أَقُولُ عَشاءً لِلطَويلِ تَعَجُّباً

أَقُولُ عَشاءً لِلطَويلِ تَعَجُّباً

وَقَد فاضَ ماءُ العَينِ مِنّي فَأَسجَما

وَقَد فاضَ ماءُ العَينِ مِنّي فَأَسجَما

I say to al-Tawil at evening, in wonder,

I say goodnight to the long night in wonder

and tears have overflowed from me and streamed down:

As tears have streamed from my eyes so I weep

فَوَاللَهِ ما أَدرى أَحَوباءُ أَهلِها

فَوَاللَهِ ما أَدرى أَحَوباءُ أَهلِها

هُمُ ظَلَمُوني أَم أَنا كُنتُ أَظلَمَا

هُمُ ظَلَمُوني أَم أَنا كُنتُ أَظلَمَا

By God, I do not know, O soul of her household,

By God, I know not, are her people unjust to me

whether they wronged me, or I was the more unjust.

Or was it I who was unjust to them

قَعَدتُ فَلَم أُرسِل وَلا أَرسَلُوا هُمُ

قَعَدتُ فَلَم أُرسِل وَلا أَرسَلُوا هُمُ

بِشَيءٍ إِلَينا صاحِ حَولاً مُجَرَّما

بِشَيءٍ إِلَينا صاحِ حَولاً مُجَرَّما

I stayed put and sent nothing, nor did they send

I sat still, sent no messenger, nor did they

anything to us, my friend, for a whole year.

Send aught to us, a neighbor who has sinned

فَهَل أَنتَ آتٍ أَهلَ لَيلى فَناظِرٌ

فَهَل أَنتَ آتٍ أَهلَ لَيلى فَناظِرٌ

لِذَنبي جَفَوني أَم جَفَوني تَعَرُّما

لِذَنبي جَفَوني أَم جَفَوني تَعَرُّما

So will you visit Layla's household and discover

Are you coming to Layla's people, watching

whether they shunned me for my fault, or shunned me out of insolence?

For my sin, were they aloof or just aloofness feigned

فَإِن يَكُ في ذَنبي ففي ذاكَ حُكمُهُم

فَإِن يَكُ في ذَنبي ففي ذاكَ حُكمُهُم

وَحَسبُ امرئٍ في حَقِّنا أَن يَحكَّما

وَحَسبُ امرئٍ في حَقِّنا أَن يَحكَّما

For if it is because of my fault, judgment in that is theirs;

If I am at fault then such is their judgment of me

and, concerning our right, it suffices a man to be made arbiter.

And for a man it suffices that he submit to judgment

فَإِن تَكُ لَيلى أَذنَبَت وَتَعَتَّبَت

فَإِن تَكُ لَيلى أَذنَبَت وَتَعَتَّبَت

لِتَعلَم ما عِندي مَشَيتُ تَزَغُّما

لِتَعلَم ما عِندي مَشَيتُ تَزَغُّما

And if Layla has done wrong and voiced reproach,

But if it was Layla who sinned and sought pretext

to learn what I feel, I would go, grumbling in anger,

To know my resolve, I walked proudly away

إِلَيها فَلَم أَذكُر حَياتي ذَنبَها

إِلَيها فَلَم أَذكُر حَياتي ذَنبَها

وَأَطلَلت حَقِّي إِن أَصابَت لَنادَما

وَأَطلَلت حَقِّي إِن أَصابَت لَنادَما

to her, yet never in my life mention her fault,

To her, but blamed not her life for my sin

and waive my claim—surely remorseful, if she were right.

I resigned my right if she attained remorse

فَكُن لي طَبيباً وَاشفِ نَفساً مَرِيضَةً

فَكُن لي طَبيباً وَاشفِ نَفساً مَرِيضَةً

بِلَيلى وَقَلباً ذا خَبالٍ مُقَسَّما

بِلَيلى وَقَلباً ذا خَبالٍ مُقَسَّما

So be a physician to me, and heal a soul sick

So be a healer, healing a soul sick

with love for Layla, and a heart distraught and torn apart.

For Layla, a heart full of wounds well known

تَكُن لَكَ عِندي نِعمَةٌ بَعدَ نِعمَةٍ

تَكُن لَكَ عِندي نِعمَةٌ بَعدَ نِعمَةٍ

أَصابَت بِها قَلبي كِلابَةُ بَعدَما

أَصابَت بِها قَلبي كِلابَةُ بَعدَما

I will owe you a kindness, after the kindness

For you will have, after bounty, yet more bounty from me

with which Kilabah touched my heart, after

That has struck my heart, a hound that was faithful

تَناءى بِلَيلى ذُو شَتاتٍ فَنِلتَها

تَناءى بِلَيلى ذُو شَتاتٍ فَنِلتَها

بِها حَيثُ أَقصاها وَلَم أَرقَ سُلَّما

بِها حَيثُ أَقصاها وَلَم أَرقَ سُلَّما

one bent on separation took Layla far away, and you reached her

Who yearned for Layla, though fate denied her

through it, where he had sent her far away, though I climbed no ladder.

I did not climb the heights to her, nor tread her paths

وَلَكن بِرفقٍ أَو رُقىً لَودَعَت بِها

وَلَكن بِرفقٍ أَو رُقىً لَودَعَت بِها

مِن الرُقشِ في لِصبٍ تَقَرَّبَ أَعرَما

مِن الرُقشِ في لِصبٍ تَقَرَّبَ أَعرَما

But through gentleness or incantations: if she called with them,

Rather gently, kindly, she would have bid farewell

a fierce speckled snake in a rocky cleft would draw near,

To fickleness in a twist, a lame man grown straight

كمثل شِهابِ النار في كَفِّ قابِسٍ

كمثل شِهابِ النار في كَفِّ قابِسٍ

إِذا الريح هَبَّت وَهوَ كابٍ تَضَرَّما

إِذا الريح هَبَّت وَهوَ كابٍ تَضَرَّما

like a firebrand in the palm of one kindling fire:

Like embers in the grasp of one cupping them

when the wind blows, though fading, it bursts into flame.

When the wind blew, he held them firm, though hot

أَبَنَّ عَلى الحُوّاءِ حَتّى تَناذَرُوا

أَبَنَّ عَلى الحُوّاءِ حَتّى تَناذَرُوا

حِماهُ فَأَحماهُ مِن الناسِ وَاِحتَمى

حِماهُ فَأَحماهُ مِن الناسِ وَاِحتَمى

It had settled upon the huwwa herb until they warned one another

He built on ardor until they took heed of him

of its territory; it guarded it from people and defended itself.

And protected him from people, took shelter in him

لَظَلَّ مُصِيخاً سامِعاً ثُمَ إِنَّها

لَظَلَّ مُصِيخاً سامِعاً ثُمَ إِنَّها

إِذا نَفَثَت لَم يَألُ إِلّا تَقَدُّما

إِذا نَفَثَت لَم يَألُ إِلّا تَقَدُّما

It would remain attentive and listening; then, indeed,

Then it sighed, though hearing he did not desist

when she blew softly, it would strive only to advance.

Rather strode ahead and would not turn back

وَما ذاكَ مِن سِحرٍ وَلَكِنَّ رِفقَها

وَما ذاكَ مِن سِحرٍ وَلَكِنَّ رِفقَها

إِذا نالَ صَعباً كانَ حَرّانَ سَلَّما

إِذا نالَ صَعباً كانَ حَرّانَ سَلَّما

That is no magic, but her gentleness:

Not sorcery is this, but her gentleness

when it reaches an unruly creature burning with thirst, the creature submits.

If it attains the complex, it unravels the knot