نُفُوسٌ نَفِيْسَاتٌ إِلىَ القُرْبِ حَنَّتِ

نُفُوسٌ نَفِيْسَاتٌ إِلىَ القُرْبِ حَنَّتِ

فَلَمَّا سَقَاهَا الحُبُّ بِالكَأْسِ جُنَّتِ

فَلَمَّا سَقَاهَا الحُبُّ بِالكَأْسِ جُنَّتِ

Precious souls yearned for nearness;

Precious souls yearned for nearness.

and when Love gave them the cup to drink, they went mad.

Then, when love gave them drink from the cup, they went mad.

وَكَانَتْ تَمَنَّتْ أَنْ تَمُوتَ صَبَابَةً

وَكَانَتْ تَمَنَّتْ أَنْ تَمُوتَ صَبَابَةً

فَسَاقَ إِليْهَا الوَجْدُ مَا قدْ تَمَنَّتِ

فَسَاقَ إِليْهَا الوَجْدُ مَا قدْ تَمَنَّتِ

They had wished to die of ardent longing,

And they had wished to die of longing,

so passion brought them what they had wished for.

so ecstasy brought them what they had wished for.

وَفي الحَيِّ هَيْفَاءُ المَعَاطِفِ لَوْ بدَتْ

وَفي الحَيِّ هَيْفَاءُ المَعَاطِفِ لَوْ بدَتْ

عَلى البَانِ كَانَ الوُرْقُ فيْهَا تَغَنَّتِ

عَلى البَانِ كَانَ الوُرْقُ فيْهَا تَغَنَّتِ

And in the encampment, a slender, supple maiden—were she to appear

And in the encampment is a woman of slender curves; were she to appear,

upon the bān tree, the gray doves among its branches would sing.

the gray doves upon the bān trees would sing of her.

عَجِبْتُ لَهَا في حُسْنِهَا إِذْ تَفَرَّدَتْ

عَجِبْتُ لَهَا في حُسْنِهَا إِذْ تَفَرَّدَتْ

لأَيَّة مَعْنىً بَعْدَهَا قَدْ تَثَنَّتِ

لأَيَّة مَعْنىً بَعْدَهَا قَدْ تَثَنَّتِ

I marveled at her, since she stood alone in beauty:

I marveled at her, for in beauty she stood alone:

what meaning, after her, could ever have swayed?

for what reason, after that, did she sway?

شَكَا سُقْمَهُ مُضْنَى هَوَاهَا صَبَابَةً

شَكَا سُقْمَهُ مُضْنَى هَوَاهَا صَبَابَةً

فَقَالتْ لَهُ أصبِرْ فِي الصَّبَابةِ أَوْ مُتِ

فَقَالتْ لَهُ أصبِرْ فِي الصَّبَابةِ أَوْ مُتِ

One wasted by love for her complained passionately of his sickness,

One wasted by love for her lamented his sickness out of longing.

and she told him, “Endure this passion—or die.”

So she told him: Be patient in longing, or die.

فَمَا عَاشَ إِلاَّ مُغْرَمٌ مَاتَ في الهَوىَ

فَمَا عَاشَ إِلاَّ مُغْرَمٌ مَاتَ في الهَوىَ

بِحُبِّي وَهَذَا فِي المُحِبيِّنَ سُنّتِي

بِحُبِّي وَهَذَا فِي المُحِبيِّنَ سُنّتِي

No one lived save an enamored man who died in passion

For none lives but a devoted lover who has died in passion

for love of me—and this, among lovers, is my way.

through love of me; this is my way with lovers.

سَتَأْتيِكَ مِنِّي قَهْوةٌ إِنْ شَرَبْتَهَا

سَتَأْتيِكَ مِنِّي قَهْوةٌ إِنْ شَرَبْتَهَا

صَحَوْتَ وَفِي صَحْوِ الهَوىَ كُلَّ سَكْرَتِي

صَحَوْتَ وَفِي صَحْوِ الهَوىَ كُلَّ سَكْرَتِي

A wine will come to you from me; if you drink it,

Wine will come to you from me; if you drink it,

you will grow sober—for all my intoxication lies in love’s sobriety.

you will grow sober—and all my intoxication lies in love's sobriety.

فَلاَ تَمْزِجَنْهَا فَهْيَ بِالْمَزْجِ حُرِّمَتْ

فَلاَ تَمْزِجَنْهَا فَهْيَ بِالْمَزْجِ حُرِّمَتْ

وَلَوْ جُلِيَتْ صِرْفاً عَلَيْهِمْ لَحَلَّتِ

وَلَوْ جُلِيَتْ صِرْفاً عَلَيْهِمْ لَحَلَّتِ

Do not mix it: through mixing it was made forbidden,

So never mix it, for mixing makes it forbidden;

yet if served to them unmixed, it would be lawful.

and were it unveiled to them unmixed, it would be lawful.

فَإِن هِيَ قَدْ أَفْنَتْكَ سُكْراً فَغِبْ بِهَا

فَإِن هِيَ قَدْ أَفْنَتْكَ سُكْراً فَغِبْ بِهَا

فَمَنْ صَرَّفَتْهُ الصِرْفُ بِالنَّفْي يَثْبُتِ

فَمَنْ صَرَّفَتْهُ الصِرْفُ بِالنَّفْي يَثْبُتِ

If it has annihilated you through intoxication, then lose yourself in it;

So if it has annihilated you through intoxication, vanish through it;

for whoever the pure wine dismisses through negation stands affirmed.

for whoever unmixed wine has transformed through negation endures.

وَفِتْيَانِ صِدْقٍ كَالنُّجُومِ سَرَوْا عَلَى

وَفِتْيَانِ صِدْقٍ كَالنُّجُومِ سَرَوْا عَلَى

رَكَائِبِ عَزْمٍ مَا لَهَا مِنْ أَزْمَّةِ

رَكَائِبِ عَزْمٍ مَا لَهَا مِنْ أَزْمَّةِ

And sincere young men, like stars, journeyed by night upon

And true-hearted youths, like stars, traveled by night upon

mounts of resolve that had no reins—

riding camels of resolve that had no reins.

ذَوِي أَنْفُسٍ لَمْ يَبْرْحِ العِزُّ شَأَنَهَا

ذَوِي أَنْفُسٍ لَمْ يَبْرْحِ العِزُّ شَأَنَهَا

رَأَتْ عِزّ لَيْلَى بِالجَمَالِ فَذَلَّتِ

رَأَتْ عِزّ لَيْلَى بِالجَمَالِ فَذَلَّتِ

men possessed of souls whose defining quality never ceased to be nobility;

Possessing souls whose constant state had been honor,

those souls beheld Layla’s glory in beauty, and humbled themselves.

they saw Layla's majesty in beauty and were humbled.

تَوَاصَوْا عَلى حِفْظِ الوَفَا وتَرَاضَعوا

تَوَاصَوْا عَلى حِفْظِ الوَفَا وتَرَاضَعوا

كُؤُوسَ الصَّفَا وَاسْتَمْسَكُوا بِالمَوَدَّةِ

كُؤُوسَ الصَّفَا وَاسْتَمْسَكُوا بِالمَوَدَّةِ

They exhorted one another to preserve fidelity, and nursed together from

They urged one another to keep faith and suckled together from

the cups of purity, holding fast to affection.

cups of purity, and held fast to affection.

فَنَادَاهُمُ خَمَّارُ دَيْرِ مُدِيرِهَا

فَنَادَاهُمُ خَمَّارُ دَيْرِ مُدِيرِهَا

فَلَمَّا أَمَاتَتْهُمْ مِنَ السُّكْرِ أَحْيَتِ

فَلَمَّا أَمَاتَتْهُمْ مِنَ السُّكْرِ أَحْيَتِ

Then the vintner of a monastery, its cupbearer, called to them;

Then the wine-seller of its cupbearer's monastery called to them;

and when the wine slew them through drunkenness, it restored them to life.

and when it killed them through intoxication, it brought them to life.

فَعَاشُوا بِهَا فِيْهَا علَى حِيْنِ أَسْلَمُوا

فَعَاشُوا بِهَا فِيْهَا علَى حِيْنِ أَسْلَمُوا

إِليْهَا صِفَاتٍ قِيلَ مِنْهَا اسْتُعِيرَتِ

إِليْهَا صِفَاتٍ قِيلَ مِنْهَا اسْتُعِيرَتِ

So through it they lived, within it, at the time when they surrendered

So they lived through it, in it, when they surrendered

to it attributes said to have been borrowed from it.

to it attributes said to have been borrowed from it.

فَمَنْ عَاشَ مِنَّا لَمْ يَنَلْ مِثْلَ نَيْلِهِمْ

فَمَنْ عَاشَ مِنَّا لَمْ يَنَلْ مِثْلَ نَيْلِهِمْ

وَلَكِنْ مَتَّى تَذْكُرْهُمُ النَّفْسُ حَنَّتِ

وَلَكِنْ مَتَّى تَذْكُرْهُمُ النَّفْسُ حَنَّتِ

Whoever among us has lived has not attained the like of their attainment;

For none of us who lived attained anything like their attainment;

but whenever the soul remembers them, it yearns.

but whenever the soul remembers them, it yearns.