الليلُthe night أسهَرُهُI spend it awake فَهَمِّيfor my worry راتبُconstant
الليلُ أسهَرُهُ فَهَمِّي راتبُ
والصُّبْحُand the morning أكرهُهُI loathe it ففيهِfor in it نوائبُcalamities
والصُّبْحُ أكرهُهُ ففيهِ نوائبُ
The night I spend awake, for my worry is constant.
The night, I stay awake in reflection
And I loathe the morning, for in it are calamities.
And the morn, I abhor it, for in it are tribulations
فكأنَّso it is as though ذاكَthat قَذًىa mote لطرفيfor my eye مُسْهِرٌkeeping me awake
فكأنَّ ذاكَ قَذًى لطرفي مُسْهِرٌ
وكأنَّand it is as though هذاthis فيهin it سيفٌa sword قاضبُkeen-cutting
وكأنَّ هذا فيه سيفٌ قاضبُ
So that is like a mote in my eye, keeping me awake.
As if the former were a splinter to my sleepless eye
And this is as though a keen-cutting sword were within it.
And as if the latter had in it an unsheathed sword