قلsay للتيto her who كادتْalmost براgleams (first part of a split word)
قل للتي كادتْ برا
ئقgleams (completion of the split word) شعرهاher poetry تحكيresemble ابنَIbn (son of) سارهْSārah
ئق شعرها تحكي ابنَ سارهْ
Tell her whose gleaming
Say to she who almost
verse almost matched Ibn Sārah:
With the ringlets of her hair recounts the son of Sarah
الآنَnow إِنif سارتْtravels ركاcaravan (first part of a split word)
الآنَ إِن سارتْ ركا
بُكyour caravan (completion of the split word) فيthrough البلادِthe lands دُعيتyou are called سارهْSārah
بُك في البلادِ دُعيت سارهْ
Now, if your caravan travels
Now if she travels East
through the lands, you will be called Sārah.
In the country she’s called Sarah
بلrather أنتyou (feminine) هاجرُHājar إذsince هجرleft (verb continued on the next line)
بل أنت هاجرُ إذ هجر
تِyou (feminine verb ending) بتونسٍin Tunis دارresidence الإمارهthe governorship
تِ بتونسٍ دار الإماره
Rather, you are Hājar, since you left
Nay, you are Hajar for you abandoned
the governor’s residence in Tunis.
Tunisia, the land of the Emirate