ياoh! حُسْنَهhis beauty لهِلالِfor the crescent الفِطْرfast-breaking مُرْتَقباًwatching expectantly
يا حُسْنَه لهِلالِ الفِطْر مُرْتَقباً
كالبَدْرِlike the full moon أشرقَhe shone فيin داجٍdeep darkness مِنَof الغَسَقِthe dusk
كالبَدْرِ أشرقَ في داجٍ مِنَ الغَسَقِ
How lovely he is, watching for the crescent of Eid al-Fitr!
O beauty, the crescent of breaking the fast approached
Like the full moon, he shone in the deep darkness of dusk.
Like the full moon it shone in the darkness of night
أوْمىhe gestured إليهِtoward it بعَيْنيهwith his eyes وغازَلَنيand flirted with me
أوْمى إليهِ بعَيْنيه وغازَلَني
فَقُلْتُso I said والصَّبُّand the lovesick lover مَفْطورٌnaturally disposed عَلىto القَلَقِrestlessness
فَقُلْتُ والصَّبُّ مَفْطورٌ عَلى القَلَقِ
He gestured toward it with his eyes and flirted with me.
He winked at me with his eyes and flirted
So I said—and the lovesick lover is restless by nature—
I said while dawn is breaking with anxiety
لُقْياكَmeeting you عِيديْmy feast ومَرْآكَand the sight of you الهلالُthe crescent وفيand in
لُقْياكَ عِيديْ ومَرْآكَ الهلالُ وفي
لَماكyour lips’ dark hue فِطْريmy breaking of the fast فماso what أبغيdo I seek لَدىat الأُفُقthe horizon
لَماك فِطْري فما أبغي لَدى الأُفُق
“Meeting you is my feast, and the sight of you my crescent; and in
Seeing you is my celebration, the crescent saw you
your lips’ dark hue lies my breaking of the fast—what, then, do I seek on the horizon?”
In your radiance is my breaking fast, I want no horizon