لَيْتَI wish

Example sentences

• لَيْتَنِي أَكُونُ حَيًّا ذَكَرَ حَرْفًا

  I wish I were alive to hear him mention a single letter.

  لَيْتَنِي — I wish. The wishing particle 'if only', again with -ni ('me') attached as its grabbed subject; it sets up a longing that the speaker knows cannot be. It governs the clause after it, so what follows is presented as the wished-for, not as a fact.

  From: The Night of Revelation and Consolation →

• لَيْتَ شَعْرِيَ وَقَدْ تَمَادَى بِكَ الْهَجْرُ أَمْ مِنْكَ التَّفْرِيطُ أَمْ كَانَ مِنِّي،

  I wish I knew: now that estrangement toward you has gone so far, was the negligence yours, or was it mine?

  لَيْتَ — I wish. A wishing particle that opens a longing 'if only ...' statement and grips the following word into the accusative as its subject. It sets the whole line in a wistful mood. Its case-forcing pull on the next word is its grammatical mark.

  From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →