وَلَمَّا عَبِثْنَ بَأَوْتَارِهِنَّ

قُبَيْلَ التَّبَلُّجِ أَيْقَظْنَنِي

When they toyed with their strings

Before dawn awakened me

جِسَسْنَ مَثَالِتَ يَمْزُجْنَهَا

بِنَقْرِ البُمُومِ فَأَطْرَبْنَنِي

They sat singing tunefully

Mingling with the cooing of doves, ravishing me

عَمَدْنَ لإِصَبلاَحِ أَوْتَارِهِنَّ

فَأَصْلَحْنَهُنَّ وَأَفْسَدْنَنِي

They turned to tune their strings

And tuned them while unstringing me