حَبَّذاhow lovely لَيلَتيmy night بِدَيرِat the monastery of بَوَنّاBawanna
حَبَّذا لَيلَتي بِدَيرِ بَوَنّا
حَيثُwhere نُسقىwe are served drink شَرابَناour wine وَنُغَنّاand we are sung to
حَيثُ نُسقى شَرابَنا وَنُغَنّا
How lovely was my night at the monastery of Bawanna,
where we were served our wine and sung to.
كَيفَماwhichever way دارَتِturned الزُجاجَةُthe bottle دُرناwe turned
كَيفَما دارَتِ الزُجاجَةُ دُرنا
يَحسَبُthink الجاهِلونَthe ignorant أَنّاthat we جُنِنّاhave gone mad
يَحسَبُ الجاهِلونَ أَنّا جُنِنّا
Whichever way the bottle turned, we turned;
the ignorant thought we had gone mad.
وَمَرَرناand we passed بِنِسوَةٍby women عَطِراتٍfragrant
وَمَرَرنا بِنِسوَةٍ عَطِراتٍ
وَغِناءٍand singing وَقَهوَةٍand wine فَنَزَلناso we alighted
وَغِناءٍ وَقَهوَةٍ فَنَزَلنا
And we passed by fragrant women,
and singing and wine, so we alighted.
وَجَعَلناand we made خَليقَةَthe creature of اللَهِGod فَطروFatru- (name fragment)
وَجَعَلنا خَليقَةَ اللَهِ فَطرو
سَ-s (completes Fatrus) وَالمُستَشارَand the counselor يُحَنّاYuhanna
سَ وَالمُستَشارَ يُحَنّا
And we made God's creature Fatru-
s, and Yuhanna the counselor.
فَأَخَذناso we took قُربانَهُمtheir communion offering ثُمَّthen كُفِّرdeclared unbelievers (verb fragment)
فَأَخَذنا قُربانَهُم ثُمَّ كُفِّر
ناwe (preceding verb's suffix) لِصُلبانِfor the crosses of دَيرِهِمtheir monastery فَكَفَرناand so we disbelieved
نا لِصُلبانِ دَيرِهِم فَكَفَرنا
So we took their communion offering; then we were declared
unbelievers for their monastery's crosses, and so we disbelieved.
وَاِشتَهَرناand we became known لِلنّاسِto the people حَيثُwhere يَقولوthey say (continued)
وَاِشتَهَرنا لِلنّاسِ حَيثُ يَقولو
نَending of 'they say' إِذاwhen خُبِّرواthey were told بِماof what قَدalready فَعَلناwe had done
نَ إِذا خُبِّروا بِما قَد فَعَلنا
And we became known among the people, who say,
when told of what we had done.