لا تَحزَنَنَّ لِفُرقَةِ الأَقرانِ

لا تَحزَنَنَّ لِفُرقَةِ الأَقرانِ

وَاِقرِ الفُؤادَ بِمُذهِبِ الأَحزانِ

وَاِقرِ الفُؤادَ بِمُذهِبِ الأَحزانِ

Do not grieve over the parting of companions,

Do not grieve for the parting of companions,

Do not despair over the parting of friends,

and regale your heart with what banishes sorrow:

And reconcile your heart to the doctrine of sorrows,

But honor the heart with the banisher of grief;

بِمَصونَةٍ قَد صانَ بَهجَةَ كَأسِها

بِمَصونَةٍ قَد صانَ بَهجَةَ كَأسِها

كِنُّ الخُدورِ وَخاتَمُ الدَنّانِ

كِنُّ الخُدورِ وَخاتَمُ الدَنّانِ

with a guarded wine whose cup's beauty is preserved

With a keeper who has preserved the joy of her cup,

With a guarded vintage whose cup preserves its delight,

by the shelter of secluded chambers and the vintner's seal.

The bosom friend and the seal of beauty.

Hidden within veils and the seal of clay jars.

دَقَّت عَنِ اللَحَظاتِ حَتّى ما تَرى

دَقَّت عَنِ اللَحَظاتِ حَتّى ما تَرى

إِلّا اِلتِماعَ شُعاعِها العَينانِ

إِلّا اِلتِماعَ شُعاعِها العَينانِ

So subtle it eludes glances, until nothing is seen

She glanced away for a moment, until you see

So subtle against the glance that the eyes see nothing

by the two eyes but the gleam of its radiance.

Nothing but the convergence of her two eyes,

Save for the shimmer of its radiant beams,

وَكَأَنَّ لِلذَهَبِ المَذوبِ بِكَأسِها

وَكَأَنَّ لِلذَهَبِ المَذوبِ بِكَأسِها

بَحراً يَجيشُ بِأَعيُنِ الحيتانِ

بَحراً يَجيشُ بِأَعيُنِ الحيتانِ

And as though the molten gold within its cup

As if the melted gold in her cup

As though the molten gold within its chalice

had a sea surging with the eyes of fish.

Were an ocean churning in the eyes of whales,

Were a sea surging with the eyes of whales.

وَمُزَنَّرٍ قَد صُبَّ في قارورَةٍ

وَمُزَنَّرٍ قَد صُبَّ في قارورَةٍ

ريقَ السَحابِ عَلى النَجيعِ القاني

ريقَ السَحابِ عَلى النَجيعِ القاني

And a girdled cupbearer: into a flask was poured

And spiced wine poured into a flask

And a belted monk has poured into the flask

the clouds' saliva upon deep-crimson blood.

Was the saliva of clouds over slumbering meadows,

The moisture of clouds upon blood deep and red.

شَمسُ المُدامِ بِكَفِّهِ وَبِوَجهِهِ

شَمسُ المُدامِ بِكَفِّهِ وَبِوَجهِهِ

شَمسُ الجَمالِ فَبَينَنا شَمسانِ

شَمسُ الجَمالِ فَبَينَنا شَمسانِ

The sun of wine is in his palm, and in his face

The sun of wine in his palm and his face

The sun of wine is in his palm, and in his face

the sun of beauty: so among us are two suns.

Is the sun of beauty, so between us two suns,

Resides the sun of beauty; thus, two suns shine amongst us.

وَالشَمسُ تَطلَعُ مِن جِدارِ زُجاجِها

وَالشَمسُ تَطلَعُ مِن جِدارِ زُجاجِها

وَتَغيبُ حينَ تَغيبُ في الأَبدانِ

وَتَغيبُ حينَ تَغيبُ في الأَبدانِ

And the sun rises through the wall of its glass,

And the sun rises from the glass walls of her abode

The sun rises from the walls of its glass vessel,

and sets when it vanishes into bodies.

And sets when it sets in the bodies.

And sets only when it sinks into our bodies,

في مَجلِسٍ جَعَلَ السُرورُ جَناحَهُ

في مَجلِسٍ جَعَلَ السُرورُ جَناحَهُ

سِتراً لَهُ مِن ناظِرِ الحِدثانِ

سِتراً لَهُ مِن ناظِرِ الحِدثانِ

In a gathering where joy has made its wing

In a gathering where joy has made its wings

In a gathering where Joy has spread its wing

a screen for it against the eye of time's calamities.

A screen from the onlooker of the young,

As a veil against the prying eye of Fortune.

لا يَطرُقُ الأَسماعَ في أَرجائِهِ

لا يَطرُقُ الأَسماعَ في أَرجائِهِ

إِلّا تَرَنُّمُ أَلسُنِ العيدانِ

إِلّا تَرَنُّمُ أَلسُنِ العيدانِ

Nothing strikes the ears throughout its bounds

No ears are troubled in its boundaries

Nothing strikes the ears within its bounds

but the singing of the lutes' tongues,

Except the singing of merry tongues,

Save for the humming tongues of lutes,

أَو صَوتُ تَصفيقِ الجَليسِ تَطَرُّباً

أَو صَوتُ تَصفيقِ الجَليسِ تَطَرُّباً

وَبُكاءُ خابِيَةٍ وَضِحكُ قَناني

وَبُكاءُ خابِيَةٍ وَضِحكُ قَناني

or the sound of a companion clapping in delight,

Or the sound of a clapping companion enchanted

Or the sound of a companion clapping in rapture,

and a wine jar's weeping and bottles' laughter.

And the crying of a despondent one and the laughter of singers,

The weeping of the cask, and the laughter of flasks.

حَتّى إِذا اِشتَمَلَ الظَلامُ بِبُردِهِ

حَتّى إِذا اِشتَمَلَ الظَلامُ بِبُردِهِ

وَهَدا حَنينُ نَواقِسِ الرُهبانِ

وَهَدا حَنينُ نَواقِسِ الرُهبانِ

Until, when darkness wrapped itself in its mantle

Until when the darkness wraps with its cold

Until, when darkness wrapped us in its cloak

and the plaintive ringing of the monks' bells fell quiet,

And the longing of church bells subsides,

And the yearning toll of monks' bells fell silent,

أَلفَيتُهُ بَدراً يَلوحُ بِكَفِّهِ

أَلفَيتُهُ بَدراً يَلوحُ بِكَفِّهِ

بَدرٌ جَمَعتَهُما لِعَينِ الراني

بَدرٌ جَمَعتَهُما لِعَينِ الراني

I found him a full moon; in his palm shone

I found him a full moon waving with his hand,

I found him a full moon, bearing in his palm

a full moon—you joined them both for the beholder's eye.

A full moon, both brought together in the onlooker's eye.

Another full moon—I gathered them both for the beholder's eye.

ما زِلتُ أَشرَبُ كَأسَهُم مِن بَينِهِم

ما زِلتُ أَشرَبُ كَأسَهُم مِن بَينِهِم

عَمداً وَما بِيَ عَجزَةُ النَشوانِ

عَمداً وَما بِيَ عَجزَةُ النَشوانِ

I kept drinking their cup from among them,

I continued drinking their cup among them

I continued to drink their cup from amidst them,

deliberately, with no drunken man's weakness in me,

Deliberately, and I have no disability of intoxication,

Deliberately, though not from the weakness of intoxication,

لِأَنالَ مِنهُم عِندَ ذاكَ تَحِيَّةً

لِأَنالَ مِنهُم عِندَ ذاكَ تَحِيَّةً

إِمّا بِوَجهٍ أَو بِطَرفِ لِسانِ

إِمّا بِوَجهٍ أَو بِطَرفِ لِسانِ

to gain from them, at that moment, a greeting,

In order to gain from them then a greeting,

Only to steal a greeting from them in that moment,

either with a face or with the tip of a tongue.

Either with a face or the edge of a tongue.

Whether by a glance of the face or a tip of the tongue.