حَوارِيَّةٌ بَينَ الفُراتَينِ دارُها

لَها مَقعَدٌ عالٍ بَرودٌ هَواجِرُه

A house between the two Euphrates, its lofty seat is cool,

My soul falls for them, and the passion I hid appears,

تَساقَطُ نَفسي إِثرَهُنَّ وَقَد بَدا

مِنَ الوَجدِ ما أُخفي وَصَدري مُخامِرُه

If a tear flows, soon another follows with rushing,

If eyes shed tears of blood, my tears would be blood, as my cloak covers them,

إِذا عَبرَةٌ وَرَّعتُها فَتَكَفكَفَت

قَليلاً جَرَت أُخرى بِدَمعٍ تُبادِرُه

When your night ends, you will know the loss of your companion,

You see the mistake you plotted, and the crime of the lord whose avenger is sleepless,

فَلَو أَنَّ عَيناً مِن بُكاءٍ تَحَدَّرَت

دَماً كانَ دَمعي إِذ رِدائِيَ ساتِرُه

Nothing remains of your companion except some cure,

Like the wings of an eagle outstretched in flight,

مَتى ما يَمُت عانيكِ يا لَيلِ تَعلَمي

مُصابَةَ ما يُسدي لِعانيكِ نائِرُه

Indeed, does Layla have any ransom? I see her pledge, and her ties care not,

By my life, if I set out travelling in the morning, her deviation was still sweet to my eyes,

تَرَي خَطَأً مِمّا اِئتَمَرتِ وَتَضمَني

جَريرَةُ مَولى لا يُغَمِّضُ ثائِرُه

Affection for her has plastered him, and in it, sickness resides,

The soul looks out from it, and death is present,

فَلَم يَبقَ مِن عانيكِ إِلّا بَقِيَّةٌ

شَفاً كَجَناحِ النِسرِ مُرِّطَ سائِرُه

A woman of two thousand elders sees her, the many he gives her are belittled,

Her family forbade her from him, though they know his inclination to her, and his hopes in her faded,

أَلا هَل لِلَيلى في الفِداءِ فَإِنَّني

أَرى رَهنَ لَيلى لا تُبالي أَواصِرُه

I came to her recklessly, though I knew the dangers the wilderness held,

I did not stop until her ropes raised me up to her, and my night ended,

لَعَمري لَئِن أَصبَحتُ في السَيرِ قاصِداً

لَقَد كانَ يَحلو لي لِعَينِيَ جائِرُه

When we gathered privately, a smart merchant came to us from two houses trading,

I quenched the anguish of my soul, except for yearning it refused and its conscience repelled,

وَجَونٍ عَلَيهِ الجَصُّ فيهِ مَريضَةٌ

تَطَلَّعُ مِنهُ النَفسُ وَالمَوتُ حاضِرُه

حَليلَةُ ذي أَلفَينِ شَيخٍ يَرى لَها

كَثيرَ الَّذي يُعطى قَليلاً يُحاقِرُه

نَهى أَهلَهُ عَنها الَّذي يَعلَمونَهُ

إِلَيها وَزالَت عَن رَجاها ضَرائِرُه

أَتَيتُ لَها مِن مُختِلٍ كُنتُ أَدَّري

بِهِ الوَحشَ ما يُخشى عَلَيَّ عَواثِرُه

فَما زِلتُ حَتّى أَصعَدَتني حِبالُها

إِلَيها وَلَيلي قَد تَخامَصَ آخِرُه

فَلَمّا اِجتَمَعنا في العَلالِيَّ بَينَنا

ذَكِيٌّ أَتى مِن أَهلِ دارينَ تاجِرُه

نَقَعتُ غَليلَ النَفسِ إِلّا لُبانَةً

أَبَت مِن فُؤادي لَم تَرِمها ضَمائِرُه