وَتَزعُمُ أَنّي قَد تَبَدَّلتُ خُلَّةً

سِواها هَذا الباطِلُ المُتَقَوَّلُ

You claim that I have changed my love for another,

This is a falsehood, nothing more.

لَحا اللَه مَن باعَ الحَبيبَ بِغَيرِهِ

فَقالَت نَعَم حاشاكَ إِن كُنتَ تَعقِلُ

May God curse whoever replaces their beloved with another,

She said "Yes, far be it from you, if you were reasonable."

سَتَصرِمُ إِنساناً إِذا ما صَرَمَتني

بِحُبّكَ فَاِنظُر بَعدَهُ مَن تَبَدَّلُ

You will become heartless if you become heartless towards me

With your love, then look - who changed after that?

أَعَلِّلُ نَفسي مِنكِ بِالوَعدِ وَالمُنى

فَهَلّا بِيَأسٍ مِنكِ قَلبي أُعَلَّلُ

I blame myself for your promises and hopes

Why doesn't my heart despair of you and blame itself?

وَمَوعِدكِ الشَهدُ المُصَفّى حَلاوَةً

وَدونَ نَجازِ الوَعدِ صابٌ وَحَنظَلُ

Your sweet promise like pure honey

And without fulfilling the promise - thorns and bitter colocynth.

وَأَمنَحُ طَرفَ العَينِ غَيرَكِ رِقبَةً

حِذارَ العِدا وَالطَرفُ نحوَكِ أَميَلُ

And I give my eye to another, turning my neck away

From jealousy and yet my eye inclines towards you.

لِكَيما يَقولَ الناسُ إِنَّ أَمراً رَمى

رَبيعَةَ في لَيلى بِسوءٍ لِمُبطِلُ

So people say that Rabī‘ah has maligned

Laylá in the night with evil untruth.

لَقَد كَذَبَ الواشونَ بَغياً عَلَيهِما

وَما مِنهُما إِلّا بَريءٌ مُعَقَّلُ

Indeed those tale-bearers have lied in their malice against them

And they are both innocent and protected.

فَلَو كُنتَ ذا عَقلٍ لَأَجمَعتُ صَرمَكُم

بِرَأيي وَلَكِنّي اِمرِؤٌ لَستُ أَعقِلُ

If you had any reason, you would have restrained their slanderers

With my opinion but I am not a reasonable man.

وَكَيفَ بِصَبرِ القَلبِ لا كَيفَ عَنكُمُ

وَبابُ فُؤادي دونَ صَرمِكِ مُقفَلُ

How can I have patience - not how can I be patient without you

While the door of my heart is locked to your estrangement.

وَمِن أَينَ لا مِن أَينَ يُحرَمُ قَتلكُم

وَقَتلي لَكُم يا أُمَّ لَيلى مُحَلَّلُ

And how, nay from where, can killing you be unlawful

And my being killed by you, O Umm Laylá, is permissible?

أَغَرَّكِ أَن لا صَبرَ لي في طِلابِكُم

وَأَن لَيسَ لي إِلّا عَلَيك معَوَّلُ

Did it delude you that I have no patience in seeking you

And that I have no one in whom to place hope but you?

وَلَمّا تَبَيَّنتِ الَّذي بي مِنَ الهَوى

وَأَيقَنتِ أَنّي عَنكِ لا أَتَحَوَّلُ

And when you realized the love that was within me

And knew that I would not change towards you.

ظَلَمتِ كَذِئبِ السَوءِ إِذا قالَ مَرَّةً

لِسَخلٍ رَأى وَالذِئبُ غَرثانُ مُرمِلُ

You oppressed like the evil wolves when one of them says to a yearling calf,

Seeing the wolf with mange in its fur mangy and filthy:

أَأَنتَ الَّذي في غَيرِ جُرمٍ شَتمتَني

فَقالَ مَتى ذا قالَ ذا عامُ أَوَّلُ

"Was it you who insulted me without any crime?"

It said "When was that?" He said "This year, the first one."

فَقالَ وُلِدتُ العامَ بَل رُمتَ غَدرَةً

فَدونَكَ كُلني لا هَنا لَكَ مَأكَلُ

It said "I was born this year. But you attacked treacherously,

So keep away, you have no food here."

أَتَبكينَ مِن قَتلي وَأَنتِ قَتَلتِني

بِحُبَّكِ قَتلاً بَيِّناً لَيسَ يُشكِلُ

Do you cry from killing me when it was you who killed me

With your love, a clear killing that leaves no doubt?

فَأَنتِ كَذبّاحِ العَصافيرِ دائِباً

وَعَيناهُ مِن وَجدٍ عَلَيهِنَّ تَهمِلُ

You are like the persistent killer of little birds

While your eyes negligently shed tears over them.

فَلَو كانَ مِن رَأفٍ بِهِنَّ وَرَحمَةٍ

لَكَفَّ يَداً لَيسَت مِنَ الذَبحِ تَعطلُ

If you had any pity or mercy for them

Your hands would abstain from slaughter and be still.

فَلا تَنظُري ما تَهمِلُ العَينُ وَاِنظُري

إِلى الكَفِّ ماذا بِالعَصافيرِ تَفعَلُ

So do not look at what the eye neglects but look

At the palm - what it does to the little birds.

هِبيني اِمرِءاً أَذنَبتُ ذَنباً جَهِلتُهُ

وَلَم آتِهِ عَمداً وَذو الحِلمِ يَجهَلُ

Bring me a man who sinned a sin in ignorance

And did not intend it, and the forbearing are ignorant.

عَفا اللَهُ عَمّا قَد مَضى لَستُ عائِداً

وَها أَنا ذا من سُخطِكُم أتَنَصَّلُ

God forgive what is past, I will not return

And here I am, freeing myself from your anger.