أَجيبيهِ أَنّي ما أَزالَ مُقَرِّباً

بِنَفسي إِلى نَجمٍ يُقالُ لَهُ الشعرى

I tell her that I still draw myself

Towards a star called Suhail

وَأَنيَ لَم أَنسَلَّ في سَرب الدُجى

بَغاءً لِألقيه عَلى دَعَري سِترا

And I have not crept in the flock of darkness

Seeking to cast it as a screen upon my lean body

وَلم أَغشَ أَخدارَ النِساءِ مِن الكوى

فَأَجعَل سَيّين المَغارَة وَالخدرا

Neither have I entered the tents of women

To make my sword and dagger sharp

وَما رُغتُ مِن زَوجٍ فَدارَجته عَلى

وَلائي وَفي هذا الوَلا بُغيَة نكرا

Nor have I coveted a neighbor's wife and tempted her

Against my oath - no ugly sin like that

فَلمّا قَطَرتُ الصِدقَ خُبثاً بِصَدرِهِ

قَطرتُ لَهُ في نَسلِهِ قَطرَةً أُخرى

So when I dropped pure truth onto his chest

I dropped onto his progeny another drop

أَقولُ لَها أعراق زَوجِكِ لَم تَزَل

وَفي قَلبِهِ عَطفُ الأُبُوَّةِ لم يَبرَ

I say to her: "Your husband's lineage has not ceased

To harbor in his heart a father's kindness

وَلم يَبرَ إِحساس الرِجال بِصَدرِهِ

فَحُبُّكِ يَجري مِنهُ في الجِهَةِ اليُسرى

Nor has the feeling of men ceased within his chest

So your love flows from it on the left side

أَقولُ لَها ثَوبَ العَفافِ تذكّري

فَفي ساعَة الإِكليلِ لَم يَكُ مُغبِّرا

I tell her: "Remember the dress of chastity

For it had no speck of dust when you wed

لَبستِ رِداءَ العِرسِ أَبيَضَ ناصِعاً

فَمن أَينَ جاءَت هذِهِ اللَطخَة الحَمرا

You wore the gown of marriage pure white

So whence came this red smudge?

رَسائِلك الحَمقاءُ أَصبَحن في يَدي

أَعيذك بِالشيطانِ مِن هذه البُشرى

Your foolish letters have come into my hands

I wish thee safety from Satan because of these good tidings

لَقَد أَيبَسَ التَكفيرُ أَزهارَ عَهدِها

فَسَلَّمَتِ المَجنونَ أَحلامِك الخَضرا

Indeed, denial has withered the flowers of her days

And she has surrendered her green dreams to a madman

لَقَد نَدمَت لكِن سَتَرجِع إِنَّني

لَمحتُ عَلَيها مِن نَدامَتِها طَمرا

She has regretted it but she will come back

For I detected in her regret a buried ember

سَتملِكُها ما شِئتَ بَعدُ فَلا تَخَف

وَتَمتَصَّها حَتّى تُصَيِّرَها قِشرا

You will possess her whatever you wish afterwards so do not worry

And suck her dry until you make her a rind

سَتَحفُر مَصقولَ الرخامِ بِجِسمِها

شفاهُكَ حَتّى تُبرِزَ الأَعظَم الصَفرا

Your lips will rub the polished marble of her body

Until her white prominent front teeth appear yellow

سَتَمزَجُ بِالسمِّ الزَعافِ دِماءَها

لِتَجعَلَها لِلمَوتِ مَصلاً فَيجتّرا

You will mix with the virulent poison her blood

To make it a potent drink that pulls to death

وَتَرمي بِها في حَمأةِ الوَيلِ وَالخنى

سُقاطَة عار تَلهم الخَوفَ وَالذُعرا

And toss her into the abyss of woe and misery

A fallen disgrace that inspires fear and alarm

أَجل سيراكَ اللَيلُ بَعدُ تَضمُّها

وَيبصرُكَ المِصباحُ تعصرُها عَصرا

Yes, the night will show her to you afterwards hugging her

And the lamp will show you squeezing her tightly

وَسَوفَ تَرى فيكَ المَآثِمُ نَعجَةً

قَد التصَقَت في بَطنِها حيَّةٌ سَمرا

And you will see in yourself sins like

A ewe who has a brown snake clinging in her belly

سَتملِكُها ما شِئتَ بَعدُ فَلا تَخَف

فَإِنَّ اِبنَها لَمّا يَزَل يَجهَلُ الأَمرا

You will possess her whatever you wish afterwards so do not worry

For her son is still unaware of the matter

صَغيرٌ بَريءُ العَينِ يَرضى بِلُعبَة

فَيَرقِد مَغبوطاً بِذي الهبةِ الكُبرى

A small innocent child content with a toy

Sleeping blissfully with the great gift

يَنامُ وَلا يَدري بِأَن سَخافَة

تَلهّى بِها كانَت لموبِقَة سعرا

He sleeps unaware that the silliness

He plays with was for an expensive price