مَلَكٌ هذا حبيبي أمْ ملكْ

أيُّ مَنْ هامَ بهذينِ هلكْ

Is this beloved of mine an angel or a king?

Whoever is enraptured by these two is doomed

إنْ سألتَ الوصلَ منه صاغراً

قالَ لِمْ تسألُني ما ليسَ لكْ

If you ask him for affection humbly

He will say: Why do you ask for what isn't yours?

أسبَلَ الشعرَ على أكتافِهِ

قلتُ يا ليلي بهِ ما أطولَكْ

His hair falls onto his shoulders

I said: Oh Layla, how lengthy you are!

وتشكَّى خصرُهُ مِنْ ردفِهِ

قلتُ قَدْ أتعبنَهُ ما أثقلَكْ

And he complained of the slenderness of his waist.

I said: how heavy you made it and how tired it became!