قَد حَوَّمَت طَيرُ نَومي ثُمَ نَفَّرَها

قَد حَوَّمَت طَيرُ نَومي ثُمَ نَفَّرَها

حِذارُها وَجَفَت بِاللَيلِ أَجفانا

حِذارُها وَجَفَت بِاللَيلِ أَجفانا

The birds of my sleep had hovered, then were frightened away

My sleep has been disturbed by the birds, then frightened away,

By their own wariness, and shunned eyelids at night.

Their eyelids dried up in the night out of caution,

تَظُنُّ أَهدابُها أَشراكَ مُحتَبِلٍ

تَظُنُّ أَهدابُها أَشراكَ مُحتَبِلٍ

لا سِيّما إِذ رَأت مَعهُنَّ إِنسانا

لا سِيّما إِذ رَأت مَعهُنَّ إِنسانا

They deem the eyelids' lashes a trapper's snares,

You'd think their eyelashes were the traps of an ambusher,

Especially when they saw a man among them.

Especially when they saw a human with them.