أَتَصرِفُ عَن لَيلى بِنا أَم تَزورُها

أَتَصرِفُ عَن لَيلى بِنا أَم تَزورُها

وَما صُرمُ لَيلى بَعدَ ما ماتَ زيرُها

وَما صُرمُ لَيلى بَعدَ ما ماتَ زيرُها

Will you turn us away from Layla, or visit her?

Do you turn away from Layla or do you visit her?

And why forsake Layla now that her lover has died?

And Layla's fate is not altered after her companion died

فَإِن يَكُ واراهُ التُرابُ فَرُبَّما

فَإِن يَكُ واراهُ التُرابُ فَرُبَّما

تَجَرَّعَ مِنّي غَصَّةً لا يُحيرُها

تَجَرَّعَ مِنّي غَصَّةً لا يُحيرُها

For if the earth has hidden him, many a time

So if the dust covers him, perhaps

He swallowed from me a choking gulp he could not return.

She will take a draught of grief from me that will not confuse her

أَلا لِيَلُم مَن ضَنَّ بِالمالِ نَفسَهُ

أَلا لِيَلُم مَن ضَنَّ بِالمالِ نَفسَهُ

إِذا ضِبرِمٌ بانَت بِلَيلٍ خُدورُها

إِذا ضِبرِمٌ بانَت بِلَيلٍ خُدورُها

Ah, let whoever begrudged his money blame himself,

Oh, blame the one who was stingy with himself

When Dibrim's curtained litters depart by night.

When the cooking pot appeared at night, boiling

أَلا رُبَّما إِن حالَ لُقمانَ دونَها

أَلا رُبَّما إِن حالَ لُقمانَ دونَها

تَرَبَّعَ بَينَ الأَروَتَينِ أَميرُها

تَرَبَّعَ بَينَ الأَروَتَينِ أَميرُها

Ah, often, even if Luqman barred access to her,

Oh, perhaps if poverty befell Luqman

Her chief spent spring between al-Arwatayn,

Her master sat cross-legged between the millstones

مُقابَلَةَ الثاياتِ ثاياتِ ضابِئٍ

مُقابَلَةَ الثاياتِ ثاياتِ ضابِئٍ

مَراتِعَ مِنها لا تُعَدُّ شُهورُها

مَراتِعَ مِنها لا تُعَدُّ شُهورُها

Facing the cairns—the cairns of Dabiʾ—

Opposite the permanent encampments of wandering Dhabyan

In pastures there whose months cannot be counted,

Whose pastures cannot be counted for months

بِصَحراءَ مِكماءٍ تُرَدُّ جُناتُها

بِصَحراءَ مِكماءٍ تُرَدُّ جُناتُها

إِلَيها الجَنى في ثَوبِ مَن يَستَثيرُها

إِلَيها الجَنى في ثَوبِ مَن يَستَثيرُها

On a truffle-rich desert plain, its gatherers are brought back

In a barren, waterless desert whose gardens

To it, with the harvest in the garment of whoever digs it up.

Are restored to it, in the garb of one who excites them

إِذا هِيَ حَلَّت في خُزاعَةَ وَاِنتَوَت

إِذا هِيَ حَلَّت في خُزاعَةَ وَاِنتَوَت

بِها نِيَّةٌ زَوراءُ عَمَّن يَزورُها

بِها نِيَّةٌ زَوراءُ عَمَّن يَزورُها

When she settled among Khuzaʿa and was carried away

When they alight in Khuza'ah, harbouring

By a winding journey, far from whoever would visit her,

An evil intention towards whoever visits them

فَرُبَّ رَبيعٍ بِالبَلاليقِ قَد رَعَت

فَرُبَّ رَبيعٍ بِالبَلاليقِ قَد رَعَت

بِمَستَنِّ أَغياثٍ بِعاقٍ ذُكورُها

بِمَستَنِّ أَغياثٍ بِعاقٍ ذُكورُها

For many a spring at al-Balaliq she had grazed,

Thus many a springtime they grazed

Where rains course, their male showers pouring in torrents.

With bellowing camels, led by their masculine leaders

تَحَدَّرَ قَبلَ النَجمِ مِمّا أَمامَهُ

تَحَدَّرَ قَبلَ النَجمِ مِمّا أَمامَهُ

مِنَ الدَلوِ وَالأَشراطِ يَجري غَديرُها

مِنَ الدَلوِ وَالأَشراطِ يَجري غَديرُها

Descending before the Pleiades, from the stars preceding it,

Flowing down before the star, ahead of

From the Bucket and the Signs, its rain-pool flows.

The bucket and pulleys, running its torrent

وَرَحلٍ حَمَلنا خَلفَ رَحلٍ وَناقَةٍ

وَرَحلٍ حَمَلنا خَلفَ رَحلٍ وَناقَةٍ

تَرَكنا بِعَطشى لا يُزَجّى حَسيرُها

تَرَكنا بِعَطشى لا يُزَجّى حَسيرُها

And many a saddle we carried behind another saddle, and a she-camel

And a convoy we followed, and a convoy and she-camel

We left at ʿAtsha, too spent to be driven on.

We left thirsty, her guide unable to give her water

تَرَكنا عَلَيها الذِئبَ يَلطُمُ عَينَهُ

تَرَكنا عَلَيها الذِئبَ يَلطُمُ عَينَهُ

نَهاراً بِزَوراءِ الفَلاةِ نُسورُها

نَهاراً بِزَوراءِ الفَلاةِ نُسورُها

We left the wolf over her, its eye being struck

We left her to the wolf, gnawing her eye

By day, in the desert's winding reaches, by its vultures.

By day in the empty wilderness, its lightning flashes

وَلَمّا بَلَغنا الجَهدَ مِن ماجِداتِها

وَلَمّا بَلَغنا الجَهدَ مِن ماجِداتِها

وَبَيَّنَ مِن أَنسابِهِنَّ شَجيرُها

وَبَيَّنَ مِن أَنسابِهِنَّ شَجيرُها

And when we had wrung the utmost effort from its noble she-camels,

And when we reached the limit of their glory

And the alien strain in their pedigrees had become clear,

And its lineage was made clear

تَجَرَّدَ مِنها كُلُّ صَهباءَ حُرَّةٍ

تَجَرَّدَ مِنها كُلُّ صَهباءَ حُرَّةٍ

لِعَوهَجَ أَو لِلداعِرِيَّ عَصيرُها

لِعَوهَجَ أَو لِلداعِرِيَّ عَصيرُها

Every tawny, purebred she-camel broke away from them,

Every free, noble lady among them

Her lineage going back to ʿAwhaj or al-Daʿiri.

Stripped herself for unkemptness or for the vow of pilgrim sanctity

مَشى بَعدَما لا مُخَّ فيها بِآدِها

مَشى بَعدَما لا مُخَّ فيها بِآدِها

نَجابَةُ جَدَّيها بِها وَضَريرُها

نَجابَةُ جَدَّيها بِها وَضَريرُها

After no marrow remained in her, she walked on through her strength—

She walked on, with no brains left in her head,

Her two grandsires' nobility within her, and her endurance.

Her ancestry and her blindness guiding her