1. الحُبُّ وَالخَمرُ

    يا لَيلَ وَالشِعرُ

    Love and wine,

    O Layla, and poetry—

  2. ثالوثُنا

    البكرُ

    Our trinity,

    Virgin.

  3. كانَ الهَوى قَبلَنا

    مِن بَعضِ ما يُقتَنى

    Before us, love was

    Among the things one could acquire,

  4. وَخدعَةً في اللِسان

    وَالشِعر يا لَيلَ كان

    And a deception on the tongue.

    And poetry, O Layla, had

  5. شيطانُه بِهلَوان

    حَتّى تَغَنّى بِنا

    A juggler for its demon,

    Until it sang of us.

  6. جِئنا فَجاءَ الخَيال

    معطَّراً بِالجَمال

    We came, and imagination came,

    Perfumed with beauty,

  7. مُلَوَّناً بِالسنى

    هذي الرُبى مَن تَكون

    Colored with radiance.

    These hills—who are they,

  8. يا لَيلَ إِلّا عُيون

    تَرنو هُياماً لَنا

    O Layla, if not eyes

    Gazing at us in passionate love?

  9. جِئنا فَصارَ الزَمان

    بِحُبِّنا مِهرَجان

    We came, and time became

    Through our love, a festival,

  10. وَالأَرضُ صارَت جَنى

    لا تَنظُري فَالسَماء

    And the earth became fruit.

    Do not look, for the sky

  11. مَحجوبَةٌ بِالدِماء

    وَالجَهلُ يَرعى الوَرى

    Is veiled in blood,

    And ignorance shepherds humankind.

  12. أَما بَنَينا بِناء

    يا لَيلَ فَوقَ الفَناء

    Have we not built an edifice,

    O Layla, above annihilation,

  13. فيهِ السَما وَالثَرى

    وَالحُبُّ وَالخَمرُ

    With heaven and earth within it?

    And love and wine,

  14. يا لَيلَ وَالشِعرُ

    ثالوثُنا

    O Layla, and poetry—

    Our trinity,

  15. البكرُ

    Virgin.