أَلا يا غُراباً صاحَ مِن نَحوِ أَرضِها

أَفِق لا أَفَقتَ الدَهرَ مِن صَيَحانِ

Oh raven crying from the direction of her land

Did you ever awake the ages with your cries

وَلا كانَ مِن رَيبِ الحَوادِثِ آمِناً

جَناحُكَ إِن أَزمَعتَ لِلطَيَرانِ

Nor were you ever safe from the tricks of fate

Your wings, if you intended to fly

أَلا يا غُرابَ البَينِ قَد طِرتَ بِالَّذي

أُحاذِرُهُ مِن واقِعِ الحَدَثانِ

Oh raven of separation, you have flown with what

I fear from the occurrence of events

أَلا يا غُرابَ البَينِ لَونُكَ شاحِبٌ

وَصَوتُكَ مَشنوٌّ بِكُلِّ مَكانِ

Oh raven of separation, your color is pale

And your voice echoes in every place

فَلا زِلتَ مَذعورَ الفُؤادِ مُرَوَّعاً

إِذا رُمتَ نَهضاً واهِيَ الطَيَرانِ

So you remained, my heart terrified and scared

When you rose up, weak in flying

وَيا عاذِلِيَّ اليَومَ في غَيرِ كُنهِهِ

أَقِلّا مَلامي لاتَ حينَ أَوانِ

And oh you, reproaching me today wrongly

Lessen my blame, the time has come

فَلا بُدَّ لِلعَينَينِ إِن شَطَّتِ النَوى

بِلَيلى المُنى مِن واكِفِ الهَمَلانِ

So the eyes must, if the beloved is distant

Weep for Layla, the hoped for, insistently

أَلا يا غُرابَ البَينِ مالَكَ غُدوَةٌ

تُغَيِّظُني بِالنَعبِ وَالحَجَلانِ

Oh raven of separation, why do you have

A morning that angers me with fatigue and sorrow

أَما لَكَ ناهٍ لا عَمَرتَ تُطيعَهُ

وَلا لِلنَوى عِندي فَتَنتَهِيانِ

Do you have no rest that you obey

Nor for the beloved do I have an end

فَيا سَرحَتَي وادي شُرَيحَ أَلا اِسلَما

وَلا زالَ خَضراً مِنكُما الفَنَنانِ

Oh my two plains, valley of Shurayh, submit

And still green from you is the meadow

وَلا زالَ مِن نوءِ السِماكِ عَلَيكُما

أَجَشُّ هَزيمُ الوَدقِ بِالهَطَلانِ

Still from the drops of rain upon you

Is the loud roar of torrent in downpour

أَلا فَاِسلَما يا أَيُّها الطَلَلانِ

وَدَوماً عَلى الأَيّامِ مُؤتَلِفانِ

Yes submit, oh two ruins

And always loving days harmoniously

نَظَرتُ وَوادي الحِجرِ بَيني وَبَينَها

فَرَدَّ إِلَيَّ الطَرفَ بُعدُ مَكانِ

I looked and valley of stone was between me and her

So it returned to me a distant gaze

بِنَظرَةِ أَقنى الأَنفِ أَمسى وَدونَهُ

مُتالِفُ تُهوي الطَيرَ غَيرُ دَواني

With the gaze of a soft pliable eye it spent the night

And below it collects birds other than me

خَليلَيَّ بِالنَسرَينِ بَينَ عُنَيزَةٍ

وَبَينَ صَفاً صَلدٍ أَلا تَقِفانِ

My two eagles between ‘Unayzah

And Sald, solid, oh do you stand

عَلى دِمنَتَي دارٍ لِلَيلى كَأَنَّها

إِزارانِ مِن بُردٍ لَها خَلَقانِ

Upon the red tent of a house for Layla that is like

Two waist wraps made of fur for her

وَكَيفَ إِلى لَيلى إِذا رَمَّ أَعظُمي

وَصارَ وِسادي مَنكَبي وَبَناني

And how can I reach Layla if the greatest of me

Becomes my shoulder blades and structure

وَحَلَّت بِأَعلى بيشَتَينِ فَأَصبَحَت

يَمانيَّةً وَالرَمسُ غَيرُ يَماني

And she descended at the highest of my enclosure

Becoming right winged, and the arrow not right winged