الصفح بالنفط في الثياب

الصفح بالنفط في الثياب

ما لم يكن قط في حسابي

ما لم يكن قط في حسابي

To overlook naphtha getting onto one’s clothes—

Pardon for naphtha flung on my clothes —

Striking clothes with naphtha

that was never once in my reckoning.

that was never once in my reckoning.

is something I had never reckoned on.

ليس يقوم الوصول عندي

ليس يقوم الوصول عندي

مقام خيطين من ثيابي

مقام خيطين من ثيابي

To me, the young page does not hold

For me, union with the beloved cannot stand

Arrival, in my eyes, cannot

the value of two threads from my clothes.

in the place of two threads of my robe.

make up for two threads of my clothes.

يا رب من كان سن هذا

يا رب من كان سن هذا

فزده ضعفاً من العذاب

فزده ضعفاً من العذاب

O Lord, whoever instituted this custom,

O Lord, whoever it was who set this custom,

O Lord, whoever instituted this—

give him a double measure of torment

add to him a doubled measure of torment,

give him a double share of torment

في قعر حمراء ليس فيها

في قعر حمراء ليس فيها

غير بني البظر والقحاب

غير بني البظر والقحاب

in the depths of a red-hot cauldron, wherein dwell

deep in a red hell that holds within it

in the depths of a red fire containing

none but sons of the clitoris and whores.

none but whores and the sons of the unexcised —

none but sons of the clitoris and whores.

تفعل في لحمه المهري

تفعل في لحمه المهري

ما يفعل الجمر بالكباب

ما يفعل الجمر بالكباب

May that cauldron do to his Mahri flesh

a fire to work upon his colt-tender flesh

It does to his tenderized flesh

what glowing embers do to kebab.

what live coals work upon kebab.

what glowing coals do to kebabs.

فالقرد عندي جيل عمن

فالقرد عندي جيل عمن

يسن هذا على الكلاب

يسن هذا على الكلاب

For the cauldron, to my mind, is a breed apart from anyone

For the ape, to my mind, is nobler stock than one

So the monkey, to me, is a breed apart from whoever

who would ordain this even for dogs.

who would inflict such a custom even on dogs.

prescribes this for dogs.