أَلا حَيِّيا لَيلى أَجَدَّ رَحيلي

وَآذَنَ أَصحابي غَداً بِقُفولِ

Alas, goodbye to Layla's home as I depart,

And my friends bid me return on the morrow.

تَبَدَّت لَهُ لَيلى لِتَغلِبَ صَبرَهُ

وَهاجَتكَ أُمُّ الصَلتِ بَعدَ ذُهولِ

Layla appeared to test his patience,

And to stir up his longing after the visit.

أُريدُ لَأَنسى ذِكرَها فَكَأَنَّما

تَمَثَّلُ لي لَيلى بِكُلِّ سَبيلِ

I wanted to forget the memory of her, but

Layla appears to me at every turn.

إِذا ذُكِرَت لَيلى تَغَشَّتكَ عَبرَةٌ

تُعَلُّ بِها العَينانِ بَعدَ نُهولِ

When Layla is mentioned, tears cloud your eyes,

Flooding them after the visit.

وَكَم مِن خَليلٍ قالَ لي لوسَأَلتَها

فَقُلتُ نَعَم لَيلى أَضَنُّ خَليلِ

How many friends asked, "Why not ask for her hand?"

I said "Yes, Layla's love cuts deep in my heart."

وَأَبعَدُهُ نيلاً وَأَوشَكُهُ قِلىً

وَإِن سُئِلَت عُرفاً فَشَرُّ مَسولِ

I put him off, though he was close to attaining her,

And if asked properly, the worst petitioner.

حَلَفتُ بِرَبِّ الراقِصاتِ إِلى مُنىً

خِلالَ المَلا يَمدُدنَ كُلَّ جَديلِ

I swore by the Lord of the dancers heading to Mina,

Swaying their braids during the sacred months.

تَراها وِفاقا بَينَهُنَّ تَفاوُتٌ

وَيَمدُدنَ بِالإِهلالِ كُلَّ أَصيلِ

You see them vie in their finery

Swaying proudly, each a noble lady.

تَواهَقنَ بِالحُجّاجِ مَن بَطنِ نَخلَةٍ

وَمِن عَزوَرٍ وَالخَبتِ خَبتِ طَفيلِ

Clambering from the valley's palm groves,

From al-‘Uzur and al-Khabt, homes of Tatfil.

بِكُلِّ حَرامٍ خاشِعٍ مُتَوَجِّهٍ

إِلى اللَهِ يَدعوهُ بِكُلِّ نَقيلِ

Crying out God's name in their sanctity,

Humbly beseeching God in each refrain.

عَلى كُلِّ مِذعانِ الرَواحِ مُعيدَةٍ

وَمَخشِيَّةٍ أَلّا تُعيد هَزيلِ

Urging on the camel litters around them,

Fearing that the simple camel drivers would stray.

شَوامِذَ قَد أَرتَجنَ دون أَجِنَّةٍ

وَهوجٍ تَبارى في الأَزِمَّةِ حولِ

Litters flanked by wild camels without harnesses,

Milling in chaos at al-Azma plain.

يَمينَ اِمرِئٍ مُستَغلِظٍ بِأَلِيَّةٍ

لِيُكذِبَ قيلاً قَد أَلَحَّ بِقيلِ

The oath of a lord made invincible by his clan,

Though his oath was baseless as all could tell.

لَقَد كَذِبَ الواشونَ ما بُحتُ عِندَهُم

بِلَيلى وَلا أَرسَلتُهُم بِرَسيلِ

Those spies have lied—I have not revealed

A word about Layla, nor sent them a message.

فَإِن جاءَكِ الواشونَ عَنّي بِكِذبَةٍ

فَرَوها وَلَم يَأتوا لَها بِحَويلِ

So if spies come to you, Layla, with a lie,

Consider it false, for they invent their tales.

فَلا تَعجَلي يا لَيلَ أَن تَتَفَهَّمي

بِنُصحِ أَتى الواشونَ أَم بِحُبولِ

Do not hastily assume, dear Layla,

That their advice came from goodwill or malice.

فَإِن طِبتِ نَفساً بَالعَطاءِ فَأَجزِلي

وَخَيرُ العَطايا لَيلَ كُلَّ جَزيلِ

If you wish to give, then be generous,

For the best gift, O Layla, is one that abounds.

وَإِلّا فَإِجمالٌ إِلَيَّ فَإِنَّني

أُحِبُّ مِنَ الأَخلاقِ كُلَّ جَميلِ

If not, then be gracefully sparing with me,

For I love all traits of grace and beauty.

فَإِن تَبذُلي لِيَ مِنكِ يَوماً مَوَدَّةً

فَقِدماً صَنَعتِ القَرضَ عِندَ بَذولِ

If you would grant me a day's affection,

You would have settled the debt between us.

وَإِن تَبخَلي يا ليلَ عَنّي فَإِنَّني

تُوَكَّلُني نَفسي بِكُلِّ بَخيلِ

But if you withhold yourself from me, Layla,

I will endure it with all patience.

وَلَستُ بِراضٍ مِن خَليلي بِنائِلٍ

قَليلٍ وَلا راضٍ لَهُ بِقَليلِ

I cannot be satisfied with a miserly friend,

Or content if he is sparing and slight.

وَلَيسَ خَليلي بِالمَلولِ وَلا الَّذي

إِذا غبتُ عَنهُ باعَني بِخَليلِ

My friend is no fickle man, nor one

Who would sell me out should I absent myself.

وَلَكِن خَليلي مَن يَدومُ وِصالُهُ

وَيَحفَظُ سِرّي عِندَ كُلِّ دَخيلِ

Rather my friend is he whose love endures

And keeps my secrets from every intruder.

وَلَم أَرَ مِن لَيلى نَوالاً أَعُدُّهُ

أَلا رُبَّما طالَبتُ غَيرَ مُنيلِ

I have never attained anything I hoped for from Layla—

So I often seek what I cannot attain.

يَلومُكَ في لَيلى وَعَقلُكَ عِندَها

رِجالٌ وَلَم تَذهَب لَهُم بِعُقولِ

You blame me, yet your reason knows

I have acted as a man with Layla.

يَقولونَ وَدِّع عَنك لَيلى وَلا تَهم

بِقاطِعَةِ الأَقرانِ ذاتِ حَليلِ

They say "Forget Layla! Do not fret

For one who cuts suitors off without cause."

فَما نَقَعَت نَفسي بِما أَمَروا بِهِ

وَلا عِجتُ مِن أَقوالِهِم بِفَتيلِ

But I pay their advice no heed,

Nor provoke me to fury with their words.

تَذَكَّرتُ أَتراباً لِعَزَّةَ كَالمَها

حُبينَ بِليطٍ ناعِمٍ وَقَبولُ

I remembered ladies whose prideful words

Were loving and gentle and sweetly received,

وَكُنتُ إِذا لاقَيتُهُنَّ كَأَنَّني

مُخالِطَةٌ عَقلي سُلافُ شَمولِ

And when I met them I felt my reason

Was a captive, intoxicated and engulfed.

تَأَطَّرنَ حَتّى قُلتُ لَسنَ بَوارِحاً

رَجاءَ الأَماني أَن يَقِلنَ مَقيلي

They enchanted me until I said

"They cannot decline to answer my hopes."

فَأَبدَينَ لي مِن بَينِهِنَّ تَجَهُّماً

وَأَخلَفنَ ظَنّي إِذ ظَنَنتُ وَقيلي

But they frowned at me disapprovingly from among them

And disappointed my hopes though I expected acceptance.

فَلَأياً بِلَأيٍ ما قَضَينَ لُبانَة

مَنَ الدارِ وَاِستَقلَلنَ بَعدَ طَويلِ

Alas! Alas for what Lubbana's

Have vacated of homes after so long!

فَلَمّا رَأى وَاِستَيقَنَ البَينَ صاحِبي

دَعا دَعوَةً يا حَبتَرَ بنَ سَلولِ

When my companion saw our separation was certain

He called out: "O Habtar son of Saloul!"

فَقُلتُ وَأَسرَرتُ النَدامَةَ لَيتَني

وَكُنتُ اِمرِءاً أَغتَشُّ كُلَّ عَذولِ

And I whispered my regret: "Would that

I were a shameless man swallowing every insult!"

سَلَكتُ سَبيلَ الرَئِحاتِ عَشِيَّةً

مَخارِمَ نِصعٍ أَو سَلَكنَ سَبيلي

On an evening I walked the path

Of a fleeing beast or a path walked by none.

فَأَسعَدتُ نَفساً بِالهَوى قَبلَ أَن أَرى

عَوادي نَأيٍ بَينَنا وَشُغولِ

And so I indulged the love before witnessing

Any estrangement that later came between us.

نَدِمتُ عَلى ما فاتَني يَومَ بنتُمُ

فَيا حَسرَتا أَلّا يَرَينَ عَويلي

I regret what has slipped away—would that

They could look upon my anguished cries!

كَأَنَّ دُموعَ العَينِ واهِيَةُ الكُلى

وَعَت ماءَ غَربٍ يَومَ ذاكَ سَجيلِ

As if the tears of my eyes and the dissolving of my kidneys

Were a West Sahara downpour on a gloomy day,

تَكَنَّفَها خُرقٌ تَواكَلنَ خَرزَها

فَأَرخَينَهُ وَالسَيرُ غَيرُ بَجيلِ

Pelted by ragged clouds unthreading their pearls

Letting them scatter with no attempt to gather.

أَقيمي فَإِنَّ الغَورَ يا عَزَّ بَعدَكُم

إِلَيَّ إِذا ما بِنتِ غَيرُ جَميلِ

Stay! For the homes are desolate without you

Even when others move in lacking in grace.

كَفى حَزناً لِلعَينِ أَن راءَ طَرفُها

لِعَزَّةَ عَيراً آذَنَت بِرَحيلِ

Sorrow enough for the eye that its glance saw

The place of pride display departure's likeness.

وَقالوا نَأَت فَاِختَر مِنَ الصَبرِ وَالبُكا

فَقُلتُ البُكا أَشفى إِذاً لِغَليلي

And they said "Choose between patience and weeping!"

And I said "Weeping relieves when one is distraught."

فَوَلَّيتُ مَخزوناً وَقُلتُ لِصاحِبي

أَقاتِلَتي لَيلى بِغَيرِ قَتيلِ

So I departed in withdrawal and said to my friend

"Would that bloodshed rather than words had slain Layla for me!"

لِعَزَّةَ إِذ يَحتَلُّ بِالخَيفِ أَهلُها

فَأَوحَشَ مِنها الخَيفُ بَعدَ حُلولِ

Since the place was desolated of inhabitants

And after their long stay

وَبَدَّلَ مِنها بَعدَ طولِ إِقامَةٍ

تَبَعُّثُ نَكباءِ العَشِيِّ جَفولِ

It changed: the wavering specters of nightfall

Taking the place of Layla's vanishing form.

لَقَد أَكثَرَ الواشونَ فينا وَفيكُمُ

وَمالَ بِنا الواشونَ كُلَّ مَميلِ

Indeed those spies have multiplied against us and you,

Swaying our people completely to their side.

وَما زِلتُ مِن لَيلى لَدُن طَرَّ شارِبي

إِلى اليَومِ كَالمُقصى بِكُلِّ سَبيلِ

Yet never since the day I drank from Layla's cup

Have I been barred from her side each road I take.