أقولُ لصاحبي ورَضيع كأسي

أقولُ لصاحبي ورَضيع كأسي

رَفيقي بالفُسوق وبالفجورِ

رَفيقي بالفُسوق وبالفجورِ

I say to my companion, foster-brother of my cup,

I say to my friend and nursling of my cup,

my comrade in debauchery and wickedness:

my companion in vice and debauchery:

علامَ صَدَدْتَ عن كأس الحميَّا

علامَ صَدَدْتَ عن كأس الحميَّا

لقد ضيَّعتَ أوقات السُّرور

لقد ضيَّعتَ أوقات السُّرور

Why have you turned away from the wine cup?

Why have you turned away from the cup of strong wine?

You have squandered the hours of joy.

You have surely squandered the hours of joy.

أبعدَ الشَّيْب ويحك تُبْتَ عنها

أبعدَ الشَّيْب ويحك تُبْتَ عنها

وما لكَ في متابك من عَذير

وما لكَ في متابك من عَذير

Only after your hair turned gray—damn you—did you repent of it?

After going gray—woe to you—have you repented of it?

You have no excuse for your repentance.

And you have no excuse for repenting.

وكيفَ عَدَلْتَ عن حالات سَوْءٍ

وكيفَ عَدَلْتَ عن حالات سَوْءٍ

تَصيرُ بها إلى بئسَ المصير

تَصيرُ بها إلى بئسَ المصير

How could you turn aside from evil ways

And how could you turn from evil ways

by which you come to a wretched end?

that bring you to a wretched end?

لبستُ بها وإيَّاك المخازي

لبستُ بها وإيَّاك المخازي

فأسْحَبُ ذيلَ مختالٍ فخور

فأسْحَبُ ذيلَ مختالٍ فخور

Through them I clothed you and myself in infamy,

Through them I donned disgrace alongside you,

and so I trail the robe of a proud, vainglorious man.

so I trail my hem, swaggering and proud.

أتنسى كيفَ قضَّينا زماناً

أتنسى كيفَ قضَّينا زماناً

به الأيام باسمة الثغور

به الأيام باسمة الثغور

Have you forgotten how we spent an age

Do you forget how we spent that time,

in which the days smiled with bright teeth?

when the days had smiling mouths?

وكنَّا كلَّما بِتْنا سكارى

وكنَّا كلَّما بِتْنا سكارى

ورحنا بالمدام بلا شعور

ورحنا بالمدام بلا شعور

Whenever we passed the night drunk,

And whenever we spent the night drunk,

we went forth senseless with wine;

and went about, senseless from wine,

وقُمنا بعد ذلك واصطبحنا

وقُمنا بعد ذلك واصطبحنا

فما نَدري المساءَ من البكور

فما نَدري المساءَ من البكور

then we arose and drank again at morning,

then rose afterward and drank in the morning,

unable to tell evening from dawn.

we could not tell evening from early morning.

وأنتَ معَ العواهر والزَّواني

وأنتَ معَ العواهر والزَّواني

تطاعِنُهنَّ بالرُّمح القصير

تطاعِنُهنَّ بالرُّمح القصير

And you, among whores and adulteresses,

And you were with whores and harlots,

would joust with them using your short spear.

thrusting at them with your short spear.

وكنتَ تقولُ لي اشرَب هنياً

وكنتَ تقولُ لي اشرَب هنياً

وخُذها بالكبير وبالصغير

وخُذها بالكبير وبالصغير

You used to tell me, “Drink with pleasure,

And you would tell me, 'Drink with pleasure,

and take it from the great and the small.”

and take it in large cups and small.'

وكنتَ إذا نظرتَ ولو عجوزاً

وكنتَ إذا نظرتَ ولو عجوزاً

سَلَلْتَ سلولَ غرمولِ الحمير

سَلَلْتَ سلولَ غرمولِ الحمير

Whenever you caught sight of one, even an old woman,

And whenever you saw even an old woman,

you drew as a donkey’s member is drawn.

you unsheathed a cock like a donkey's.

ومن سفهٍ ركَنْتَ إلى الغواني

ومن سفهٍ ركَنْتَ إلى الغواني

وميَّزْتَ الإِناث على الذُّكور

وميَّزْتَ الإِناث على الذُّكور

And out of folly you inclined toward beauties

And out of folly you inclined toward beautiful women,

and preferred females over males.

and preferred females to males.

تركتَ طريقتي وفررتَ عنِّي

تركتَ طريقتي وفررتَ عنِّي

فِرارَ الكلب من أسَدٍ هصور

فِرارَ الكلب من أسَدٍ هصور

You abandoned my way and fled from me

You abandoned my way and fled from me

as a dog flees a mighty lion.

as a dog flees a ravening lion.

وَتَوبَتُك الَّتي كانتْ نِفاقاً

وَتَوبَتُك الَّتي كانتْ نِفاقاً

غُرورٌ وانغماسك في الغرور

غُرورٌ وانغماسك في الغرور

Your repentance, which was hypocrisy,

And your repentance, which was hypocrisy,

is delusion, as is your immersion in delusion.

is delusion, and your immersion in delusion

كصبغ الشيب ينصلُ بعد يومٍ

كصبغ الشيب ينصلُ بعد يومٍ

ولم يَبْعُدْ مداه عن الظهور

ولم يَبْعُدْ مداه عن الظهور

Like dye upon gray hair, it fades after a day,

is like dye on gray hair that fades after a day,

and its span before reappearing is not long.

and it is not long before the gray shows through.

وما كتبت لتخطر لي ببال

وما كتبت لتخطر لي ببال

ولا اختلجت وشيبك في الضمير

ولا اختلجت وشيبك في الضمير

Nor was it written that it should cross my mind,

Nor was it fated to cross my mind,

nor—by your gray hair—did it stir within the conscience.

nor did it stir—by your gray hair—within my heart.

لئِنْ أخذوا عليك بها عهوداً

لئِنْ أخذوا عليك بها عهوداً

بما كَتَبَتْ يداك من السُّطور

بما كَتَبَتْ يداك من السُّطور

If they exacted covenants from you concerning it

Even if they exacted pledges from you concerning it,

through the lines your own hands wrote,

through the lines your own hands have written,

فعُد عنها إلى ما كنتَ فيع

فعُد عنها إلى ما كنتَ فيع

كمنْ شَمَّ الفسا بعد العبير

كمنْ شَمَّ الفسا بعد العبير

then turn away from it, back to what you once were in,

then turn from it and return to your former ways,

like one who smells a fart after perfume.

like one who smells a fart after perfume.

وأَكْثِرْ ما استطعتَ من المعاصي

وأَكْثِرْ ما استطعتَ من المعاصي

فإنَّ الله يعفو عن كثير

فإنَّ الله يعفو عن كثير

Commit as many sins as you can,

And commit as many sins as you can,

for God forgives a great many.

for God forgives much.

وننعمُ بالملاح بخفض عيش

وننعمُ بالملاح بخفض عيش

مدى الأَوقات من بمٍّ وزير

مدى الأَوقات من بمٍّ وزير

And let us enjoy the fair ones in ease and comfort,

And we shall enjoy beauties in a life of ease,

all our days, to bass string and treble.

at all times, to bass and treble strings.

فإنْ حضر الفساد وغبتَ عنه

فإنْ حضر الفساد وغبتَ عنه

ولم تكُ من يُعَدُّ من الحضور

ولم تكُ من يُعَدُّ من الحضور

For if revelry is present while you are absent,

For if debauchery is present and you are absent from it,

and you are not numbered among those attending,

and are not counted among those attending,

لسَوَّدْتُ الصحائفَ فيك هجواً

لسَوَّدْتُ الصحائفَ فيك هجواً

وإنِّي اليوم أهجى من جرير

وإنِّي اليوم أهجى من جرير

I shall blacken pages with satire against you;

I would blacken the pages with satire against you,

today I am more scathing than Jarīr.

and today I am more biting in satire than Jarir.

تطيعُ مشورَتي وترى برأيي

تطيعُ مشورَتي وترى برأيي

وحَقَّ المستشير على المشير

وحَقَّ المستشير على المشير

Obey my counsel and accept my judgment,

Heed my counsel and follow my judgment,

by the right the one who seeks counsel owes his counselor,

by the counsel-seeker's right over the counselor,

لتقضي العمر في طرَبٍ ولهوٍ

لتقضي العمر في طرَبٍ ولهوٍ

فمرجعنا إلى ربٍّ غفور

فمرجعنا إلى ربٍّ غفور

so that you may spend your life in rapture and diversion;

so you may spend your life in rapture and diversion;

for our return is to a forgiving Lord.

for our return is to a forgiving Lord.

وأنفِق ما ملكتَ ولا تبالِ

وأنفِق ما ملكتَ ولا تبالِ

فناصرُنا ثراءٌ للفقير

فناصرُنا ثراءٌ للفقير

Spend whatever you possess and pay it no mind,

And spend whatever you possess, without a care,

for our Nāṣir is riches to the poor.

for our Nasir is wealth to the poor.

فنحن بفضله وندى يديه

فنحن بفضله وندى يديه

كمَن آوى إلى روضٍ نضير

كمَن آوى إلى روضٍ نضير

Through his bounty and the largesse of his hands, we are

For we, through his bounty and the dew of his hands,

like one who has taken refuge in a flourishing garden.

are like one who has found shelter in a lush meadow.

ولا زلنا بشرعته وروداً

ولا زلنا بشرعته وروداً

وُرودَ الهيم من عَذبٍ نمير

وُرودَ الهيم من عَذبٍ نمير

We have never ceased coming to his watering place,

And may we never cease coming to his watering place,

as thirst-maddened camels come to sweet, abundant water.

as parched camels come to sweet, pure water.