ياO قُضاةَjudges العِبادِthe people إِنَّindeed عَلَيكُمupon you
يا قُضاةَ العِبادِ إِنَّ عَلَيكُم
فيin تُقىreverence for رَبِّكُمyour Lord وَعَدلِand justice in القَضاءِjudgment
في تُقى رَبِّكُم وَعَدلِ القَضاءِ
O judges of the people, it is incumbent upon you,
O judges of God's servants, judgement
In reverence for your Lord and justice in judgment,
And piety to God is upon you -
أَنto تُجيزواyou admit testimony وَتَشهَدواand you bear witness لِنِساءٍfor women
أَن تُجيزوا وَتَشهَدوا لِنِساءٍ
وَتَرُدّواand you reject شَهادَةًtestimony لِنِساءٍfor women
وَتَرُدّوا شَهادَةً لِنِساءٍ
To admit testimony and bear witness for some women,
To accept testimony from women,
And reject testimony for other women.
And reject the testimony of others.
فَاِنظُرواthen consider كُلَّevery ذاتِwoman possessing بوصٍa rump رَداحٍbroad and heavy
فَاِنظُروا كُلَّ ذاتِ بوصٍ رَداحٍ
فَأَجيزواthen accept شَهادَةَthe testimony of العَجزاءِthe full-rumped woman
فَأَجيزوا شَهادَةَ العَجزاءِ
Then consider every woman with a broad, heavy rump,
Consider each loose, wanton one,
And accept the full-rumped woman's testimony.
And reject the testimony of the brazen;
وَاِرفُضواand reject الرُسحَthe flat-rumped women فيin الشَهادَةِtestimony رَفضاًutterly
وَاِرفُضوا الرُسحَ في الشَهادَةِ رَفضاً
لاdo not تُجيزواaccept شَهادَةَthe testimony of الرَسحاءِthe flat-rumped woman
لا تُجيزوا شَهادَةَ الرَسحاءِ
And reject flat-rumped women outright as witnesses;
Do not accept the testimony of the immodest.
Do not accept a flat-rumped woman's testimony.
I wish the immodest had a town of their own
لَيتَif only لِلرُسحِfor the flat-rumped women قَريَةًa village هُنَّthey فيهاin it
لَيتَ لِلرُسحِ قَريَةً هُنَّ فيها
ماas long as دَعاcalls upon اللَهَGod مُسلِمٌa Muslim بِدُعاءِwith a prayer
ما دَعا اللَهَ مُسلِمٌ بِدُعاءِ
If only the flat-rumped women had a village to stay in,
Where no Muslim would pray to God,
As long as a Muslim calls upon God in prayer,
With no one else mixing among them
لَيسَthere is not فيهاin it خِلاطَهُنَّin their company سِواهُنother than themselves (continued)
لَيسَ فيها خِلاطَهُنَّ سِواهُن
نَcompletes 'themselves' بِأَرضٍin a land بَعيدَةٍdistant وَخَلاءِand wilderness
نَ بِأَرضٍ بَعيدَةٍ وَخَلاءِ
With none there in their company but themselves,
In some distant, empty place.
In a land remote and desolate.
May God destroy them all, and keep
عَجَّلَmay ... hasten اللَهُGod قَطَّهُنَّtheir death وَأَبقىand preserve
عَجَّلَ اللَهُ قَطَّهُنَّ وَأَبقى
كُلَّevery خَودٍtender young woman خَريدَةٍshy maiden قَبّاءِslender-waisted
كُلَّ خَودٍ خَريدَةٍ قَبّاءِ
May God hasten their death and preserve
Every cheek rouged, every brow marked.
Every tender, shy maiden, slender-waisted,
Tying their belts over humps from straying,
تَعقِدُshe ties المِرطَthe wrap فَوقَabove دِعصٍa mound مِنَof الرَمthe sand (continued)
تَعقِدُ المِرطَ فَوقَ دِعصٍ مِنَ الرَم
لِcompletes 'sand' عَريضٍbroad قَدalready حُفَّwas encircled بِالأَنقاءِby the sand dunes
لِ عَريضٍ قَد حُفَّ بِالأَنقاءِ
Who ties her wrap over a mound of sand,
Laden beasts wrapped in saddlebags.
Broad, hemmed about by dunes.
May God bare the teeth of every
وَلَحىand may ... curse اللَهُGod كُلَّevery عَفلاءَwoman with a vulval growth زَلّاflat-rumped (continued)
وَلَحى اللَهُ كُلَّ عَفلاءَ زَلّا
ءَcompletes 'flat-rumped' عَبوساًscowling قَدalready آذَنَتshe has made known بِالبَذاءِwith foul speech
ءَ عَبوساً قَد آذَنَت بِالبَذاءِ
And may God curse every woman with a vulval growth, flat-rumped,
Glowering fool, foretelling harm,
Scowling, who has made her foul speech known,
A snarling, tile-nosed, gangling calf
صَرصَرٍshrill-voiced سَلفَعٍbrazen رَضيعَةِa nursling of غولٍa ghoul
صَرصَرٍ سَلفَعٍ رَضيعَةِ غولٍ
لَمnot تَزَلceased to be فيin شَصيبَةٍprivation وَشَقاءِand misery
لَم تَزَل في شَصيبَةٍ وَشَقاءِ
Shrill, brazen, a ghoul's nursling,
Ever miserable and wretched,
Who has always lived in privation and misery.
By my life, vulgar, uncouth women
وَبِنَفسيand with my own life ذَواتُwomen possessing خَلقٍa physique عَميمٍample
وَبِنَفسي ذَواتُ خَلقٍ عَميمٍ
هُنَّthey أَهلُpossessors of البَهاbeauty وَأَهلُand possessors of الحَياءِmodesty
هُنَّ أَهلُ البَها وَأَهلُ الحَياءِ
And I would give my life for women of ample build:
Are the essence of evil, not modesty -
They are women of beauty and women of modesty,
Not those who dwell in palaces, generous ladies
قاطِناتٌdwelling دورَthe houses of البَلاطِal-Balat كِرامٌnoble
قاطِناتٌ دورَ البَلاطِ كِرامٌ
لَسنَthey are not مِمَّنamong those who يَزورُvisit فيin الظُلماءِthe darkness
لَسنَ مِمَّن يَزورُ في الظُلماءِ
Noble women dwelling in the houses of al-Balat,
Who don't wander around in the dark!
Not among those who go visiting in the dark.
Partial English translation: 23 of 24 Arabic lines translated.