown so long,

Why have the trains of your dresses grown so long,

like nights of estrangement, or like banners?

Like nights of estrangement, or like streaming banners?

لَو تَكونُ الذُيولُ أَعمارَ قَومٍ

لَو تَكونُ الذُيولُ أَعمارَ قَومٍ

لَضَمِنّا لَهُم نَوالَ الخُلودِ

لَضَمِنّا لَهُم نَوالَ الخُلودِ

If trains were people's lifespans,

If these trailing hems were but the lifespans of men,

we would guarantee them immortality.

We would guarantee them the gift of eternity.

قَصَرَت هَمَّها الحِسانُ عَلى اللَه

قَصَرَت هَمَّها الحِسانُ عَلى اللَه

و وَيا لَيتَ لَهوَها بِالمُفيدِ

و وَيا لَيتَ لَهوَها بِالمُفيدِ

The beauties have confined their concerns to amusement—

The beauties have devoted their cares only to pleasure,

and would that their amusement were useful!

And oh, how I wish their pleasure lay in something useful.

ساءَ حالُ الأَزواجِ في عَصرِنا هَـ

ساءَ حالُ الأَزواجِ في عَصرِنا هَـ

ـذا وَساءَت أَحوالُ كُلِّ وَليدِ

ـذا وَساءَت أَحوالُ كُلِّ وَليدِ

Husbands' lot is wretched in this age of ours,

The state of husbands has grown wretched in this era,

and wretched is the lot of every newborn.

And wretched too is the plight of every newborn child.

كُلُّ زَوجٍ شاك وَكُلُّ صَغيرٍ

كُلُّ زَوجٍ شاك وَكُلُّ صَغيرٍ

دامِعِ الطَرفِ كارِهٍ لِلوُجودِ

دامِعِ الطَرفِ كارِهٍ لِلوُجودِ

Every husband complains, and every little child

Every husband complains, and every little one

is tearful-eyed and loathes existence.

Is teary-eyed, despising their very existence.

يَظلُمُ الدَهرُ حينَ يَعزو إِلَيهِ

يَظلُمُ الدَهرُ حينَ يَعزو إِلَيهِ

البُؤس وَالبُؤسُ كُلُّ أُمٍّ كَنودِ

البُؤس وَالبُؤسُ كُلُّ أُمٍّ كَنودِ

One wrongs Time when one ascribes to it

Fate is wrongly blamed when one attributes to it

misery—yet misery is every ungrateful mother.

This misery; for the source of misery is every ungrateful mother.

لا رَعى اللَهُ زَوجَةً تُنفِقُ الأَمـ

لا رَعى اللَهُ زَوجَةً تُنفِقُ الأَمـ

ـوال وَالعُمرَ في اِقتِناءِ البُرودِ

ـوال وَالعُمرَ في اِقتِناءِ البُرودِ

May God never protect a wife who spends

May God show no care for a wife who spends her wealth

wealth and life acquiring striped cloaks.

And her life in the acquisition of fine robes.

لَيسَ في اللَهو وَالبَطالَةِ فَخرٌ

لَيسَ في اللَهو وَالبَطالَةِ فَخرٌ

إِنَّما الفَخرُ كُلُّ عُرسٍ كَدودِ

إِنَّما الفَخرُ كُلُّ عُرسٍ كَدودِ

There is no honor in amusement and idleness;

There is no glory in amusement and idleness;

true honor lies in every hardworking wife.

True glory belongs only to the diligent, toiling wife.