أَعاذِلَتي أَلا لا تَعذِليني

أَعاذِلَتي أَلا لا تَعذِليني

فَكَم مِن أَمرِ عاذِلَةٍ عَصَيتُ

فَكَم مِن أَمرِ عاذِلَةٍ عَصَيتُ

O my reprover, listen: do not reproach me.

My lover, do not blame me,

For many a command from a reproving woman have I disobeyed.

For how many faults of a blamer have I committed?

دَعيني وَاِرشُدي إِن كُنتُ أَغوى

دَعيني وَاِرشُدي إِن كُنتُ أَغوى

وَلا تَغوَي زَعَمتِ كَما غَوَيتُ

وَلا تَغوَي زَعَمتِ كَما غَوَيتُ

Leave me, and follow the right path if I go astray,

Leave me be and guide me if I have gone astray,

and do not stray as you allege I have strayed.

And do not let your assumption lead you astray as I have led myself astray.

أَعاذِلَ قَد أَطَلتِ اللَومَ حَتّى

أَعاذِلَ قَد أَطَلتِ اللَومَ حَتّى

لَوَ أَنّي مُنتَهٍ لَقَدِ اِنتَهَيتُ

لَوَ أَنّي مُنتَهٍ لَقَدِ اِنتَهَيتُ

O reprover, you have prolonged your blame so much that

My lover, you have prolonged the blame until,

had I been one to desist, I would surely have desisted.

Had I desisted, I would have desisted long ago.

وَصَفراءِ المَعاصِمِ قَد دَعَتني

وَصَفراءِ المَعاصِمِ قَد دَعَتني

إِلى وَصلٍ فَقُلتُ لَها أَبَيتُ

إِلى وَصلٍ فَقُلتُ لَها أَبَيتُ

And many a golden-wristed woman has invited me

The yellow-clad beauty called me,

to intimacy, so I told her, "I refuse."

To union, but I said to her, “I refuse.”

وَزِقٍّ قَد جَرَرتُ إِلى النَدامى

وَزِقٍّ قَد جَرَرتُ إِلى النَدامى

وَزِقٍّ قَد شَرِبتُ وَقَد سَقَيتُ

وَزِقٍّ قَد شَرِبتُ وَقَد سَقَيتُ

And many a wineskin I have dragged to the drinking companions,

Some wine I have dragged to the flasks,

and many a wineskin I have drunk from and poured for others.

Some I have drunk and made others drink.

وَحَتّى لَو يَكونُ فَتى أُناسٍ

وَحَتّى لَو يَكونُ فَتى أُناسٍ

بَكى مِن عَذلِ عاذِلَةٍ بَكيتُ

بَكى مِن عَذلِ عاذِلَةٍ بَكيتُ

And even if there were a young man of any people

Until if there was a gallant man who wept,

who wept at a woman's reproaches, I would have wept.

From the blame of a blamer, I would weep.

أَلا يا بَيتُ بِالعَلياءِ بَيتُ

أَلا يا بَيتُ بِالعَلياءِ بَيتُ

وَلَولا حُبُّ أَهلِكَ ما أَتَيتُ

وَلَولا حُبُّ أَهلِكَ ما أَتَيتُ

Ah, O house on the heights—O house!

Oh house on the heights, oh house,

And but for love of your people, I would not have come.

Were it not for love of your people I would not have come to you.

أَلا يا بَيتُ أَهلُكَ أَوعَدوني

أَلا يا بَيتُ أَهلُكَ أَوعَدوني

كَأَنّي كُلَّ ذَنبِهِمِ جَنَيتُ

كَأَنّي كُلَّ ذَنبِهِمِ جَنَيتُ

Ah, O house, your people have threatened me,

Oh house, your people promised me,

as though I had committed every sin of theirs.

As if I had committed all of their sins.

إِذا ما فاتَني لَحمٌ غَريضٌ

إِذا ما فاتَني لَحمٌ غَريضٌ

ضَرَبتُ ذِراعَ بَكري فَاِشتَوَيتُ

ضَرَبتُ ذِراعَ بَكري فَاِشتَوَيتُ

Whenever fresh meat eludes me,

When meat was scarce for me,

I cut off my young camel's foreleg and roast it for myself.

I would strike the arm of Bakr and appease myself.