أَلا أَيُّها الشَيخُ الَّذي ما بِنا يَرضى

أَلا أَيُّها الشَيخُ الَّذي ما بِنا يَرضى

شَقيتَ وَلا أَدرَكتَ مِن عَيشِكَ الخَفضا

شَقيتَ وَلا أَدرَكتَ مِن عَيشِكَ الخَفضا

Ah, old man who is not pleased with us,

O sheikh who is not pleased with us

may you suffer and never find ease in your life!

You have been wretched and did not attain any ease in your life

شَقيتَ كَما أَشقَيتَني وَتَرَكتَني

شَقيتَ كَما أَشقَيتَني وَتَرَكتَني

أَهيمُ مَعَ الهُلّاكِ لا أَطعَمُ الغَمضا

أَهيمُ مَعَ الهُلّاكِ لا أَطعَمُ الغَمضا

May you suffer as you made me suffer and left me

You made me wretched just as you made yourself wretched and left me

wandering with the doomed, never tasting sleep.

To wander aimlessly with the doomed, unable to close my eyes in sleep

أَما وَالَّذي أَبلى بِلَيلى بَلِيَّتي

أَما وَالَّذي أَبلى بِلَيلى بَلِيَّتي

وَأَصفى لِلَيلى مِن مَوَدَّتِيَ المَحضا

وَأَصفى لِلَيلى مِن مَوَدَّتِيَ المَحضا

Indeed, by Him who made Layla my affliction,

By the One who destroyed me with Layla's affliction

and reserved for Layla the pure essence of my affection,

And purified for Layla my sincere affection

لَأَعطَيتُ في لَيلى الرِضا مَن يَبيعُها

لَأَعطَيتُ في لَيلى الرِضا مَن يَبيعُها

وَلَو أَكثَروا لَومي وَلَو أَكثَروا القَرضا

وَلَو أَكثَروا لَومي وَلَو أَكثَروا القَرضا

for Layla, I would surely give whoever sells her a price that satisfies him,

I would have given consent in Layla to whoever buys her

even if they heaped blame upon me, even if they heaped abuse.

Even if they blamed me more and compounded the debt

فَكَم ذاكِرٍ لَيلى يَعيشُ بِكُربَةٍ

فَكَم ذاكِرٍ لَيلى يَعيشُ بِكُربَةٍ

فَيَنفُضَ قَلبي حينَ يَذكُرُها نَفضا

فَيَنفُضَ قَلبي حينَ يَذكُرُها نَفضا

For many a one who mentions Layla lives in anguish,

So many are those who remember Layla and live in misery

and so shakes my heart violently when he mentions her.

That my heart trembles when they mention her in longing

وَحَقِّ الهَوى إِنّي أُحِسُّ مِنَ الهَوى

وَحَقِّ الهَوى إِنّي أُحِسُّ مِنَ الهَوى

عَلى كَبِدي ناراً وَفي أَعظُمي رَضّا

عَلى كَبِدي ناراً وَفي أَعظُمي رَضّا

And by the sanctity of love, I truly feel, from love,

By the truth of passion, I sense from passion

fire upon my liver and a crushing ache in my bones.

A fire in my liver and pleasure in my bones

كَأَنَّ فُؤادي في مَخالِبِ طائِرٍ

كَأَنَّ فُؤادي في مَخالِبِ طائِرٍ

إِذا ذَكَرَتها النَفسُ شَدَّت بِهِ قَبضا

إِذا ذَكَرَتها النَفسُ شَدَّت بِهِ قَبضا

It is as though my heart were in a bird's talons;

It's as if my heart is in the claws of a bird

when my soul recalls her, they tighten their grip on it.

That clutches it when the soul remembers her in yearning

كَأَنَّ فِجاجَ الأَرضِ حَلقَةُ خاتَمٍ

كَأَنَّ فِجاجَ الأَرضِ حَلقَةُ خاتَمٍ

عَلَيَّ وَلا تَزدادُ طولاً وَلا عَرضا

عَلَيَّ وَلا تَزدادُ طولاً وَلا عَرضا

It is as though the earth's broad paths were the hoop of a ring

It's as if the horizons of the earth are a ring

around me, growing neither longer nor wider.

Encircling me, neither lengthening nor widening

وَأُغشى فَيُحمى لي مِنَ الأَرضِ مَضجَعي

وَأُغشى فَيُحمى لي مِنَ الأَرضِ مَضجَعي

وَأُصرَعُ أَحياناً فَأَلتَزِمُ الأَرضا

وَأُصرَعُ أَحياناً فَأَلتَزِمُ الأَرضا

And I swoon, so my resting place on the earth is guarded for me;

I'm overcome with delirium, so my bed is prepared for me from the ground

and sometimes I am struck down and cling to the earth.

And sometimes I collapse, adhering to the earth

رَضيتُ بِقَتلي في هَواها لِأَنَّني

رَضيتُ بِقَتلي في هَواها لِأَنَّني

أَرى حُبَّها حَتماً وَطاعَتَها فَرضا

أَرى حُبَّها حَتماً وَطاعَتَها فَرضا

I am content to be slain for love of her, because I

I'm content with dying for her love because

see love for her as inevitable, and obedience to her as a duty.

I see her love as inevitable and obeying her a duty

إِذا ذُكِرَت لَيلى أُهيمُ لِذِكرِها

إِذا ذُكِرَت لَيلى أُهيمُ لِذِكرِها

وَكانَت مُنى نَفسي وَكُنتُ لَها أَرضى

وَكانَت مُنى نَفسي وَكُنتُ لَها أَرضى

Whenever Layla is mentioned, I wander distraught at her mention,

When Layla is remembered I wander in her remembrance

and she was my soul's desire, and I was content with her.

And my soul's purpose was her and I was content with her

إِن رُمتُ صَبراً أَو سُلُوّاً بِغَيرِها

إِن رُمتُ صَبراً أَو سُلُوّاً بِغَيرِها

رَأَيتُ جَميعَ الناسِ مِن دونِها بَعضا

رَأَيتُ جَميعَ الناسِ مِن دونِها بَعضا

If I seek patience or solace in anyone other than her,

If I intended patience or solace in other than her

I see all people, apart from her, as merely a part.

I saw all people besides her as paltry