أناديك هل تدرين ما سبب النّد

أناديك هل تدرين ما سبب النّد

فؤاد عليه جفنك الفاتن اعتدى

فؤاد عليه جفنك الفاتن اعتدى

I call to you—do you know why I call?

I call out to you, do you know the cause of my distress?

A heart your bewitching eyelid has assailed,

Your alluring eyelids have wronged my heart,

فخلفه شلوا صريعا ممزق

فخلفه شلوا صريعا ممزق

يساق بسيف اللحظ قسرا إلى الردى

يساق بسيف اللحظ قسرا إلى الردى

leaving it a mangled body, struck down and torn apart.

Leaving it paralyzed and torn to shreds,

It is driven by the glance’s sword, by force, to death.

Forcibly dragged by the sword of a glance to ruin.

فمن منقذي منه إذا ما استبدّ بي

فمن منقذي منه إذا ما استبدّ بي

ومن منصفي منه إذا ما تمردا

ومن منصفي منه إذا ما تمردا

Who, then, will rescue me from it when it tyrannizes over me?

Who will save me from it if it takes control of me,

And who will do me justice against it when it rebels?

And who will defend me from it if it rebels?

ومن سيرى أني قتيل لحاظه

ومن سيرى أني قتيل لحاظه

وأني أقضي الليل طرفا مسهّدا

وأني أقضي الليل طرفا مسهّدا

And who will see that I am slain by its glances,

Who will see that I'm a victim of its glances,

and that I spend the night with a sleepless eye,

That I spend the night with eyes half-shut?

وأني على ما بي من الحب والأسى

وأني على ما بي من الحب والأسى

صبور ومثلي من هوى فتجلدا

صبور ومثلي من هوى فتجلدا

and that, despite the love and sorrow within me,

That despite the love and anguish inside me,

I am patient, as is one who has loved and stood firm?

I'm patient - who else afflicted by love endured as I do?

يقال بأن الحب فضل ونعمة

يقال بأن الحب فضل ونعمة

وأن له في كل مكرمة يدا

وأن له في كل مكرمة يدا

It is said that love is a boon and a blessing,

It's said that love is a merit and blessing,

and that it has a hand in every noble deed.

That it lends a hand in every noble deed.

فإن كان حقا فليرح قلب عاشق

فإن كان حقا فليرح قلب عاشق

تكبد من آلامه ما تكبدا

تكبد من آلامه ما تكبدا

If that is true, let it soothe a lover’s heart,

If this is true, then let the heart of a lover find relief

who has endured so much of its torment.

From the agonies it has shouldered and borne.

صريع عيون ينكر القتل لحظه

صريع عيون ينكر القتل لحظه

ويقسم كذبا أنه ما تعمدا

ويقسم كذبا أنه ما تعمدا

Slain by eyes whose glance denies the killing,

The eyes of one slain deny they were killed by its glance,

and swears falsely that it did not act deliberately.

And falsely swear that it did no wrong.

ولست كقيس بن الملوح في الهوى

ولست كقيس بن الملوح في الهوى

يهيم طليقا ( دون ليلاه ) سيدا

يهيم طليقا ( دون ليلاه ) سيدا

And in love I am not like Qays ibn al-Mulawwah,

I'm not like Qays ibn Al-Mulawah in love,

who wanders free—without his Layla—his own master.

Roaming freely, a chief without his Laila.

ولكنني رهن الهوى وأسيره

ولكنني رهن الهوى وأسيره

أعيش ب (ليلاي) الحياة مقيدا

أعيش ب (ليلاي) الحياة مقيدا

But I am love’s hostage and its captive;

Rather, I'm love's prisoner and captive,

I live my life bound by my Layla.

Living my life in shackles with my Laila.

فمن يعطني حريتي إن طلبته

فمن يعطني حريتي إن طلبته

ومالكها طبع الندى ما تعودا

ومالكها طبع الندى ما تعودا

Who, then, will give me my freedom if I ask him for it,

So who will give me my freedom if I seek it,

when its owner has never made generosity a habit?

When its owner, tender passion, never yields?