حَوارِيَّةٌ بَينَ الفُراتَينِ دارُها

حَوارِيَّةٌ بَينَ الفُراتَينِ دارُها

لَها مَقعَدٌ عالٍ بَرودٌ هَواجِرُه

لَها مَقعَدٌ عالٍ بَرودٌ هَواجِرُه

A fair-skinned woman whose home lies between the two Euphrates;

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

she has a lofty dwelling whose noontides are cool.

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

تَساقَطُ نَفسي إِثرَهُنَّ وَقَد بَدا

تَساقَطُ نَفسي إِثرَهُنَّ وَقَد بَدا

مِنَ الوَجدِ ما أُخفي وَصَدري مُخامِرُه

مِنَ الوَجدِ ما أُخفي وَصَدري مُخامِرُه

My soul falls apart in their wake, and there has appeared

If a tear flows, soon another follows with rushing,

the passion I conceal and harbor in my breast.

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

إِذا عَبرَةٌ وَرَّعتُها فَتَكَفكَفَت

إِذا عَبرَةٌ وَرَّعتُها فَتَكَفكَفَت

قَليلاً جَرَت أُخرى بِدَمعٍ تُبادِرُه

قَليلاً جَرَت أُخرى بِدَمعٍ تُبادِرُه

Whenever I restrain a tear and it is checked

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

briefly, another flows with tears, racing ahead of it.

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

فَلَو أَنَّ عَيناً مِن بُكاءٍ تَحَدَّرَت

فَلَو أَنَّ عَيناً مِن بُكاءٍ تَحَدَّرَت

دَماً كانَ دَمعي إِذ رِدائِيَ ساتِرُه

دَماً كانَ دَمعي إِذ رِدائِيَ ساتِرُه

For if an eye could shed, from weeping,

Nothing remains of your companion except some cure,

blood, my tears would be blood, while my cloak conceals them.

Like the wings of an eagle outstretched in flight,

مَتى ما يَمُت عانيكِ يا لَيلِ تَعلَمي

مَتى ما يَمُت عانيكِ يا لَيلِ تَعلَمي

مُصابَةَ ما يُسدي لِعانيكِ نائِرُه

مُصابَةَ ما يُسدي لِعانيكِ نائِرُه

When your captive dies, O Layl, you will learn

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

what calamity his kindler of strife brings about for your captive.

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

تَرَي خَطَأً مِمّا اِئتَمَرتِ وَتَضمَني

تَرَي خَطَأً مِمّا اِئتَمَرتِ وَتَضمَني

جَريرَةُ مَولى لا يُغَمِّضُ ثائِرُه

جَريرَةُ مَولى لا يُغَمِّضُ ثائِرُه

You will see the error in what you resolved, and bear

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

the guilt for a dependent whose avenger never closes his eyes.

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

فَلَم يَبقَ مِن عانيكِ إِلّا بَقِيَّةٌ

فَلَم يَبقَ مِن عانيكِ إِلّا بَقِيَّةٌ

شَفاً كَجَناحِ النِسرِ مُرِّطَ سائِرُه

شَفاً كَجَناحِ النِسرِ مُرِّطَ سائِرُه

So nothing remains of your captive but a remnant,

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

a scant trace, like a vulture's wing with the rest plucked bare.

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

أَلا هَل لِلَيلى في الفِداءِ فَإِنَّني

أَرى رَهنَ لَيلى لا تُبالي أَواصِرُه

أَرى رَهنَ لَيلى لا تُبالي أَواصِرُه

Ah, is Layla willing to offer ransom? For I

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

see that Layla cares nothing for her hostage's bonds.

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

لَعَمري لَئِن أَصبَحتُ في السَيرِ قاصِداً

لَعَمري لَئِن أَصبَحتُ في السَيرِ قاصِداً

لَقَد كانَ يَحلو لي لِعَينِيَ جائِرُه

لَقَد كانَ يَحلو لي لِعَينِيَ جائِرُه

By my life, though I now travel a straight course,

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

its wayward course once pleased me and charmed my eye.

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

وَجَونٍ عَلَيهِ الجَصُّ فيهِ مَريضَةٌ

وَجَونٍ عَلَيهِ الجَصُّ فيهِ مَريضَةٌ

تَطَلَّعُ مِنهُ النَفسُ وَالمَوتُ حاضِرُه

تَطَلَّعُ مِنهُ النَفسُ وَالمَوتُ حاضِرُه

And a dark, plaster-covered dwelling, with a sickly woman within,

from which the soul peers out, while death attends it:

حَليلَةُ ذي أَلفَينِ شَيخٍ يَرى لَها

حَليلَةُ ذي أَلفَينِ شَيخٍ يَرى لَها

كَثيرَ الَّذي يُعطى قَليلاً يُحاقِرُه

كَثيرَ الَّذي يُعطى قَليلاً يُحاقِرُه

the wife of a man with two thousand—an old man who, for her,

deems the plenty he is offered little, and scorns it.

نَهى أَهلَهُ عَنها الَّذي يَعلَمونَهُ

نَهى أَهلَهُ عَنها الَّذي يَعلَمونَهُ

إِلَيها وَزالَت عَن رَجاها ضَرائِرُه

إِلَيها وَزالَت عَن رَجاها ضَرائِرُه

His household was kept from her by what they knew of his disposition

toward her; his other wives withdrew from her side.

أَتَيتُ لَها مِن مُختِلٍ كُنتُ أَدَّري

أَتَيتُ لَها مِن مُختِلٍ كُنتُ أَدَّري

بِهِ الوَحشَ ما يُخشى عَلَيَّ عَواثِرُه

بِهِ الوَحشَ ما يُخشى عَلَيَّ عَواثِرُه

I came to her by a covert approach I used

to stalk wild beasts, with no fear of its mishaps for me.

فَما زِلتُ حَتّى أَصعَدَتني حِبالُها

فَما زِلتُ حَتّى أَصعَدَتني حِبالُها

إِلَيها وَلَيلي قَد تَخامَصَ آخِرُه

إِلَيها وَلَيلي قَد تَخامَصَ آخِرُه

So I persisted until her ropes lifted me

to her, as the last of my night had dwindled.

فَلَمّا اِجتَمَعنا في العَلالِيَّ بَينَنا

فَلَمّا اِجتَمَعنا في العَلالِيَّ بَينَنا

ذَكِيٌّ أَتى مِن أَهلِ دارينَ تاجِرُه

ذَكِيٌّ أَتى مِن أَهلِ دارينَ تاجِرُه

When we met in the upper chambers, between us

was a heady perfume, whose merchant came from the people of Darin.

نَقَعتُ غَليلَ النَفسِ إِلّا لُبانَةً

نَقَعتُ غَليلَ النَفسِ إِلّا لُبانَةً

أَبَت مِن فُؤادي لَم تَرِمها ضَمائِرُه

أَبَت مِن فُؤادي لَم تَرِمها ضَمائِرُه

I quenched the soul's burning thirst, except for one longing

that would not leave my heart; its inmost thoughts never abandoned it.