تَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَى رِوَايَةٍ

You are listening to a novel

رَائِحَةُ بَخُورٍ نَادِرَةٍ تَمْلَأُ أَنْفَهُ

A rare scent of incense fills his nose

وَهَمْهَمَاتٌ مِنْ أَدْعِيَةٍ مَهْمُوسَةٍ تَمْلَأُ أُذُنَيْهِ

And murmurs of whispered prayers fill his ears

لَكِنَّ قَلْبَهُ اللَّيْلَةَ يَمْلَأُهُ الشَّكُّ

But his heart tonight is filled with doubt

شَابٌّ بَاهِرُ الْعُودِ صَحِيحُ الْجِسْمِ

A young man of striking stature and healthy body

دَائِمُ التَّأَمُّلِ

Constantly contemplative

لَهُ حَوَاجِبُ غَزِيرَةٌ مَقْرُونَةٌ تُوحِي بِالْقُوَّةِ

He has thick, connected eyebrows that suggest strength

وَبَيْنَ الْحَاجِبَيْنِ تَقْطِيبَةٌ تَشْكُو فِي صَمْتٍ

And between the eyebrows is a frown that complains in silence

شَكْوَى النَّفْسِ لِلنَّفْسِ

The soul's complaint to the soul

حَرَكَةُ الشَّكِّ الَّتِي تَبْحَثُ عَنِ الْيَقِينِ فِي تَحَسُّسٍ وَدَبِيبٍ

The movement of doubt that searches for certainty through feeling and creeping