إِذا أولى النُجومِ بَدَت فَغارَت

إِذا أولى النُجومِ بَدَت فَغارَت

وَقُلتُ أَنى مِنَ اللَيلِ اِنتِصافُ

وَقُلتُ أَنى مِنَ اللَيلِ اِنتِصافُ

When the first stars appeared and then set,

When the stars first appeared and then hid away,

and I said, “The night’s midpoint has come,”

And I said, "How can it be halfway through the night?"

حَسِبتُ النَومَ طارَ مَعَ الثُرَيّا

حَسِبتُ النَومَ طارَ مَعَ الثُرَيّا

وَما غَلُظَ الفِراشُ وَلا اللِحافُ

وَما غَلُظَ الفِراشُ وَلا اللِحافُ

I thought sleep had flown away with the Pleiades,

I thought sleep had flown off with my thoughts,

though neither the bedding nor the coverlet was coarse.

Neither was the mattress hard nor the blanket rough.

أَبا حَفصٍ مَخافَةَ كُلِّ ظُلمٍ

أَبا حَفصٍ مَخافَةَ كُلِّ ظُلمٍ

عَلَيكَ وَكَيفَ يَهجَعُ مَن يَخافُ

عَلَيكَ وَكَيفَ يَهجَعُ مَن يَخافُ

O Abu Hafs, for fear of every injustice

Abu Hafs, fearing every darkness upon you,

against you—and how can one who fears sleep?

How can one who is afraid find sleep?

وَأَدعو اللَهَ فيكَ وَأَن يُجَلّي

وَأَدعو اللَهَ فيكَ وَأَن يُجَلّي

عَمايَةَ ما يُزايِلُها اِنكِشافُ

عَمايَةَ ما يُزايِلُها اِنكِشافُ

And I pray to God for you, and that He dispel

And I pray to God for you, to lift

an obscurity that no unveiling can remove,

The cloudiness that only clearing can displace.

وَأَن يَجِدوكَ إِذ هَزّوكَ صَلتاً

وَأَن يَجِدوكَ إِذ هَزّوكَ صَلتاً

عَفيفاً مِن سَجِيَّتِكَ العَفافُ

عَفيفاً مِن سَجِيَّتِكَ العَفافُ

and that, when they brandish you, they find you a keen blade,

And that He finds you, when they shake you in prayer,

chaste—chastity is part of your nature.

Chaste in your nature, most virtuous and pure.