وشَمْطَاءَ بالخَزِّ الثمينِ تَلَفَّعَتْ

وشَمْطَاءَ بالخَزِّ الثمينِ تَلَفَّعَتْ

وتَرْشُقُني من لَحْظِها بِنبَالِ

وتَرْشُقُني من لَحْظِها بِنبَالِ

And a gray-haired woman wrapped herself in costly silk-and-wool cloth,

With fine brocade she is arrogantly dressed,

and pelts me with arrows from her glance.

And she shoots me with glances from her eyes.

فهامَ بها قلبي ولم أدرِ أنني

فهامَ بها قلبي ولم أدرِ أنني

تَعَوّضْتُ عن شِملالة بِعِقالِ

تَعَوّضْتُ عن شِملالة بِعِقالِ

So my heart fell in love with her, and I did not know that I

My heart was smitten though I did not know,

had exchanged a nimble she-camel for a hobble,

That I had replaced a doe with an old she-mule.

إلى أن دَنَتْ نحوي كشفتُ خمارَها

إلى أن دَنَتْ نحوي كشفتُ خمارَها

لَمَحْتُ لَها بطناً كمثلِ سجالِ

لَمَحْتُ لَها بطناً كمثلِ سجالِ

until she drew near me; I lifted her veil.

Until she approached me, I lifted her veil,

I glimpsed her belly, like great water buckets.

I glimpsed her belly like a water skin.

تُحَدِّثُ عما فاتَها من صبائها

تُحَدِّثُ عما فاتَها من صبائها

وتَذْكُر ما في دهرِها المتوالي

وتَذْكُر ما في دهرِها المتوالي

She speaks of her youth, now lost to her,

She speaks of the youth she has left behind,

and recalls what her passing years have held.

And recalls her endless former days.

وكم زحرةٍ تُبْدِينَها إثرَ زَحْرَةٍ

وكم زحرةٍ تُبْدِينَها إثرَ زَحْرَةٍ

وجَرْجَرةٍ مخلوطةٍ بِسُعالِ

وجَرْجَرةٍ مخلوطةٍ بِسُعالِ

And how many a grunt you let out, grunt after grunt,

With many a whimper after every bark,

and a throat-rattle mingled with coughing.

Mixed with a throaty wheezing cough.

وقد حاولتْ مني عِناقاً فاغتدت

وقد حاولتْ مني عِناقاً فاغتدت

تُعَلِّلُ مني صدقَها بمحالِ

تُعَلِّلُ مني صدقَها بمحالِ

And she had sought an embrace from me, then began

She tried to embrace me, became excited,

to soothe her sincere longing for me with the impossible.

Justifying her affection with absurdities.

تحاولُ تنبيه الفتى وهو نائمٌ

تحاولُ تنبيه الفتى وهو نائمٌ

ولم يهو قرداً في مِثالِ غَزَالِ

ولم يهو قرداً في مِثالِ غَزَالِ

She tries to rouse the young man while he is asleep,

She tries to rouse the lad while he's asleep,

and he did not desire a monkey in the likeness of a gazelle.

He's no ape depicted in a gazelle's form.