قُصَّ لي سيرَةَ الَّذينَ أَحَبَّوا

قُصَّ لي سيرَةَ الَّذينَ أَحَبَّوا

قَبلَنا أَنتَ أَحسَنُ الناسِ ظَنّا

قَبلَنا أَنتَ أَحسَنُ الناسِ ظَنّا

Tell me the story of those who loved

Tell me the story of those who loved

before us—you are the most trusting of people.

Before us, you are the best of people in assumption

أَسنِدي رَأسَكِ الجَميلَ إِلى صَد

أَسنِدي رَأسَكِ الجَميلَ إِلى صَد

ري وَأَصغي أُسمِعكِ ما لَيسَ يَفنى

ري وَأَصغي أُسمِعكِ ما لَيسَ يَفنى

Rest your lovely head upon my breast,

Rest your beautiful head on my chest

and listen: I shall tell you what never perishes.

And listen, I will let you hear what does not perish

أَوَّلُ العاشِقينَ يا لَيلَ قَيسٌ

أَوَّلُ العاشِقينَ يا لَيلَ قَيسٌ

لَيسَ في الحُبِّ قَبلَ قيسٍ مُعَنّى

لَيسَ في الحُبِّ قَبلَ قيسٍ مُعَنّى

The first of lovers, O Layla, was Qays;

The first of lovers, O night, was Qais

before Qays, no one was tormented by love.

There is no meaning in love before Qais

تَيَّمَتهُ يا لَيلَ لَيلى وَلَمّا

تَيَّمَتهُ يا لَيلَ لَيلى وَلَمّا

زُوِّجَت مِن سِواهُ هام وَجُنّا

زُوِّجَت مِن سِواهُ هام وَجُنّا

Layla enthralled him, O Layla; and when

His madness, O night, was for Layla, and when

she was married to another, he wandered love-struck and went mad.

She married another, he became lovesick and mad

وَأَحَبُّ العُشّاقِ مَن هام يا لَي

وَأَحَبُّ العُشّاقِ مَن هام يا لَي

لى بِلَيلى وَكان ما نَحنُ صِرنا

لى بِلَيلى وَكان ما نَحنُ صِرنا

And the dearest of lovers is he who pined, O Layla,

The most loving of lovers is he who loved Layla

for Layla, and was what we have become.

Like we are now, O night

وَجَميلُ بنُ مَعمَرٍ أَتَمَنّى

وَجَميلُ بنُ مَعمَرٍ أَتَمَنّى

لَو تَرَوَّيتِ كَيفَ كَرَّمَ بَثنا

لَو تَرَوَّيتِ كَيفَ كَرَّمَ بَثنا

And Jamil ibn Ma'mar—I wish

And Jameel bin Ma'amar, I wish

you would ponder how he honored Buthayna.

you would see how highly he valued loyalty

زادَهُ حُبُّهُ عَفافاً وَنُبلاً

زادَهُ حُبُّهُ عَفافاً وَنُبلاً

كُلَّما عَضَّهُ اِمرؤٌ وَتَجَنّى

كُلَّما عَضَّهُ اِمرؤٌ وَتَجَنّى

His love made him more chaste and noble

His love made him more chaste and noble

whenever someone bit at him and slandered him.

Whenever a man blamed or mocked him

شِعرُهُ لَو عَرفتِ كَيفَ يَفوحُ ال

شِعرُهُ لَو عَرفتِ كَيفَ يَفوحُ ال

صِدقُ مِنهُ لقُلتِ ذلِكَ مِنّا

صِدقُ مِنهُ لقُلتِ ذلِكَ مِنّا

His poetry—if you knew how truth wafts

If you knew how sincerely his poetry smells

from it, you would say, "That comes from us."

You would say, that is us

أَكرَمُ العاشِقينَ عَيناً وَقَلباً

أَكرَمُ العاشِقينَ عَيناً وَقَلباً

أَطرَبُ الشاعِرينَ مَبنىً وَمَعنى

أَطرَبُ الشاعِرينَ مَبنىً وَمَعنى

The noblest of lovers in gaze and heart,

The most generous of lovers in eye and heart

the most enchanting of poets in form and meaning.

The most enchanting of poets in composition and meaning

وَمِنَ الحُبِّ عُروَةُ بنُ حِزامٍ

وَمِنَ الحُبِّ عُروَةُ بنُ حِزامٍ

نالَ في المَوتِ شَطرَهُ وَاِطمَأَنّا

نالَ في المَوتِ شَطرَهُ وَاِطمَأَنّا

And from love, Urwa ibn Hizam

And of love there was Urwa bin Hizam

won his share in death and found peace.

Who found his share in death and was content

ماتَ في عَفرَ ثُمَّ ماتَت بِهِ عَف

ماتَ في عَفرَ ثُمَّ ماتَت بِهِ عَف

را كِلا العاشِقينِ ما يَتَمَنّى

را كِلا العاشِقينِ ما يَتَمَنّى

He died of love for Afra; then Afra died of love for him;

He died in Afra, then Afra died for him

each of the two lovers won what they longed for.

The two lovers got what they wished

هيَ أُسطورَةٌ مِنَ الشِعرِ قالوا

هيَ أُسطورَةٌ مِنَ الشِعرِ قالوا

وَهيَ أَسمى حَقايِق الحُبِّ قُلنا

وَهيَ أَسمى حَقايِق الحُبِّ قُلنا

"It is a poetic legend," they said.

It is a legend in poetry, they said

"And it is the loftiest of love's truths," we said.

But it is the highest truth of love, we say

وَلَو أَنَّ القُلوبَ لَم تَفنَ في الحُ

وَلَو أَنَّ القُلوبَ لَم تَفنَ في الحُ

بِّ لما أَورقَ الجَمالُ وَغَنّى

بِّ لما أَورقَ الجَمالُ وَغَنّى

And had hearts not perished in love,

And if hearts did not perish in love

beauty would neither have put forth leaves nor sung.

Beauty would not bloom, nor sing

لَيلَ ما أَنزَلَت كَروحِكِ كَفُّ اللَ

لَيلَ ما أَنزَلَت كَروحِكِ كَفُّ اللَ

هِ روحاً وَلا كَحُسنِكِ حُسنا

هِ روحاً وَلا كَحُسنِكِ حُسنا

Layla, God's hand has sent down no soul like yours,

O night, God's palm did not send down a soul like your spirit

nor any beauty like your beauty.

Nor beauty like your beauty

وَالحَنانُ الَّذي يُخَدِّرُ عَينَي

وَالحَنانُ الَّذي يُخَدِّرُ عَينَي

كِ أَفي الأَرضِ لِلسَّما مِنهُ أَدنى

كِ أَفي الأَرضِ لِلسَّما مِنهُ أَدنى

And the tenderness that lulls your eyes—

Is there on earth, for the heavens, care that can numb my eyes like yours?

is anything on earth nearer to heaven than it?

You were like women, but when

كُنتِ في الناسِ كَالنِساءِ فَلَمّا

كُنتِ في الناسِ كَالنِساءِ فَلَمّا

جِئتِ قَلبي ظَهَرتِ شِعراً وَلَحنا

جِئتِ قَلبي ظَهَرتِ شِعراً وَلَحنا

Among people you were like other women; then, when

You came to my heart, you appeared as poetry and melody

you came into my heart, you appeared as poetry and melody.

And planted stars of hopes in me

وَزَرَعتِ الآمالَ فيَّ نُجوماً

وَزَرَعتِ الآمالَ فيَّ نُجوماً

أَيُّ كَنز أَحبَّ مِنها وَأَغنى

أَيُّ كَنز أَحبَّ مِنها وَأَغنى

And you planted hopes within me as stars;

What treasure do I love more than them, and makes me richer?

what treasure is dearer than these, and richer?

We, O night, are the happiest people, so we

نَحنُ يا لَيلَ أَسَعدُ الناسِ فَل

نَحنُ يا لَيلَ أَسَعدُ الناسِ فَل

نَغفِر لَهُم كُلَّ ما يَقولونَ عَنّا

نَغفِر لَهُم كُلَّ ما يَقولونَ عَنّا

We, O Layla, are the happiest of people; so let us

Forgive them everything they say about us

forgive them all that they say about us.