Layla

Throughout my time reading old Arabic poems, this part will be forever stuck in my head...

لو كانَ لي قلبان لعشت بواحدٍ

وأفردتُ قلباً في هواكَ يُعذَّبُ

لكنَّ لي قلباً تّمَلكَهُ الهَوى

لا العَيشُ يحلُو لَهُ ولا الموتُ يَقْرَبُ

كَعُصفُورةٍ في كفِّ طفلٍ يُهِينُها

تُعَانِي عَذابَ المَوتِ والطِفلُ يلعبُ

فلا الطفل ذو عقلٍ يرِقُّ لِحالِها

ولا الطّيرُ مَطلُوقُ الجنَاحَينِ فيذهبُ

If I had two hearts I would live with one,

And devote the other to torment in your love.

Alas I only have one heart, possessed by love.

Neither pleased by living nor that death is near.

Like a tiny bird in the hands of a child, disgracing it,

Suffering the torment of death while the child is at play

Neither the child is aware of its suffering,

Nor the bird’s wings are free, for it to fly.

أَمُرُّ عَلى الدِيارِ دِيارِ لَيلى

أُقَبِّلَ ذا الجِدارَ وَذا الجِدارا

وَما حُبُّ الدِيارِ شَغَفنَ قَلبي

وَلَكِن حُبُّ مَن سَكَنَ الدِيارا

I circle the walls of the house of Layla

I kiss walls upon walls,

It is not the love of the walls that occupies my heart

But the love of who lives within them.

 قيس بن الملوح —

(Qays Ibn al-Mulawwah)