بَدا وَاللَيلُ معتكرُ

بَدا وَاللَيلُ معتكرُ

كأَنَّ نجومَه دُرَرُ

كأَنَّ نجومَه دُرَرُ

He appeared while the night was thick with darkness,

The night has dawned, gloomy,

As though its stars were pearls.

Its stars like scattered pearls.

رشاً رقَّت محاسنُه

رشاً رقَّت محاسنُه

فَكادَ يُذيبُه النَظَرُ

فَكادَ يُذيبُه النَظَرُ

A fawn whose charms were delicate,

Softly its beauties have strewn themselves

So a gaze almost melted him.

Till the beholder's glance all but melts.

كئيبٌ فوقه غُصُنٌ

كئيبٌ فوقه غُصُنٌ

وَغُصنٌ فوقه قَمَرُ

وَغُصنٌ فوقه قَمَرُ

A sorrowful one, with a branch above him,

Sad is the branch hanging over it,

And a branch, with a moon above it.

Over that branch hangs the moon.

سَمَرتُ به إِلى سَحرٍ

سَمَرتُ به إِلى سَحرٍ

وَلَيلى كلُّه سَحَرُ

وَلَيلى كلُّه سَحَرُ

I conversed with him by night until dawn,

With him till dawn I whiled away the night

And my whole night was dawn.

And the night with Layla was all sweet magic.

إذا ما ماسَ يخطُر في

إذا ما ماسَ يخطُر في

حُلاه فعشقُه خَطَرُ

حُلاه فعشقُه خَطَرُ

Whenever he sways, strutting in

When love's restlessness stirs within me

His finery, loving him is peril.

For his cheek, then love holds peril.

لَيالي وصلِه غُرَرٌ

لَيالي وصلِه غُرَرٌ

وَلكن دونَها غَرَرُ

وَلكن دونَها غَرَرُ

The nights of union with him are radiant,

Nights of union with him are rare,

But peril lies before them.

Yet rarer than them are nights of separation.

ختمتُ بحبِّهِ وَطَري

ختمتُ بحبِّهِ وَطَري

فَما لي غيرُه وَطَرُ

فَما لي غيرُه وَطَرُ

I sealed my desire with love for him,

With his love I have sealed my fate,

So I have no desire other than him.

I have none but him to be my fate.