1. أَلا أَيُّها النوّامُ وَيَحكُمُ هُبّوا

    أُسائِلُكُم هَل يَقتُلُ الرَجُلَ الحُبُّ

    Listen, you sleepers—woe to you! Wake up!

    I ask you: does love kill a man?

  2. فَقالوا نَعَم حَتّى يَرُضَّ عِظامَهُ

    وَيَترُكَهُ حَيرانَ لَيسَ لَهُ لُبُّ

    They said: yes, until it crushes his bones

    And leaves him bewildered, bereft of reason.

  3. فَيا بَعلَ لَيلى كَيفَ يُجمَعُ شَملُنا

    لَدَيَّ وَفيما بَينَنا شَبَّتِ الحَربُ

    So, O Layla's husband, how can we be brought together

    In my presence, when war has flared between us?

  4. لَها مِثلُ ذَنبي اليَومَ إِن كُنتُ مُذنِباً

    وَلا ذَنبَ لي إِن كانَ لَيسَ لَها ذَنبُ

    Her guilt is like mine today, if I am guilty,

    And I have no guilt if she has none.