أَلالَيتَ شِعري هَل أَبيتَنَّ لَيلَةً

أَلالَيتَ شِعري هَل أَبيتَنَّ لَيلَةً

بِحَرَّةِ لَيلى حَيثُ رَبَّتَني أَهلي

بِحَرَّةِ لَيلى حَيثُ رَبَّتَني أَهلي

Ah, if only I knew: shall I spend a night

I wish I knew if you ever spent a night

In the lava field of Layla, where my family raised me?

In the desolation of Layla's abode where I was raised

بِلادٌ بِها نيطت عَلَيَّ تَمائِمي

بِلادٌ بِها نيطت عَلَيَّ تَمائِمي

وَقُطِّعنَ عَنّي حينَ أَدرَكَني عَقلي

وَقُطِّعنَ عَنّي حينَ أَدرَكَني عَقلي

A land where my amulets were hung upon me,

A land where my talismans were tied

And cut away from me when I attained reason.

And I was cut off when my reason fully formed

وَهَل أَسمَعَنَّ الدَّهرَ أَصواتَ هَجمَةٍ

وَهَل أَسمَعَنَّ الدَّهرَ أَصواتَ هَجمَةٍ

تَطالَعُ مِن هَجلٍ خَصيبٍ إِلى هَجلِ

تَطالَعُ مِن هَجلٍ خَصيبٍ إِلى هَجلِ

And shall I ever hear the calls of a camel herd,

Did you ever hear the sounds of a warring tribe

Emerging from one lush hollow into another,

Coming from a lush encampment to another

صُهَيبِيَّةٍ صَفراءَ تُلقي رِباعَها

صُهَيبِيَّةٍ صَفراءَ تُلقي رِباعَها

بِمُنعَرِجِ الصَمّانِ وَالجَرَعِ السَّهلِ

بِمُنعَرِجِ الصَمّانِ وَالجَرَعِ السَّهلِ

Yellow Suhaybi camels, bringing forth their spring-born calves,

A blond, yellow Sahiba crying her laments

At the bend of al-Samman and on the smooth sandy flats?

At the hillside’s bend and easy drinking place

تَحِنُّ فَأَبكي كُلَّما ذَرَّ شارِقٌ

تَحِنُّ فَأَبكي كُلَّما ذَرَّ شارِقٌ

وَذاكَ عَلى المُشتاقِ قَتلٌ مِنَ القَتلِ

وَذاكَ عَلى المُشتاقِ قَتلٌ مِنَ القَتلِ

They low, and I weep whenever the sun rises,

She weeps so I weep whenever dawn breaks

And that, for one who yearns, is a death among deaths.

And that is death itself for the longing lover

وَهَل أَجمَعَنَّ الدَّهرَ كَفَّيَّ جَمعَةً

وَهَل أَجمَعَنَّ الدَّهرَ كَفَّيَّ جَمعَةً

بِمَفضومَةِ الكَشحَينِ ذاتِ شِوىً عَبلِ

بِمَفضومَةِ الكَشحَينِ ذاتِ شِوىً عَبلِ

And shall I ever once clasp both my hands

Did you ever gather on a Friday

Around a slender-waisted woman with full limbs,

With curled sandals and shifted saddlecloth

مُحَلَّلَةٍ لي لا حَراماً أَتَيتُها

مُحَلَّلَةٍ لي لا حَراماً أَتَيتُها

مِنَ الطيِّباتِ حينَ تَركُضُ في الحِجلِ

مِنَ الطيِّباتِ حينَ تَركُضُ في الحِجلِ

Lawful to me, whom I did not approach unlawfully,

Lawful for me, I did no wrong in partaking

One of the pure women, as she runs in her anklets,

Of life’s goodness when she runs at pasture

تَميلُ إِذا مالَ الضَجيعُ بِعِطفِها

تَميلُ إِذا مالَ الضَجيعُ بِعِطفِها

كَما مالَ دِعصٌ مِن ذُرا عَقِدِ الرَملِ

كَما مالَ دِعصٌ مِن ذُرا عَقِدِ الرَملِ

Who leans when her bedmate inclines her side,

She leans when the resting camel leans

As a sand mound leans from the crests of piled-up dunes?

As a palm trunk sways atop the dune’s ridge

فَإِن كُنتَ عَن تِلكَ المَواطِنِ حابِسي

فَإِن كُنتَ عَن تِلكَ المَواطِنِ حابِسي

فَأَيسِر عَلَيَّ الرِزقَ وَإِجمَع إِذاً شَملي

فَأَيسِر عَلَيَّ الرِزقَ وَإِجمَع إِذاً شَملي

So if you are keeping me from those dwelling places,

If you have denied me those dwelling places

Then ease my livelihood and reunite my household.

Make sustenance easy and reunite my clan