وَلَيلٍ اِبتَعتُ بِهِ لَذَّةً

وَلَيلٍ اِبتَعتُ بِهِ لَذَّةً

وَبِعتُ فيهِ العَقلَ وَالدينا

وَبِعتُ فيهِ العَقلَ وَالدينا

And a night in which I purchased delight,

And with a night I bought delight,

And sold, within it, reason and religion.

and in it sold my reason and my faith.

أَصابَ فيهِ الوَصلُ قَلبَ الجَوى

أَصابَ فيهِ الوَصلُ قَلبَ الجَوى

وَباتَ فيهِ الهَمُّ مِسكينا

وَباتَ فيهِ الهَمُّ مِسكينا

There union reached the very heart of anguish,

That night, union struck the heart of lovesick anguish,

And sorrow passed the night there, wretched.

and sorrow spent that night helpless.

وَقَد خَلَطنا بِنَسيمِ الصِبا

وَقَد خَلَطنا بِنَسيمِ الصِبا

نَسيمُ راحٍ وَرَياحينا

نَسيمُ راحٍ وَرَياحينا

We mingled with the zephyr’s breath

And we had mingled with the east wind's breeze

The breath of wine and our sweet basil.

the scent of wine and fragrant herbs.

وَأَكؤُسِ الراحِ نُجومٌ إِذا

وَأَكؤُسِ الراحِ نُجومٌ إِذا

لاحَت بِأَيدينا هَوَت فينا

لاحَت بِأَيدينا هَوَت فينا

The cups of wine were stars: whenever

And the winecups were stars: when

They gleamed in our hands, they fell into us.

they gleamed in our hands, they fell into us.

تَضحَكُ في الكَأسِ أَباريقُنا

تَضحَكُ في الكَأسِ أَباريقُنا

وَحَسبَما يَضحَكنَ يُبكينا

وَحَسبَما يَضحَكنَ يُبكينا

Our ewers laugh into the cup,

Our ewers laugh into the cup,

And even as they laugh, their laughter makes us weep.

and the more they laugh, the more they make us weep.

كَأَنَّ أَعلاها إِذا كُفِّرَت

كَأَنَّ أَعلاها إِذا كُفِّرَت

تَعقِدُ في الكَأسِ تَلابينا

تَعقِدُ في الكَأسِ تَلابينا

As though their tops, when veiled,

As though their tops, when made to bow,

Were stringing necklaces within the cup.

were thickening gruels within the cup.