ما زالَ يفتحُ أبواباً ويغلقُها

ما زالَ يفتحُ أبواباً ويغلقُها

دوني ويفتحُ بابا بعد إرْتاجِ

دوني ويفتحُ بابا بعد إرْتاجِ

He kept opening doors and shutting them

He still opens doors and closes them

before me, opening a door after it was bolted shut,

Before me, and opens a door after struggling

حتى أضاءَ سِراجٌ دونه حَجَلٌ

حتى أضاءَ سِراجٌ دونه حَجَلٌ

حُورُ العيونِ مِلاحٌ طرفُها ساجي

حُورُ العيونِ مِلاحٌ طرفُها ساجي

until a lamp shone, with partridge-like women before it—

Until a lamp lit up beneath a veil

dark-eyed beauties, their gaze languid.

The houris have tender glances, their eyelids languid

يكْشرْنَ للّهو واللذاتِ عن بُرُدٍ

يكْشرْنَ للّهو واللذاتِ عن بُرُدٍ

تكشُّفَ البرق عن ذي لُجَّةٍ داجي

تكشُّفَ البرق عن ذي لُجَّةٍ داجي

They bared, for play and pleasure, teeth like hailstones,

They bare their teeth for amusement and pleasure against the cold

as lightning breaks from a deep, dark cloud.

Lightning flashed, revealing a dark, towering cloud

كأنَّما نظرتْ دوني بأعينِها

كأنَّما نظرتْ دوني بأعينِها

عِينُ الصّرِيمةِ أو غِزْلانُ فِرْتاجِ

عِينُ الصّرِيمةِ أو غِزْلانُ فِرْتاجِ

As though gazing before me with their eyes

As if their eyes looked at me

were al-Ṣarīma’s wide-eyed wild cows, or Firtāj’s gazelles.

The eyes of a gazelle or a fawn of the thicket

يانُعْمها ليلةً حتى تَخَوَّنها

يانُعْمها ليلةً حتى تَخَوَّنها

داعٍ في بياضِ الصبْح شَحّاجَ

داعٍ في بياضِ الصبْح شَحّاجَ

Oh, what a lovely night—until it was spoiled

Their beauty seduced me until dawn betrayed them

by a raucous caller in the whiteness of dawn.

A lover called at dawn's whiteness, complaining

لما دعا الدعوةَ الأولى فأسمعني

لما دعا الدعوةَ الأولى فأسمعني

أخذتُ ثَوبِيَ واستمرَرْتُ أدراجي

أخذتُ ثَوبِيَ واستمرَرْتُ أدراجي

When he gave the first call and made me hear it,

When he made the first call to prayer, I heard

I took my robe and went on my way.

I took my garment and went on my way