Welcome, my wife, welcome!
Surely you are weary,
how can I wash your feet?
I have no rose water,
no silver basin.
Surely you are thirsty,
I have no cold sherbet.
Surely you are hungry,
I cannot set the table for you
with a white linen cloth.
My room is poor,
like a land in chains.
Welcome, my wife, welcome!
Step into my room,
the forty-year-old concrete turned into a meadow.
You smiled —
roses bloomed on the bars
of my window.
You cried —
gentle palms filled
with pearls.
My room became rich
like my soul,
became bright
like freedom.
Welcome, woman, welcome!
