ليلىLayla أَبعدُكِis your absence أمor جفاؤكِyour coldness أفدحُmore grievous
ليلى أَبعدُكِ أم جفاؤكِ أفدحُ
والموتُand death فيكِfor your sake أمor الجنونُmadness الأربحmore gainful
والموتُ فيكِ أم الجنونُ الأربح
Layla, is your absence or your coldness more grievous?
Leila, is it your distance or your indifference that hurts me more?
And is death for your sake or madness the greater gain?
Is it death in you or incurable madness that afflicts me?
عجباًa marvel لقلبٍat a heart هيضَwas broken فيكfor your sake جناحُهits wing
عجباً لقلبٍ هيضَ فيك جناحُه
وثوىand lodged بهwithin it نَصلُthe blade of الندامةِremorse يذبحُslaughters
وثوى به نَصلُ الندامةِ يذبحُ
A marvel: a heart whose wing was broken for you,
How strange for a heart to flutter for you,
And in which remorse's blade lay lodged, slaying it.
Only for the blades of regret to slaughter it.
ومضَىand proceeded الحِمامdeath يدبُّcreeps فيهwithin it فإنthen if جَرَتcame to mind
ومضَى الحِمام يدبُّ فيه فإن جَرَت
ذكراكِremembrance of you طارَit flew إليكِto you وَهوَwhile it was مجنَّحُwinged
ذكراكِ طارَ إليكِ وَهوَ مجنَّحُ
And death crept through it; yet if there came
The dove once flew freely, but now,
A memory of you, it flew to you on wings.
If your memory stirs, it flies straight to you, winged by longing.
لهفيmy anguish علىfor الناقوسِthe bell بينbetween جوانحيmy ribs
لهفي على الناقوسِ بين جوانحي
وعلىand for بقيةِthe remnants of هيكلٍa temple لاnot تصلحُreparable
وعلى بقيةِ هيكلٍ لا تصلحُ
How I grieve for the bell between my ribs,
I yearn for the bell between my wings,
And for the remains of a temple beyond repair.
And for the remnants of a temple beyond repair.
لاno فرقَdifference بينbetween أنينِهits moaning ورنينهand its ringing
لا فرقَ بين أنينِه ورنينه
وصداهand its echo فيin واديthe valley of المنيَّةِdeath أوضحُclearer
وصداه في وادي المنيَّةِ أوضحُ
There is no difference between its moaning and its ringing,
No difference between its groan and echo,
And its echo is clearer in the valley of death.
Its ringing in the valley of death is clearer.
ياO قلبُheart صهباءُtawny wine الهوىlove وبساطُهand its carpet
يا قلبُ صهباءُ الهوى وبساطُه
وكؤوسُهand its cups المتجاوباتُanswering one another الصُدَّحُsinging aloud
وكؤوسُه المتجاوباتُ الصُدَّحُ
O heart, love's tawny wine and its carpet,
Oh heart, pure obsession of love, its feasts,
And its cups, singing in answer to one another,
And passing cups made noisy by spirits.
وقفٌreserved علىfor متنقلينَwanderers علىat الهوىwhim
وقفٌ على متنقلينَ على الهوى
يبغونthey seek منof لذَّاتِهits pleasures ماwhatever يسنحُcomes within reach
يبغون من لذَّاتِه ما يسنحُ
Are reserved for those who wander at whim,
I stand over those roaming in passion,
Seeking whatever of its pleasures comes their way,
Seeking from its pleasures whatever chance allows.
متبدلينَchanging موائداًtables وأحبةًand lovers
متبدلينَ موائداً وأحبةً
ماwhichever خابَfailed مِنof حبٍّlove فآخرُthen another يفلحُsucceeds
ما خابَ مِن حبٍّ فآخرُ يفلحُ
Changing tables and lovers;
Changing company and lovers,
When one love fails, another succeeds.
No love is lost, another will prevail.
فالحبfor love آسيهits healer وراءَbehind عليلهits sufferer
فالحب آسيه وراءَ عليله
فيهمamong them وبلسمُهand its balm علىupon ماwhatever يجرحُit wounds
فيهم وبلسمُه على ما يجرحُ
For love's healer follows its sufferer
Love is remedy trailing its ailing,
Among them, and its balm covers whatever it wounds.
Its balm healing their wounds.
ياO قلبُheart ويحَalas for ثباتِنَاour constancy ماذاwhat جنىhas it reaped
يا قلبُ ويحَ ثباتِنَا ماذا جنى
أترىdo you see شعاعاًa ray of light فيin الدجنَّةthe darkness يُلمَحُis glimpsed
أترى شعاعاً في الدجنَّة يُلمَحُ
O heart, alas for our constancy—what has it reaped?
Oh heart, what has our constancy reaped?
Can you glimpse a ray of light amid the gloom?
Can a ray be glimpsed in this gloom?
ياO أيهاyou الحبُّlove المقدَّسُhallowed هيكلاًas a temple
يا أيها الحبُّ المقدَّسُ هيكلاً
ذاقَtasted الردىdeath منamong عابديكyour worshippers مُسَبِّحُa chanter of praise
ذاقَ الردى من عابديك مُسَبِّحُ
O love, hallowed as a temple,
Oh love, sacred temple,
One of your worshippers, chanting praise, has tasted death.
Tasted bitterness from your worshippers singing your praise.
كثرتmultiplied ضحاياهhis sacrifices وطالand grew long قيامُهhis prayer-vigils
كثرت ضحاياه وطال قيامُه
وصيامهand his fasting فمتىso when رضاءَكyour favor تَمنحُwill you grant
وصيامه فمتى رضاءَك تَمنحُ
His sacrifices multiplied, and his vigils grew long,
Many are its sacrifices, prolonged its devotion,
And his fasting—so when will you grant your favor?
Its fasting - when will you grant satisfaction?
ياO دوحةَspreading tree of الأرواحِsouls يُحمَدُis praised عندهاbeneath it
يا دوحةَ الأرواحِ يُحمَدُ عندها
فيءٌshade ويعبدand is worshipped زهرُهَاits blossoms المتفتحُunfolding
فيءٌ ويعبد زهرُهَا المتفتحُ
O spreading tree of souls, beneath which is praised
Oasis of souls, shelter is found in its shade,
Shade, and whose unfolding blossoms are worshipped,
Its blossoms worshipped by those drawn to its bloom.
أينالُdoes he gain ظلَّكِyour shade والرعايةand care عابثٌone who trifles
أينالُ ظلَّكِ والرعاية عابثٌ
بجلالكِwith your majesty الباديmanifest وآخرُand another يمزحُjests
بجلالكِ البادي وآخرُ يمزحُ
Do your shade and care go to one who trifles
Will your protections be gained by one heedless,
With your manifest majesty, and another who jests,
Mocking your evident glory while others are serious?
ويبيتُand he spends the night يُحرَمهُhe is denied it قتيلُone slain by صبابةٍpassionate longing
ويبيتُ يُحرَمهُ قتيلُ صبابةٍ
قَضَّىspent الحياةَlife إلىtoward ظلالِكَyour shade يطمحُhe aspires
قَضَّى الحياةَ إلى ظلالِكَ يطمحُ
While one slain by longing spends the night denied them,
And one spends the night deprived, lovelorn youth
Having spent his life aspiring to your shade?
Yearning for your shadows, meeting his doom.
ليلىLayla حببتُكِI loved you كالحياةِlike life وذقتand I tasted فيin
ليلى حببتُكِ كالحياةِ وذقت في
ناديكِyour gathering كأساًa cup بالأمانيwith hopes تطفحُoverflows
ناديكِ كأساً بالأماني تطفحُ
Layla, I loved you as I loved life, and tasted in
Leila, I loved you as life, and in your company
Your gathering a cup brimming with hopes.
Drank a cup overflowing with hopes.
فتكسرتthen shattered قدحُthe goblet of المنىhopes ورجعتُand I returned مِنfrom
فتكسرت قدحُ المنى ورجعتُ مِن
سقمِthe sickness of الهوىlove وهزالِهand its wasting أترنَّحُI stagger
سقمِ الهوى وهزالِه أترنَّحُ
Then the goblet of hopes shattered, and I came back from
So the vessel of wishes shattered, and I returned
Love's sickness and its wasting, reeling.
From lovesickness and its emaciation, writhing in pain.
نزلfell الستارُthe curtain علىon الروايةِthe play وانقضتand ended
نزل الستارُ على الروايةِ وانقضت
تلكthose الفصولُacts وفُضَّand was emptied ذاكthat المسرحُthe theatre
تلك الفصولُ وفُضَّ ذاك المسرحُ
The curtain fell on the play, and over were
The curtain fell on the tale, those chapters closed,
Those acts, and that theatre was emptied.
That playhouse scattered.
فالآنَso now ياO ليلىLayla سلامَa farewell مودِّعٍone taking leave
فالآنَ يا ليلى سلامَ مودِّعٍ
بانhas departed خيالُكِyour image ليسَdoes not عنهfrom him يبرحُdepart
بان خيالُكِ ليسَ عنه يبرحُ
So now, Layla, a farewell from one departing,
Now, Leila, the farewell greeting
Who has left, though your image never leaves him.
Of one whose phantom still clings.
يجزيكِhe repays you عنfor قلبٍa heart ذوىwithered نبتُthe shoots of المنىhope
يجزيكِ عن قلبٍ ذوى نبتُ المنى
فيهwithin it وفارقهand deserted it الربيعُspring المفرحُjoy-bringing
فيه وفارقه الربيعُ المفرحُ
He repays you for a heart whose shoots of hope withered
May you be rewarded for a heart wherein grew wishes,
Within it, and which joy-bringing spring deserted,
Then abandoned it to departing spring.
عمراًa lifetime سيلبثُhe will remain رهنَcaptive to حبِّكِyour love كلهall of it
عمراً سيلبثُ رهنَ حبِّكِ كله
يُمسيhe passes the evening علىin ذكراكِremembrance of you فيهwithin it ويُصبحُand he passes the morning
يُمسي على ذكراكِ فيه ويُصبحُ
With a lifetime he will spend wholly captive to your love,
An age will linger captive to your love,
Spending its evenings and mornings in remembrance of you.
Retiring and waking to your memory.
Sol 6.1