عذيرك يا خيالُ المستهامُ

عذيرك يا خيالُ المستهامُ

فإن محب ليلى لا ينامُ

فإن محب ليلى لا ينامُ

Your pardon, O phantom of the love-stricken,

Your excuse, O fanciful imagination,

For Layla's lover does not sleep.

For a lover of Layla does not sleep,

وكيف ينام صب حاربته

وكيف ينام صب حاربته

فتاةٌ لا تطيش لها سهام

فتاةٌ لا تطيش لها سهام

And how can a lovesick man sleep, assailed by

How can one sleep whom a girl has fought,

A maiden whose arrows never miss?

Whom no arrows could make deviate,

وقد ذابت حشاشته غراماً

وقد ذابت حشاشته غراماً

وقام بديلها فيه الغرام

وقام بديلها فيه الغرام

And his last remnant of life has melted away in passion,

His passion melted him with love,

And passion has taken its place within him.

And instead passion stood within him,

يهيم صبابةً لغصين بانٍ

يهيم صبابةً لغصين بانٍ

تجلى فوقه بدرٌ تمام

تجلى فوقه بدرٌ تمام

He wanders in longing for a little bān-tree bough,

He wanders insanely to a nodding branch,

Above which a full moon has shone forth,

Above which a full moon has appeared,

وألحاظ يروم البرء منها

وألحاظ يروم البرء منها

لفرط جنونه وهي السقام

لفرط جنونه وهي السقام

And for glances from which he seeks healing,

And glances he tries to be rid of,

In his extreme madness, though they are the sickness.

Due to his excessive madness and illness,

متى هذا الصدود يصد عني

متى هذا الصدود يصد عني

وتجمعني وفاتنتي الخيام

وتجمعني وفاتنتي الخيام

When will this rejection turn away from me,

When will this aloofness block me off,

And the tents unite me with my enchantress,

And gather me and my scattered tents,

وتعلم أن إسعافي حلالٌ

وتعلم أن إسعافي حلالٌ

معذبتي وتعذيبي حرام

معذبتي وتعذيبي حرام

And will she know that giving me relief is lawful—

And you know that aiding me is permitted,

My tormentor—and that tormenting me is forbidden?

My torture and tormenting me is forbidden.