بَكيتُ اِبن لَيلى وَاِبنُه وَرَأَيتَني

بَكيتُ اِبن لَيلى وَاِبنُه وَرَأَيتَني

اِحق الاِولى كانوا مَعي بِبكاهُما

اِحق الاِولى كانوا مَعي بِبكاهُما

I wept for Ibn Layla and his son, and saw myself

I wept for Layla's son and his son when you saw me

Most entitled, among those with me, to weep for them both.

It was right that they wept with me

هُما حَذياني الخَير حَتّى تَشعبت

هُما حَذياني الخَير حَتّى تَشعبت

غُصوني بِنَبت ناضِر في ثَراهُما

غُصوني بِنَبت ناضِر في ثَراهُما

They both bestowed goodness on me until

They inspired me to do good until my branches

My branches spread with fresh growth in their soil.

Blossomed with thriving growth in their meadow

وَكُنتُ أَرى إِنّي إِذا ابت لَيلَة

وَكُنتُ أَرى إِنّي إِذا ابت لَيلَة

مِن الدَهرِ قَد ايقَنت إِلّا أَراهُما

مِن الدَهرِ قَد ايقَنت إِلّا أَراهُما

And I had thought that, when a night came round

And I used to think whenever I spent

In the course of time, certain I would see them no more,

A night of life I was sure I’d only see them

سَاِقضي فَلَم اِفعَل وَلكِن مُنيَتي

سَاِقضي فَلَم اِفعَل وَلكِن مُنيَتي

تَراخى اِناها بَعد حينَ اِناهُما

تَراخى اِناها بَعد حينَ اِناهُما

I would die; yet I did not, but my death's

I hoped to pay off my debt but did not do so

Appointed hour was delayed beyond their own.

Yet my death was delayed, yes, after their time