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The Mu'nisa – Qays ibn al-Mulawwah (Majnun Layla)
An English literary translation of a classical Arabic love poem
I remembered Layla and the years gone by,
And days when no one dared to silence our joy.
A day as brief as a shadow cast by a spear,
Yet Layla made it long, and sweet, and dear.
At Thamdayn, Layla's fire appeared in the night,
While my companions journeyed beneath its light.
A man among us, sharp of sight, declared,
"Is that a lonely star shining there?"
I answered, "No, it is Layla's flame,
Its radiant glow has called my name."
How I wished our caravan had never crossed that land,
And that the thorn trees had walked beside us, hand in hand.
O Layla, how many wishes fill my heart,
Yet when I come at night, I forget where to start.
My two companions, if you see me weep,
Find me a friend whose tears run just as deep.
I climb the hills because my longing grows,
And sing these verses to ease my woes.
Perhaps God will reunite two hearts apart,
After both have lost all hope within their hearts.
May God rebuke those who claim that love
Has a remedy for every wound above.
I remember Layla when she stood by her door,
Driving the flocks home as the evening fell once more.
Her children grew, and their children too,
Yet my love for Layla remained as true.
Whenever we gathered in a place of delight,
People whispered of us, making the gathering feel tight.
May God send rain upon the homes of her neighbors,
Though distance has separated them from their familiar places.
Neither poverty nor wealth made me forget,
Nor repentance, nor the years of regret.
My two companions, I cannot command fate,
Nor change what God has chosen as my state.
He gave Layla to another, and gave me her love,
A trial I cannot understand from above.
I was told that Tayma would be Layla's home,
When summer arrived and the ships would roam.
But summer has passed, and still I remain,
Wondering why distance prolongs my pain.
If a gossip lived in Yamamah far away,
And I in Hadramawt, he would still find his way.
What have they gained by separating our hearts?
May God show them what their cruelty starts.
My love for Layla once stood strong and proud,
But time has made it rise above every crowd.
O Lord, make our love equal and fair,
Let neither of us bear more than our share.
Whenever the guiding star appears,
Or morning breaks, I remember her.
Not a mile from Damascus have I gone,
Nor seen the star Suhayl shine on,
Without Layla appearing in my mind,
The one I can never leave behind.
Whenever I hear a name resembling hers,
My tears fall silently upon my clothes.
Whenever the southern wind blows her way,
I lean toward it, longing night and day.
If you forbid me from visiting her land,
You cannot silence the poems I command.
Before God, I swear that I love her still,
Though I know not whether she ever will.
Fate granted her happiness with another,
And gave me longing that consumes my heart.
The hopes I carried, O mother of Malik,
Have turned my youthful heart to grief.
I count the nights, one after another,
Though once I lived without counting them.
I leave the houses when the night grows deep,
To speak of you where no one hears me weep.
When I pray, my face turns toward her place,
Though the prayer direction lies another way.
I do not worship anyone but God,
Yet love for her has overwhelmed my soul.
I love every name that resembles hers,
Or sounds like hers, or reminds me of her.
My friends, Layla is my greatest wish,
But who can bring her back to me?
The dove of Aqeeq made me cry,
And awakened tears I could no longer deny.
My friends, what hope remains in life,
When what I desire cannot become mine?
Layla wrongs me, then claims I have forgotten,
Though my sorrow is visible to everyone.
I have never seen two lovers like us,
So faithful despite the world opposing them.
Two hearts that no longer hope to meet,
While other lovers dream of a reunion sweet.
I am too shy to ask you for your love,
Or even mention the dreams I carry within.
Some people say that Majnun may forget,
But how can I forget what lives in my chest?
Despair has settled deep within my soul,
And love's affliction has taken control.
If time grows long, O mother of Malik,
Then let fate decide what remains for us.
Whenever my eyes meet yours,
My heart finds peace and its sorrow disappears.
You alone can make my life miserable,
And you alone can make it beautiful.
No friend or enemy can look at me,
Without pitying what love has done to me.
Am I forbidden from visiting Layla?
Has seeing her become a crime?
When I travel across the open land,
I struggle to keep my journey on its path.
I pretend to sleep, though I am wide awake,
Hoping your image will visit me before daybreak.
You are like magic, but magic has a cure,
While no healer can make my love disappear.
When we travel through the darkness of night,
Your memory guides our camels like a light.
The fire of longing burns inside my chest,
A flame that never allows my heart to rest.
O travelers from Yemen, stop for a while,
For a Yemeni longing has become my trial.
Tell me, has the valley of Nu'man seen rain?
How I long for its beauty once again.
O doves of Nu'man, your songs awaken my love,
And stir the sorrow I cannot rise above.
You made me weep before all my friends,
Though once I hid my tears until the end.
O two doves, answer each other with your song,
And let your melodies help me endure this longing.
If you return to the ruins of al-Ghada,
Let me follow you to the land of my Layla.
I wonder what remains between Layla and me,
And what became of the youth I used to be.
O one who spreads tales about Layla,
Look at the one you accuse of loving her.
Even if those I love depart from sight,
The love within my heart will remain alight.
O Lord, since Layla is my greatest desire,
Grant me a place in her eyes, as she has in mine.
And if that cannot ever be,
Then turn my heart away from her and her family,
For through this love I have suffered endlessly.
For a woman like Layla, a man may lose his life,
Even when he knows that hope has passed him by.
My two companions, if they deny me Layla,
Bring me my coffin and shroud,
And ask forgiveness for me.
And if I die from the sickness of longing,
Carry my final greeting to her,
The woman whose beauty shines like sunlight.