قالَ نَعَم كانَت عَجوز خرفه

قالَ نَعَم كانَت عَجوز خرفه

بِبَعلِها وَهوَ صَبي كلفه

بِبَعلِها وَهوَ صَبي كلفه

He said: Yes, there was a senile old woman,

He said yes, she was an old demented woman

infatuated with her husband, who was a boy.

Married to a boy she burdened

وَكانَ يَأباها وَيَهوى أُخرى

وَكانَ يَأباها وَيَهوى أُخرى

صَبية مثل الغَزال بكرا

صَبية مثل الغَزال بكرا

But he rejected her and loved another,

And he refused her and loved another

a virgin girl, like a gazelle.

A young gazelle-like girl

فسفهته عرسه في عشقها

فسفهته عرسه في عشقها

وَذاكَ مِن نُقصانِها وَحمقها

وَذاكَ مِن نُقصانِها وَحمقها

His wife called him a fool for loving her,

She spoiled his wedding in her love

and that arose from her shortcomings and folly.

That's from her flaw and stupidity

وَعابَت الصَبية المَليحه

وَعابَت الصَبية المَليحه

ونسيت صورتها القبيحه

ونسيت صورتها القبيحه

She found fault with the pretty girl,

The pretty girl blamed

and forgot her own ugly appearance,

And forgot her ugly image

لأنها لم تعرف الملاحة

لأنها لم تعرف الملاحة

في صور الناس ولا القباحه

في صور الناس ولا القباحه

because she did not recognize beauty

Because she didn't know coquetry

in people's looks, nor ugliness.

In people's images or ugliness

قالَت لَهُ وَهيَ تَعيب فعله

قالَت لَهُ وَهيَ تَعيب فعله

وَتَستَزل قَولَه وَعَقله

وَتَستَزل قَولَه وَعَقله

She said to him, criticizing his conduct

She said to him, blaming his deed

and finding his words and judgment wanting:

And mocking his words and mind

تَرَكتَني وَإِنَّني عَجوز

تَرَكتَني وَإِنَّني عَجوز

لطفلة وَذاكَ لا يَجوز

لطفلة وَذاكَ لا يَجوز

“You left me, though I am an old woman,

You left me though I am old

for a girl—and that is not right.

For a girl, which is not right

ما حبلت قَط وَلا ربت وَلَد

ما حبلت قَط وَلا ربت وَلَد

بَلهاء ما فيها دَهاء وَنَكَد

بَلهاء ما فيها دَهاء وَنَكَد

She has never conceived, nor reared a child,

I never got pregnant or raised a child

a simpleton, with neither guile nor spite.

A foolish one, no cleverness or misery in her

غافِلَة لا تُخبر الزمانا

غافِلَة لا تُخبر الزمانا

وَقَد لَبِست برده أَحيانا

وَقَد لَبِست برده أَحيانا

Unworldly, she knows nothing of time's ways,

Oblivious, not experiencing time

though she has worn its cloak at times.

And has worn out clothes sometimes

انظر إِلى أَجفانِها المراض

انظر إِلى أَجفانِها المراض

وَحُمرة الوَجنة وَالبَياض

وَحُمرة الوَجنة وَالبَياض

Look at her ailing eyelids,

Look at her sick eyelids

and the redness of her cheek, and her fairness,

And the redness of her cheeks and paleness

وَخصرها المُختَصر النحيل

وَخصرها المُختَصر النحيل

وَردفها المُرتدف الثقيل

وَردفها المُرتدف الثقيل

and her trim, slender waist,

And her narrow trimmed waist

and her full, heavy rump.

And her heavy wide hips

وَإِنَّها سَمينة جَسيمه

وَإِنَّها سَمينة جَسيمه

بدينة لحمية شَحميه

بدينة لحمية شَحميه

And she is fat and large-bodied,

She is plump, corpulent

corpulent, fleshy, laden with fat.

Chubby, meaty, fatty

أَما تَرى دَلالَها ما أَهجَنه

أَما تَرى دَلالَها ما أَهجَنه

أَما تَرى كَلامَها ما أَليَنَه

أَما تَرى كَلامَها ما أَليَنَه

Do you not see how ugly her coquetry is?

Don't you see her flirtatious walking, how unseemly it is

Do you not see how soft her speech is?

Don't you see her talk, how soft it is

أَما تَرى أَلفاظَها رَخيمه

أَما تَرى أَلفاظَها رَخيمه

أَما تَرى أَلحاظَها سَقيمه

أَما تَرى أَلحاظَها سَقيمه

Do you not see how mellow her words are?

Don't you see her words are coarse

Do you not see how sickly her glances are?

Don't you see her glances are sick

كَأَنَّها وَسنى أناة كَسلى

كَأَنَّها وَسنى أناة كَسلى

قَصيرة الخَطو تَظن نَشوى

قَصيرة الخَطو تَظن نَشوى

As though she were drowsy, unhurried, languid,

It's as if she is a sleepy old woman

short-stepped—you would think her tipsy.

Short stepping, thinking she is youthful

أَما تَرى وِشاحَها ما يقلق

أَما تَرى وِشاحَها ما يقلق

أَما تَرى خلخالَها ما ينطق

أَما تَرى خلخالَها ما ينطق

Do you not see that her sash does not stir?

Don't you see her scarf, how it dangles

Do you not see that her anklet does not speak?

Don't you see her anklet, how it clinks

وَسناء غنجا رَخمة الأَلفاظ

وَسناء غنجا رَخمة الأَلفاظ

صَحيحة عَليلة الأَلحاظ

صَحيحة عَليلة الأَلحاظ

Drowsy, coquettish, mellow of speech,

An old woman with coarse words

healthy, yet ailing of gaze.”

Beautifully ill glances

فَلَم تَزَل تعيبها وَتذكر

فَلَم تَزَل تعيبها وَتذكر

مَحاسن الخَلق الَّتي لا تنكر

مَحاسن الخَلق الَّتي لا تنكر

So she kept finding fault with her, recounting

She kept blaming her and mentioning

the beauties of her form that none could deny.

The beauty traits that can't be denied

تَظن ذاكَ فاحِشاً لِجَهلِها

تَظن ذاكَ فاحِشاً لِجَهلِها

بِالحُسن وَالقُبح لِضَعف عَقلِها

بِالحُسن وَالقُبح لِضَعف عَقلِها

She thought all this hideous, through her ignorance

She thought that was immoral in her ignorance

of beauty and ugliness, because her mind was weak.

Of beauty and ugliness due to her weak mind

وَهَكَذا أَنتَ تَعيب الناسا

وَهَكَذا أَنتَ تَعيب الناسا

بِكُل فَضل فاعكس القِياسا

بِكُل فَضل فاعكس القِياسا

And so you too find fault with people

And so do you blame people

for every virtue—so reverse your reasoning!

For every virtue, reverse reasoning

كَمَن يَعيب الشهد بِالحَلاوه

كَمَن يَعيب الشهد بِالحَلاوه

وَالأسد الخادر بِالقَساوه

وَالأسد الخادر بِالقَساوه

Like one who faults honeycomb for its sweetness,

Like one who blames honey for being sweet

and the lion in its lair for its fierceness.

And the inactive lion for being fierce

وَاللَّه لَولا شَرَف الأَنام

وَاللَّه لَولا شَرَف الأَنام

ما كانَت الدُّنيا سِوى أَحلام

ما كانَت الدُّنيا سِوى أَحلام

By God, were it not for humankind's nobility,

By God, if not for the nobility of people

the world would be nothing but dreams.

The world would just be dreams

انظُر إِلى أَرض خَلاء مِنهم

انظُر إِلى أَرض خَلاء مِنهم

وَمَوضع ناء بَعيد عَنهُم

وَمَوضع ناء بَعيد عَنهُم

Look at a land empty of them,

Look at an empty land without them

and a remote place, far from them:

And a place of refuse far from them

هَل هُو مثل المَوضع المَسكون

هَل هُو مثل المَوضع المَسكون

يحسن في النفوس وَالعُيون

يحسن في النفوس وَالعُيون

is it like an inhabited place,

Is it like the inhabited place

pleasing to souls and eyes?

Beautiful to souls and eyes?

وَفعل ما يفعل لِلصلاح

وَفعل ما يفعل لِلصلاح

ما فيهِ مِن عَيب وَلا جَناح

ما فيهِ مِن عَيب وَلا جَناح

And whatever is done to set things right

And he did what he did for reform

carries neither fault nor sin.

No flaw or blame in it

فَالشهم مَن أَصلَح أَمر نَفسه

فَالشهم مَن أَصلَح أَمر نَفسه

وَلَو بِقَتل وَلَده وَعرسه

وَلَو بِقَتل وَلَده وَعرسه

For the man of mettle is he who sets his own affairs right,

So the brave one is who reforms himself

even by killing his child and his wife.

Even by killing his son or wedding

أَما سمعت خَبَر الغُراب

أَما سمعت خَبَر الغُراب

إِذ خَشي الشر مِن العقاب

إِذ خَشي الشر مِن العقاب

Have you not heard the story of the crow,

Haven't you heard the story of the crow

when he feared harm from the eagle?

When he feared evil from punishment?