وجارية من بنات الحبوش

وجارية من بنات الحبوش

بذات جفون صحاح مراض

بذات جفون صحاح مراض

And a slave-girl, one of Abyssinia’s daughters,

And a girl from among the daughters of the Abyssinians,

with eyelids at once healthy and languishing—

With eyelids healthy yet languid.

تعشقتها للتصابي فشبت

تعشقتها للتصابي فشبت

غراماً ولم أك بالشيب راض

غراماً ولم أك بالشيب راض

I adored her, playing the youthful lover, and grew gray

I fell in love with her for youthful dalliance, and turned gray

with passion, though gray hair gave me no delight.

From passion, though I was not pleased with gray hair.

وكنت أعيّرها بالسواد

وكنت أعيّرها بالسواد

فصارت تعيرني بالبياض

فصارت تعيرني بالبياض

I used to taunt her for her blackness;

And I used to taunt her for her blackness,

then she began to taunt me for my whiteness.

So she began taunting me for my whiteness.