أَبا جَعفرٍ هَل فَضَضتَ الصَدف

أَبا جَعفرٍ هَل فَضَضتَ الصَدف

وَهَل إِذ رَمَيتَ أَصَبتَ الهَدف

وَهَل إِذ رَمَيتَ أَصَبتَ الهَدف

O Abu Jaʿfar, did you break open the shell?

O Abu Ja'far, have you broken the pearl shells

And when you shot, did you hit the target?

And when you cast, did you hit the target?

وَهَل جُبتَ لَيلاً بِلا حِشمَةٍ

وَهَل جُبتَ لَيلاً بِلا حِشمَةٍ

لِطُولِ السُرى سُدَفاً في سُدَف

لِطُولِ السُرى سُدَفاً في سُدَف

And did you, without reserve, travel by night

And did you spend a night immodestly

through darkness within darkness, for the length of the night journey?

Due to the length of the journey, tents within tents?