1. الناسُ في المَعتَكَفِ المُقَدَّسِ

    يُعلونَ لِلَّهِ بَخورَ الأَنفُسِ

    The people in the sacred retreat

    raise to God the incense of souls,

  2. وَلِلنُفوسِ صَوتُها المَسموعُ

    وَأَذرُعُ العَجائِزِ المُرتَجِفَه

    and the souls' voice is heard;

    and the trembling arms of old women

  3. كَأَنَّها مَسارِجٌ مُنعَكِفَه

    جَفَّت عَلى قِمَّتها الشُموعُ

    are like bent lampstands,

    on whose tops the candles have dried.

  4. وَصَلواتُ الكاهِنِ القِدّيسِ

    تُذيبُ روحَ اللَهِ في النُفوسِ

    And the prayers of the saintly priest

    melt God's spirit within the souls.

  5. قالَ بِصَوتٍ خافِتٍ أَبانا

    أَنزِل عَلى شعوبِكَ الغُفرانا

    He said in a low voice, “Our Father,

    send forgiveness down upon your peoples.”

  6. إِذا بِغَلوا كَضَميرِ الجاني

    تجمُدُ عِند لَفظةِ الغُفرانِ

    Suddenly Ghalwa, like the culprit's conscience,

    freezes at the word “forgiveness,”

  7. وَتخفضُ الرأسَ إِلى الحَضيضِ

    ذارِفَةً مِن جَفنِها المَريضِ

    and lowers her head to the depths,

    shedding from her ailing eyelid

  8. بَعضَ دُموعٍ كَالعَفافِ بيضِ

    وَالعَرَقُ البارِدُ من جَبهَتِها

    a few tears, white as chastity.

    And the cold sweat from her brow

  9. يَرشَحُ كَاللَهيبِ من مُهجَتِها

    أَو كَمُذاب القَلبِ من تَوبَتِها

    seeps like flame from her heart,

    or like the heart's molten essence from her repentance.

  10. وَكانَ في إِحدى زَوايا الهَيكلِ

    مختَطَفَ الروح شَريدَ المُقَلِ

    And in one of the sanctuary's corners was

    one enraptured in spirit, with wandering eyes,

  11. ذو النَظَرِ المخدَّرِ المُشتَعِلِ

    فَبَدَرت من عَينِهِ التِفاتَه

    possessed of a numbed, blazing gaze.

    Then a glance darted from his eye

  12. إِلى المُصَلّى فَرَأى فَتاتَه

    غَلواءَ ذاتَ الأَلَمِ السِرِّيِّ

    toward the place of prayer, and he saw a girl:

    Ghalwa, with her secret pain,

  13. ذاتَ الضَميرِ التَعِبِ الشَقِيّ

    ذاتَ الهَوى المُدَنَّسِ النَقِيِّ

    with her weary, wretched conscience,

    with her defiled, pure passion,

  14. تَقرَأ في كِتابَها الصَغيرِ

    كَأَنَّها تَقرَأ في ضَميرِ

    reading in her little book,

    as though she read in a conscience

  15. مُعَذَّبٍ مُلتَهب السُطورِ

    وَتارَةً تَرفَعُ عَيناً ساهِيَه

    tormented, its lines ablaze.

    And at times she raises a distracted eye

  16. اِلى البَخور المُتَلاشي

    في سَماءِ الزاوِيَه

    toward the fading incense

    in the corner's sky;

  17. فَتَتَلاشى مِثلَهُ أَنفاسُها

    في خَلَجاتٍ وَاِرتِعاش

    so her breaths dissolve like it

    in quivers and trembling,

  18. مِثلَ اِرتِعاشاتِ الفَراشِ

    في الجَوِّ حينَ تَنتَهي أَعراسُها

    like the flutterings of butterflies

    in the air when their weddings end,

  19. أَو كَالضَبابِ في مَسا الخَريفِ

    يَنحَلُّ في اِرتِعاشِهِ الخَفيفِ

    or like fog on an autumn evening,

    dissolving in its faint tremor.

  20. فَقالَ ما تَخشى تُراها ما بِها

    يَغمُرها طوراً دُجى اِضطِرابها

    Then he said: What does she fear, I wonder? What ails her?

    At times the darkness of her turmoil engulfs her,

  21. وَتارَةً تُعرِضُ عَن كِتابها

    وَاِنتَهَت الصَلاه

    and at times she turns away from her book.

    And the prayer ended

  22. في هَيكَل الإِله

    فَاِنصَرَف الجمهور

    in God's sanctuary;

    so the congregation departed,

  23. وَبَقِيَت غَلواءُ

    وَالهَمُّ وَالشَقاءُ

    and Ghalwa remained,

    and anguish and misery,

  24. في المَعبَد المَهجور

    كَشَمعَةٍ لَمّا تَزل مُضَوَّأَه

    in the deserted temple,

    like a candle still alight

  25. بَينَ شموعِ الهَيكل المُنطَفِئَه

    among the sanctuary's extinguished candles.