1. كُلُّ حَيٍّ يَموتُ إِلّا هَوانا

    أَعلى الأَرضِ مَن يُحِبُّ سِوانا

    Every living thing dies except our love.

    Is there anyone on earth who loves besides us?

  2. نَحنُ وَالناسُ نَملَاُ الأَرضَ حُبّاً

    وَهُمُ يَملَأونَها نيرانا

    We and the others: we fill the earth with love,

    while they fill it with flames.

  3. يا حَبيبي غَرِّق جَبينَكَ في صَد

    ري فَلَولاكَ ما مُلِئتُ حَنانا

    My beloved, bury your brow in my breast;

    for without you I would not have been filled with tenderness.

  4. لَم يَكُن لي سِوى حُنُوِّكَ حَتّى

    قَبلَ أَن يَفرُضَ الهَوى لُقيانا

    I had nothing but your tenderness, even

    before love ordained our meeting.

  5. كُنتَ في وَحدَتي خَيالاً عَلى قَل

    بي فَكَم مَرَّةٍ بَدا مَلآنا

    In my solitude you were a vision upon my heart—

    and how often it seemed filled to the brim!

  6. وَعَلى مُقلَتَيَّ حُلماً لَذيذاً

    حامِلاً مِن سَمائِهِ أَلحانا

    And upon my eyes, a delightful dream,

    carrying melodies from its heaven.

  7. كَم سَمِعتُ الفَضاءَ يَخفِقُ حَولي

    أَتُرى كانَ يَلتَقي طَيفانا

    How often I heard space throbbing around me!

    Do you think our two phantoms were meeting?

  8. كُنتَ بي قَبلَ أَن أَراكَ بِعَيني

    فَدَمي كانَ يَرتَوي أَحيانا

    You were within me before I saw you with my eye;

    for at times my blood would drink its fill.

  9. يا حَبيبي إِلَيكَ حُلماً يَودُّ ال

    طرفُ لَو يَرتَمي بِهِ يَقظانا

    My beloved, here is a dream the eye longs

    to plunge into while wide awake.

  10. كُنتَ في هالَةٍ مِنَ النورِ لا يَح

    صُرُ ذهنٌ مَكانَها وَالزَمانا

    You were in a halo of light; no mind could

    encompass its place and time.

  11. وَتَرَدَّت مِنَ الجَنوبِ رِياحٌ

    زَحفَ العِطرُ خَلفَها وَلهانا

    And winds descended from the south;

    fragrance crept after them, lovesick.

  12. وَإِذا النورُ يَستَحيلُ أَديماً

    ثُمَّ يَحيا فَيَستَحيلُ جِنانا

    And behold, the light turns into earth,

    then comes alive and turns into gardens.

  13. وَإِذا بي أَراكَ تَقطُفُ كَالفا

    تِحِ مِن كُلِّ مَغرِسٍ رَيعانا

    And behold, I see you plucking like a conqueror

    fresh bloom from every planting-place.

  14. يَنبضُ الغُصنُ في يَدَيكَ رَجاءً

    وَيُنَدّي عَلَيهِما إيمانا

    The branch pulses with hope in your hands,

    and sprinkles faith upon them like dew.

  15. قُلتَ يا لَيلَ ما عَلَينا إِذا النا

    سُ تَجَنَّبوا فَالحُبُّ قَد أَعطانا

    You said, 'O Layla, what does it matter if people

    keep away? For love has already provided for us.'

  16. وَفَرَشتَ الجَنى الشَهِيَّ طَعاماً

    أَمرَ الحُبُّ أَن يَكونَ فَكانا

    And you laid out the luscious fruit as food;

    love commanded it to be, and it came to be.

  17. قُلتَ لي نِعمَةُ الطَبيعَةِ يا لَي

    لى أَعدَّت لِعُرسنا مِهرَجانا

    You told me, 'Nature's bounty, O Layla,

    has prepared a festival for our wedding.'

  18. بورِكَ الحُبُّ حينَ بارَكَ إِكلي

    لاً عَلَينا أَحَلَّهُ قَلبانا

    Blessed was love when it blessed a wreath

    our two hearts had placed upon us.

  19. وَإِذا بِالنَباتِ يَستَنشِقُ الحُ

    بَّ فَتَجري جُموعُهُ مجرانا

    And behold, the vegetation inhales love,

    and its throngs flow along our course.

  20. فَتَبوحُ الصَبا وَيَرتَعِشُ الوَر

    دُ وَيَصحو مِنَ النَدى سَكرانا

    Then the east wind confides, and the rose trembles,

    and awakens, drunk with dew.

  21. وَعَبيرُ النِسرين يَنهَلُّ حُبّاً

    في العَبيرِ المَنشورِ مِن نَجوانا

    And the wild rose's fragrance pours forth in love

    into the scent spread by our whispered confidences.

  22. يا حَبيبي كَأَنَّ طَرفِيَ لَمّا

    ذَهَبَ الحُلمُ لَم يَكُن وَسنانا

    My beloved, it is as though my eye, when

    the dream vanished, had never been drowsy.

  23. أَوَلَسنا في يَقظَةٍ تَخطُفُ الغِب

    طَةُ فيها القُلوبَ وَالأَجفانا

    And are we not in a waking state where bliss

    seizes hearts and eyelids?

  24. أَوَلَم نَبنِ بِالمَحَبَّةِ وَالرَأ

    فَةِ دُنيا أَعزَّ مِن دُنيانا

    And have we not built, with love and compassion,

    a world more precious than our own,

  25. تَهدُمُ العالَمَ الَّذي يَهدُمُ الوِج

    دانَ فينا وَتَرفَعُ الوِجدانا

    that destroys the world which destroys feeling

    within us, and raises feeling high?

  26. هذِهِ النَبعَةُ الحَنونُ أَلَم تَع

    كِس عَلَينا الظِلالَ وَالأَلوانا

    This tender spring—has it not reflected

    shadows and colors upon us,

  27. تُفعِمِ النَفسَ مِن نَقاها يَنابي

    عَ وَتَملأ أَعماقَها خُلجانا

    filled the soul with wellsprings of its purity,

    and filled its depths with gulfs?

  28. أَسعَدُ الناسِ نَحنُ فَليَصفَحِ

    الحُبُّ بِنا وَليَكُن لَهم غفرانا

    We are the happiest of people; so let love pardon

    through us, and be forgiveness for them.