نَضَت عَنها القَميصَ لِصَبِّ ماءِ

فَوَرَّدَ وَجهَها فُرطُ الحَياءِ

She drew off her dress to pour water

She cast off her shirt to pour the water,

And her face blushed with sudden modesty

And the excess of modesty flushed her face with roses.

وَقابَلَتِ النَسيمَ وَقَد تَعَرَّت

بِمُعتَدِلٍ أَرَقَّ مِنَ الهَواءِ

She met the breeze having bared herself

She faced the breeze, having bared herself,

With a grace more delicate than the air

With a slender form more delicate than the air.

وَمَدَّت راحَةً كَالماءِ مِنها

إِلى ماءٍ مُعَدٍّ في إِناءِ

And stretched out a hand like water from her

She extended a palm—pure as water itself—

To water prepared in a vessel

Towards water made ready in a vessel.

فَلَمّا أَن قَضَت وَطَراً وَهَمَّت

عَلى عَجَلٍ إِلى أَخذِ الرِداءِ

But when she had sated her thirst and meant

And when she had finished her task and turned,

Hastily to take up her gown

In haste, to reach for her robe,

رَأَت شَخصَ الرَقيبِ عَلى التَداني

فَأَسبَلَتِ الظَلامَ عَلى الضِياءِ

She saw the watcher's figure draw near

She saw the figure of a watcher drawing near,

And cast darkness over the light

So she let down the darkness over the light.

فَغابَ الصُبحُ مِنها تَحتَ لَيلٍ

وَظَلَّ الماءُ يَقطِرُ فَوقَ ماءِ

So dawn vanished from her beneath night

Thus her dawn vanished beneath a night,

And the water kept dripping over water

While water remained dripping upon water.

فَسُبحانَ الإِلَهِ وَقَد بَراها

كَأَحسَنِ ما يَكونَ مِنَ النِساءِ

Glory to God who created her

So glory be to God, Who fashioned her

As the most beautiful of women

As the most beautiful of all women.