ليلايَmy Layla كيفhow أَطَعْتِyou obeyed ثُعبانَthe serpent السُّلُوِّforgetting love
ليلايَ كيف أَطَعْتِ ثُعبانَ السُّلُوِّ
فَسَمَّمso it poisoned القَلْبَthe heart الشَّغوفْimpassioned؟!
فَسَمَّم القَلْبَ الشَّغوفْ؟!
My Layla, how could you obey the serpent of forgetting,
My nights, how could you obey the serpent of passion
so it poisoned the impassioned heart?!
And poison the ardent heart?!
أقْسَمْتِyou swore أنَّكِthat you لَسْتِyou are not ساليةًforgetting love
أقْسَمْتِ أنَّكِ لَسْتِ ساليةً
ولوand even if لاقَيْتِyou met فيin الحُبِّlove الحُتوفْdeaths!
ولو لاقَيْتِ في الحُبِّ الحُتوفْ!
You swore you would not forget,
You swore you were not flirtatious
even if, in love, you met with death!
Even if you met the most fervent love!
وأناand I الغَبِيُّthe fool المُسْتهامُbesotted..
وأنا الغَبِيُّ المُسْتهامُ..
أُصَدِّقُI believe الكذبَthe lies العَصوفravaging!
أُصَدِّقُ الكذبَ العَصوف!
And I, the besotted fool,
And I was the stupid infatuated one...
believe the ravaging lies!
I believed the stubborn lies!
ماhow كانَit would have been أَجْدَرَنيmore fitting for me بِهَجْرِكِto forsake you
ما كانَ أَجْدَرَني بِهَجْرِكِ
حينwhen كنْتُI was أناI العَطُوفْthe tenderhearted one!
حين كنْتُ أنا العَطُوفْ!
How much better it would have been for me to forsake you
I should have deserted you
when I was the tenderhearted one!
When I was the most affectionate!
لاdo not تَحْسَبيyou think أنِّيthat I am الخَروفْthe sheep
لا تَحْسَبي أنِّي الخَروفْ
فإِنَّنيfor indeed I am الأَسَدُthe lion العَيُوفْdisdainful!
فإِنَّني الأَسَدُ العَيُوفْ!
Do not think I am a sheep,
Do not think I am the lamb
for I am the disdainful lion!
For I am the roaring lion!
لنwill not تَقْطُفيyou pluck منِّيfrom me..وقدand already
لن تَقْطُفي منِّي..وقد
أَعْرَضْتُI have turned away.. دانيةwithin reach القُطوفْthe fruit clusters!
أَعْرَضْتُ.. دانية القُطوفْ!
You shall not pluck from me—now that
You will not pluck from me, for I have
I have turned away—any low-hanging fruit!
Turned away, the branches of ripeness!
ولسوفand will surely يُدْمِيكِmake you bleed الأَسىsorrow
ولسوف يُدْمِيكِ الأَسى
ولَسَوْفَand will surely تَحْصُدُكِreap you الصُّروفْthe turns of fate!
ولَسَوْفَ تَحْصُدُكِ الصُّروفْ!
And sorrow will make you bleed,
And sorrow will hurt you
and the turns of fate will reap you!
And time will reap its harvest from you!
إنِّيindeed I أراكِI see you قَصِيدَةًa poem
إنِّي أراكِ قَصِيدَةً
خَرْقَاءَclumsy شَائِهَةَmisshapen الحُروفْthe letters!
خَرْقَاءَ شَائِهَةَ الحُروفْ!
Indeed, I see you as a poem,
I see you as a poem,
clumsy, with misshapen letters!
Tattered, with jumbled letters!
فَتَوقَّعيso expect إلاَّexcept الرُّجُوعَthe return
فَتَوقَّعي إلاَّ الرُّجُوعَ
إليكِto you ماhow أحْلىsweet العُزُوفْturning away!
إليكِ ما أحْلى العُزُوفْ!
So expect anything but a return
So expect nothing but aloofness
to you—how sweet it is to turn away!
From me, how wonderful to be remote!
بالأَمْسِyesterday كنْتِyou were البَدْرَthe full moon
بالأَمْسِ كنْتِ البَدْرَ
يُشْرِقُshining ثُمَّthen أَدْرَكَكِovertook you الكُسوفْthe eclipse!
يُشْرِقُ ثُمَّ أَدْرَكَكِ الكُسوفْ!
Yesterday you were the full moon,
Yesterday you were the full moon
shining—then the eclipse overtook you!
Shining, then eclipse befell you!
ماnot عُدْتُI continue to أَحْلَمُI dream بالّلآلِىءِof pearls
ما عُدْتُ أَحْلَمُ بالّلآلِىءِ
أَوْor أَتُوقُI yearn إلىfor الشُّغُوفْpassion!
أَوْ أَتُوقُ إلى الشُّغُوفْ!
I no longer dream of pearls
No longer do I dream of pearls
or yearn for passion!
Or yearn for the passionate one!
بلrather عُدْتُI have come to أَحْلَمُI dream بالبَتُولِof the chaste maiden
بل عُدْتُ أَحْلَمُ بالبَتُولِ
يَزينُهاadorns her القَلْبُthe heart الرَّؤوفْcompassionate!
يَزينُها القَلْبُ الرَّؤوفْ!
Rather, I now dream of a chaste maiden,
Rather, I dream of the chaste maiden
adorned by a compassionate heart!
Adorned with a merciful heart!
فَلْتُعرِضيso turn away عنِّيfrom me. كماas أعرضتI turned away
فَلْتُعرِضي عنِّي. كما أعرضت
ولْتَضَعِيand put الهوىlove فوقupon الرفوفْthe shelves!
ولْتَضَعِي الهوى فوق الرفوفْ!
So turn away from me, as I have turned away,
So turn away from me, as you turned away
and set love upon the shelves!
And place passion above the shelves!
Sol 6.1