أَعاذِلَ أَقصَري وَدَعي بَياتي

أَعاذِلَ أَقصَري وَدَعي بَياتي

فَاِنَّكَ ذاتُ لَوماتٍ حُماتِ

فَاِنَّكَ ذاتُ لَوماتٍ حُماتِ

O reproacher, desist and let me pass the night.

Reproach me no more, and cease your blaming,

For you are full of stinging reproaches.

For you are fault-finding and blame-inflaming,

فَاِنَّ الصُبحَ مُنتَظَرٌ قَريبٌ

فَاِنَّ الصُبحَ مُنتَظَرٌ قَريبٌ

وَإِنَّكَ بِالمَلامَةِ لَن تُفاتي

وَإِنَّكَ بِالمَلامَةِ لَن تُفاتي

For the awaited dawn is near.

The dawn, which soon will break, is awaited,

And you will not miss your chance to reproach.

And with rebukes, you'll not be sated.

نَأت لَيلى فَلَيلى لا تُواتي

نَأت لَيلى فَلَيلى لا تُواتي

وَضَنَّت بِالمَوَدَّةِ وَالبَناتِ

وَضَنَّت بِالمَوَدَّةِ وَالبَناتِ

Layla has gone far away, so Layla will not yield.

My Leila came, but Leila won't be stayed,

And she withheld affection and daughters.

She's left with love and girls arrayed.

وَحَلَّت دَارُها سَفوانَ بَعدي

وَحَلَّت دَارُها سَفوانَ بَعدي

فَذا قارٍ فَمُنخَرَقَ الفُراتِ

فَذا قارٍ فَمُنخَرَقَ الفُراتِ

And her household settled at Safwan after I left,

Her home in absence mine is but disgraced,

Then at Dhu Qar, then at the Euphrates' outlet.

A Tigris torn, its banks displaced.

تُراعي الريفَ ذائِبَةً عَلَيها

تُراعي الريفَ ذائِبَةً عَلَيها

ظِلالُ أَلَفَّ مُختَلِطِ النَباتِ

ظِلالُ أَلَفَّ مُختَلِطِ النَباتِ

She watches the fertile countryside, while over her melt

She tends the farmland, wandering its breadths,

The shadows of dense, intermingled vegetation.

'Neath shades in thousand plants' green depths.

فَدَعها أَو تَناوَلَها بِعَنسٍ

فَدَعها أَو تَناوَلَها بِعَنسٍ

مِن العَيديّ في قُلُصِ شِخاتِ

مِن العَيديّ في قُلُصِ شِخاتِ

So leave her, or reach her on a sturdy she-camel,

So leave her be, or gently her upbraid

Of ʿAydi stock, among lean young she-camels.

With sweet censure that upholds and aids.