سهرت ليلى وعدت ليلها

ليل رق ذي ضمير مختلج

Layla lay awake and counted out her night,

a night of bondage for one with a troubled conscience.

ما لها لا ترعوي يا ويلها

قلت في نَفسي وَنَفسي تَنزَعِج

What ails her that she will not heed? Alas for her!

I said to myself, while my soul was distressed.

مسكت خدا بكف وبكف

مسحت دمع انتحاب فوق خده

She cupped a cheek in one hand, and with the other

wiped sobbing tears from his cheek.

وَتَراءَت بينَ حزن واسف

وَهموم وَعَذاب وَنَكَد

And she appeared amid grief and sorrow,

and worries, torment, and misery.

وَتبدت مثل بدر قَد خسف

فحسست الروح في العرق جمد

And she appeared like a full moon that had been eclipsed,

so I felt the soul freeze within the vein.

وَبِصَوت أَظهرت لي ميلها

منه نحو الصدق سدت كل فج

And with a voice she revealed to me her inclination

through it toward truth, barring every passage.

لا تنكر عَن عجوز فعلها

وَنهوج اللوم حاذر أَن تلج

Do not condemn an old woman for her deed,

and beware of entering the paths of blame.

ليت أُمي لم تلد ليلى وَلَم

تلد الجدة أمي قول حق

Would that my mother had never borne Layla, nor

my grandmother borne my mother—a true statement!

كَيفَ لا وَالعَيش هم فوق هم

وَبثوب الحر شق حذو شق

How could it be otherwise, when life is sorrow upon sorrow,

and in the free person's robe, tear beside tear?

فلكم قاسيت في الدنيا وكم

أَنبل الدهر فؤادي فارتشق

How much I have suffered in this world, and how often

time shot arrows at my heart, and it was pierced!

ذرت الأَوصاب فَوقي ذيلها

أَزعجتني وَهي عِندي تَبتَهِج

Afflictions flung their trailing hem over me;

they distressed me while rejoicing beside me.

هَكَذا أَقضي حَياتي علها

تَجمَع المَوجوع يَوما بفرج

Thus I spend my life; perhaps it will

one day join the sufferer with relief.

لست تدري أَيُّها المَغرور من

حالي المَشؤوم الا ما ظهر

You do not know, deluded one, of

my ill-fated state except what has appeared.

فاروه عَني حَديثا ذا شجن

واعتبر فالسغر من لا يعتبر

So recount it from me as a tale of sorrow,

and take heed, for lowly is he who takes no heed.

فَلَقَد شاءَ اله الخلق أَن

أَلد الطفلين سلمى وعمر

For indeed the God of creation willed that

I bear the two children, Salma and Umar.

وَيحَ لَيلى منهما يا وَيلها

حية طلت وَثعبان خرج

Alas for Layla because of those two—alas for her!

A snake peered out, and a serpent emerged.

جعلت اظهار عيبي شغلها

واِنتَحى نحو احتقاري وانتهج

She made exposing my fault her occupation,

and he turned toward despising me and pursued that path.

خففي ليلاي من هَذا الاسف

أَنت أَسباب حياة أَو ممات

My Layla, lessen this sorrow.

You are the causes of life or death.

أَنت ثقل فوقنا لما يخف

أَنت فوق الصاعقات الماحقات

You are a burden upon us that has not yet lightened.

You surpass the annihilating thunderbolts.

أَنت أذللت كِراما تحت خف

أَنت أَذبلت غصونا يانِعات

You abased noble people beneath a hoof.

You withered flourishing branches.

طبقات الأَرض أَخفت رملها

خَجَلا وَالريح جاءَت بوهج

The layers of the earth hid their sand

in shame, and the wind came with scorching heat.

وَطباق الجو مدت ليلها

جائرا بالويل فينا ممتزج

And the layers of the sky stretched out their night,

oppressive, mingled among us with woe.

أَنت في الغفلات نوحي من غفل

أَنت في الدهشات في نوم عميق

You are heedless; lament whoever was heedless.

You, amid bewilderment, are in a deep sleep.

في مَضيق الجهل ضيعت الامل

وَرَميت النشء في ذاكَ المَضيق

In the straits of ignorance you squandered hope,

and cast the young into those straits.

فسدت وَاللَه أَخلاقك بل

نفخة قد أَشعلتها كحريق

By God, your morals have become corrupt; rather,

a puff of breath you have kindled like a blaze.

ركب الخطب لديها خيلها

داسَت الناس وَساقَت لهرج

Calamity mounted her horses beside her;

they trampled the people and drove them into turmoil.

واستبدت محرزات نيلها

كل فكر كان كالنار يؤج

And the gains she had secured dominated

every thought that blazed like fire.

لو تعلمت بأوقات الصغر

ما اقترفت اليوم ذنبا لا يُطاق

Had you learned in childhood,

you would not have committed an unbearable sin today.

لو تعلقت بآداب البشر

ما بقي الاسلام في هذا الشقاق

Had you embraced the manners of humankind,

Islam would not have remained in this discord.

لو تكللت بياقات الزهر

ما كَسانا الشوك طاقا فوق طاق

Had you crowned yourself with collars of flowers,

thorns would not have clothed us, layer upon layer.

هَكَذا الدنيا نُعاني هولها

وَسيوف المحق في كل ودج

Such is the world: we endure its terror,

and swords of annihilation are in every jugular vein.

وَالدَواهي لَيسَ يبري نبلها

غير كفيك كَلاما بحجج

And calamities—none sharpens their arrows

but your two hands, with words backed by proofs.

امهات قفن في وجه البدع

وارحن الشعب من هذي الهموم

Mothers, stand against heresies,

and relieve the people of these worries.

في المَلاهي زهرة العمر تقع

وَبكأس الراح أَنواع السموم

In diversions the flower of life falls,

and in the wine-cup lie kinds of poison.

لو أَردتن المَعالي لارتفع

قدم الاسلام عن فلك النجوم

Had you sought lofty heights, there would have risen

Islam's foot beyond the sphere of the stars.

نحو بنت اليوم فاحذر قتلها

أَيُّها الانسان فالأَمر حرج

As for today's girl, beware of killing her,

O human being, for the matter is critical.

واذا ما غزلت خذ غزلها

وَقل الصبح تَراءى واِنبَلَج

And whenever she spins, take her yarn,

and say, "Dawn has appeared and shone forth."