بِيَ اليَومَ ما بي مِن هَيامٍ أَصابَني

بِيَ اليَومَ ما بي مِن هَيامٍ أَصابَني

فَإِيّاكَ عَنّي لا يَكُن بِكَ ما بِيا

فَإِيّاكَ عَنّي لا يَكُن بِكَ ما بِيا

Today I am afflicted with a love-madness that has seized me.

Today I am not afflicted with passion's madness

So keep away from me, lest what ails me ail you.

So do not let what afflicts me afflict you

كَأَنَّ دُموعَ العَينِ تَسقي جُفونَها

كَأَنَّ دُموعَ العَينِ تَسقي جُفونَها

غَداةَ رَأَت أَظعانَ لَيلى غَوادِيا

غَداةَ رَأَت أَظعانَ لَيلى غَوادِيا

It is as though the eye's tears, watering its lids,

It's as if the tears of the eyes water their eyelids

the morning it saw Layla's camel-litters departing,

When at dawn they saw the sand dunes of Layla's departure

غُروبٌ أَثَرَّتها نَواضِحُ مُغرَبٍ

غُروبٌ أَثَرَّتها نَواضِحُ مُغرَبٍ

مُعَلَّقَةٌ تُروي نَخيلاً صَوادِيا

مُعَلَّقَةٌ تُروي نَخيلاً صَوادِيا

were great buckets made to gush by a water-drawer's camels,

A sunset traced by the lights of the setting sun

suspended to water thirsty date palms.

Hanging, watering palm trees on the valleys’ slopes

أُمِرَّت فَفاضَت مِن فُروعٍ حَثيثَةٍ

أُمِرَّت فَفاضَت مِن فُروعٍ حَثيثَةٍ

عَلى جَدوَلٍ يَعلو فِناً مُتَعادِيا

عَلى جَدوَلٍ يَعلو فِناً مُتَعادِيا

Hauled up, they spilled from their swiftly moving rims

Commanded, they burst forth from lush branches

onto a channel flooding a far-spreading yard.

Onto a stream rising above competing singers

وَقَد بَعُدوا وَاِستَطرَدوا الآلَ دونَهُم

وَقَد بَعُدوا وَاِستَطرَدوا الآلَ دونَهُم

بِدَيمومَةٍ قَفرٍ وَأَنزَلتُ جادِيا

بِدَيمومَةٍ قَفرٍ وَأَنزَلتُ جادِيا

And they had gone far, drawing the mirage behind them,

They went far away, forgot their people behind them

across a barren, trackless waste, while I settled down, a supplicant.

To barren desolation, lasting forever, while I descended, forlorn