وَلَمَّا عَبِثْنَ بَأَوْتَارِهِنَّ

وَلَمَّا عَبِثْنَ بَأَوْتَارِهِنَّ

قُبَيْلَ التَّبَلُّجِ أَيْقَظْنَنِي

قُبَيْلَ التَّبَلُّجِ أَيْقَظْنَنِي

And when they toyed with their strings,

When they toyed with their strings

just before daybreak, they woke me.

Before dawn awakened me

جِسَسْنَ مَثَالِتَ يَمْزُجْنَهَا

جِسَسْنَ مَثَالِتَ يَمْزُجْنَهَا

بِنَقْرِ البُمُومِ فَأَطْرَبْنَنِي

بِنَقْرِ البُمُومِ فَأَطْرَبْنَنِي

They tested the third strings, blending them

They sat singing tunefully

with the plucking of the bass strings, and so enraptured me.

Mingling with the cooing of doves, ravishing me

عَمَدْنَ لإِصَبلاَحِ أَوْتَارِهِنَّ

عَمَدْنَ لإِصَبلاَحِ أَوْتَارِهِنَّ

فَأَصْلَحْنَهُنَّ وَأَفْسَدْنَنِي

فَأَصْلَحْنَهُنَّ وَأَفْسَدْنَنِي

They set about tuning their strings;

They turned to tune their strings

so they put them right—and ruined me.

And tuned them while unstringing me