وَبَدا فَغَنّاني البَعوضُ مُطرِباً

وَبَدا فَغَنّاني البَعوضُ مُطرِباً

فَهَرَقتُ كَأسَ النَومِ إِذ غَنّاني

فَهَرَقتُ كَأسَ النَومِ إِذ غَنّاني

The mosquito appeared and sang to me, playing the minstrel;

And the mosquitoes appeared, then sang to me melodiously;

so I spilled sleep’s cup when it sang to me.

so I spilled the cup of sleep when they sang to me.

ثُمَّ اِنبَرى البُرغوثُ يَنقُطُ أُضلُعي

ثُمَّ اِنبَرى البُرغوثُ يَنقُطُ أُضلُعي

نَقطَ المُعَلِّمِ مُشكِلَ القُرآنِ

نَقطَ المُعَلِّمِ مُشكِلَ القُرآنِ

Then the flea set about stippling my ribs,

Then the flea set to work dotting my ribs,

as a schoolmaster points the Qur’an’s difficult passages,

as the teacher dots the Qur'an's ambiguous words;

حَتّى إِذا كَشَفَ الصَباحُ قِناعَهُ

حَتّى إِذا كَشَفَ الصَباحُ قِناعَهُ

قَرَأَت لِيَ الذُبانِ بِالأَلحانِ

قَرَأَت لِيَ الذُبانِ بِالأَلحانِ

until, when morning lifted its veil,

until, when morning lifted its veil,

the flies recited to me in melodies.

the flies recited to me in song.