كَأَنَّ الرَّبابَ الدُّهمَ في سَرَعانِهِ

عِشارٌ مِن الكَلبيةِ الجونِ ظُلَّعُ

The rabab's melancholy is like a swift she-camel,

A tenth of the dark fox's song prowling at night,

أدانيهِ للأَمواهِ مِن بَطنِ بيشَةٍ

ولِلأَوقِ والسيدانِ والمَينِ يَضجَعُ

I brought it near to the watering places from the belly of a sandy valley,

And for the gazelle, the wolf, and the goat it lies down.

كَأَنَّ اشتِعالَ البَرق في حجَراتِهِ

ضِرامٌ شَرى في أَيكَةٍ يَتَشَيَّعُ

It is as if the flashing of lightning in its chambers

Is a battle-fire kindled in a bending tent-pole,

خَفا كاقتِذاءِ الطَّيرِ واللَّيلُ مُدبِرٌ

بجثمانِهِ والصّبحُ قَد كادَ يَسطَعُ

It faded like the swooping of birds and the night was departing

With its body, and dawn had just begun to shine,

دَجا اللَّيلُ واستَنَّ استناناً زَفيفُهُ

كَما استَنَّ في الغابِ الحَريقُ المُشَعشِعُ

The night grew dark and its darkness intensified

As the blazing fire intensified in the forest,

تَروّى مِنَ البَحرينِ عوذَ رَمِيَّةٍ

كَما استربعَ البَزَّ القِطارُ المُطَبَّعُ

It was sated with fresh water from two seas

As the young gazelle settled in the meadow,

أَلا ما لِعَيني لا أَبا لأبيكُما

إِذا ذُكِرَت لَيلى تُرِبُّ فَتَدمَعُ

Oh, what is wrong with my eyes - no, your father's -

When Layla is remembered, they begin to tear,

وَما لِفؤادي كُلَّما خَطَرَ الهَوى

عَلى ذاكَ فيما لا يواتيهِ يَطمَعُ

And what is wrong with my heart - whenever passion

Stirs for her though she is beyond its reach - it aspires,

أجد بِلَيلى مِدحَةً عَرَبيَةً

كَما حُبِّر البردُ اليَماني المُسَبَّعُ

I find in Layla eloquent Arab poetry

Embroidered like a Yemeni cloak interwoven with patterns,

تُثِبكَ بِما أَسديتَ أَو تَرجُ وَعدَها

وَما وعدُها فيما خلا مِنكَ يَنفَعُ

It consoles you for what you have given or promises you its return,

Though its promise, apart from you, is of no use,

وَلَيلى أَروجُ الجَيبَ ميّاعَة الصِّبا

أَبِيٌّ لما يأبى الكَريمُ وَتَرفَعُ

Layla's buttocks sway like the bending of the north wind,

Disdainful of what the generous one disdains and scorns,

مُشرّفَةُ الأَعطافِ مَهضومَةُ الحَشا

بِها القَلبُ لَو تَجزيهِ بِالقرضِ مولَعُ

Her shoulders are plump and her breasts slight,

The heart, though nearly bankrupt from desire, aspires,

وَما لي بِها عِلمٌ سوى الظنِ والَّذي

إِلى بَيتهِ تُزجى حَوافٍ وَظُلَّعُ

I know nothing of her apart from guesswork, and that

To her home are led spotted camels with striped necks,

سوى أَنَني قَد كُنتُ أَعلَمُ أَنَها

هيَ العَذبُ والماءُ البَضاعُ المُنَقِّعُ

Except that I knew she is the sweet water, the merchandise

Fresh and gushing,

وَكائن لَقينا مِن نَعيمٍ وَلَذّةٍ

وأَعجَبَنا المصطافُ والمتربعُ

However much pleasure and bliss we found,

And we admired the holiday resort and the meadow,

وَقُلنا لَعلَّ الماءَ يَربو فَنَقتَني

وَعَلَّ غُلاماً ناشِئاً يَتَرَعرَعُ

We said: perhaps the water will increase, so we will buy,

And raise a youth who will grow and be nurtured,

أَمانيُّ عامٍ بَعدَ عامٍ تَعلَّلَت

بأَمثالِها بِالناسِ عادٌ وَتبَّعُ

Vain hopes upon vain hopes in people

Follow one another and are pursued,

وَلَكِنَّما الدُّنيا غَرورٌ وَلا تَرى

لَها لَذةً إِلا تَبيدُ وَتُنزَعُ

But the world is an illusion, and you will not see

In it pleasure but that it perishes and is stripped away,

فَلِلَّهِ ما فَوقَ السَّماءِ وَتَحتَها

لَهُ المالُ يُعطي مَن يَشاءُ وَيَمنَعُ

To God belongs what is above the sky and beneath it,

To Him belongs wealth, He gives it to whom He wills and denies.