طَرِبتُ إِلى خَمرٍ وَقَصفِ الدَساكِرِ

طَرِبتُ إِلى خَمرٍ وَقَصفِ الدَساكِرِ

وَمَنزِلِ دُهقانٍ بِها غَيرِ دائِرِ

وَمَنزِلِ دُهقانٍ بِها غَيرِ دائِرِ

I yearned for wine and revelry in the country estates,

I yearned for wine and cups overflowing,

I yearned for wine and the revelry of village halls,

And a Persian landowner's house there, untouched by ruin,

And the tent of a landlord where revelry played.

And a landlord's manor there, untouched by ruin,

بِفِتيانِ صِدقٍ مِن سَراةِ ابنِ مالِكٍ

بِفِتيانِ صِدقٍ مِن سَراةِ ابنِ مالِكٍ

وَأَزدِ عُمانٍ ذي العُلى وَالمَفاخِرِ

وَأَزدِ عُمانٍ ذي العُلى وَالمَفاخِرِ

With true-hearted youths from the nobles of Ibn Malik,

With sincere youths from the clan of Ibn Malik,

With trusty youths, the noble sons of Ibn Malik,

And the Azd of Oman, possessed of eminence and glories.

And the noble Azd of Oman of glory and pride.

And Azd of Oman, lords of glory and renown.

فَلَمّا حَلَلناها نَزَلنا بِأَشمَطٍ

فَلَمّا حَلَلناها نَزَلنا بِأَشمَطٍ

كَريمِ المُحَيّا ظاهِرِ الشِركِ كافِرِ

كَريمِ المُحَيّا ظاهِرِ الشِركِ كافِرِ

So when we arrived there, we lodged with a grizzled man,

When we arrived we stayed in Ashmaṭ,

When we arrived, we lodged with a gray-haired host,

Of noble countenance, openly a polytheist, an unbeliever.

Generous of welcome, blatant idol-worshipper.

Generous of face, a patent idolater, an infidel.

لَهُ دينُ قِسّيسٍ وَتَدبيرُ كاتِبٍ

لَهُ دينُ قِسّيسٍ وَتَدبيرُ كاتِبٍ

وَإِطراقُ جَبّارٍ وَأَلفاظُ شاعِرِ

وَإِطراقُ جَبّارٍ وَأَلفاظُ شاعِرِ

He had a priest's religion and a scribe's judgment,

He had the faith of a priest and the wits of a scribe,

He held a priest's belief and a scribe's precision,

And a tyrant's lowered gaze and a poet's words.

The pomp of a tyrant, and the words of a poet.

The solemn silence of a tyrant, and a poet's words.

فَحَيّا وَبَيّا ثُمَّ قالَ لَنا اربِعوا

فَحَيّا وَبَيّا ثُمَّ قالَ لَنا اربِعوا

نَزَلتُم بِنا رَحباً بِأَيمَنِ طائِرِ

نَزَلتُم بِنا رَحباً بِأَيمَنِ طائِرِ

He greeted and welcomed us, then said to us, 'Stay awhile;

He bade us welcome and stay, then said “Settle down,

He greeted and welcomed us, then said, "Alight here,

You have lodged with us—welcome!—under the most auspicious omen.'

You have come to us in blessed, auspicious time.”

You have found a spacious home, under a blessed omen."

فَقُلنا لَهُ إِنَّ المُدامَ غِذاؤنا

فَقُلنا لَهُ إِنَّ المُدامَ غِذاؤنا

وَإِنّا أُلو عَقلٍ وَأَهلُ بَصائِرِ

وَإِنّا أُلو عَقلٍ وَأَهلُ بَصائِرِ

So we told him, 'Wine is our nourishment,

We said “Wine is our food,

We said to him, "The aged wine is our nourishment,

And we are people of reason and insight.'

And we are wise and discerning folk.”

For we are men of intellect and insight."

فَجاءَ بِها قَد أَنهَكَ الغَموُ جِسمَها

فَجاءَ بِها قَد أَنهَكَ الغَموُ جِسمَها

وَأَوجَعَها في الصَيفِ حَرُّ الهَواجِرِ

وَأَوجَعَها في الصَيفِ حَرُّ الهَواجِرِ

Then he brought her, her body weakened by confinement,

So he brought it, though toil had wasted his body,

He brought her forth—her body wasted by long sealing,

And summer's noonday heat had pained her.

And summer heat pained him, in the blazing noon.

And pained in summer by the heat of blazing noons.

فَقُلتُ لَها لَمّا أَضاءَ سَناؤُها

فَقُلتُ لَها لَمّا أَضاءَ سَناؤُها

عَلى صَحنِ كَأسٍ قَد عَلا الكَفَّ زاهِرِ

عَلى صَحنِ كَأسٍ قَد عَلا الكَفَّ زاهِرِ

Then I said to her, when her radiance shone

When her radiance shone in the wine-cup,

I said to her, when her radiance illuminated

On the bowl of a gleaming cup raised above the palm,

Rising above it, blossoming and bright,

The hollow of the cup held by a shining hand:

أَبيني لَنا يا خَمرُ كَم لَكِ حُجَّةً

أَبيني لَنا يا خَمرُ كَم لَكِ حُجَّةً

فَقالَت لَحاكَ اللَهُ لَستُ بِذاكِرِ

فَقالَت لَحاكَ اللَهُ لَستُ بِذاكِرِ

'Tell us, O wine, how many years have you lived?'

I said “Speak, wine, tell how long you have lived?”

"Reveal to us, O Wine, how many years you claim?"

She said, 'God curse you! I do not remember.

But she said “God spare you! I will not speak.”

She said, "God chide you! I am not one who remembers.

شَهِدتُ ثَموداً حينَ حَلَّ بِها البِلى

شَهِدتُ ثَموداً حينَ حَلَّ بِها البِلى

وَأَدرَكتُ أَيّاماً لِعَمرِ بنِ عامِرِ

وَأَدرَكتُ أَيّاماً لِعَمرِ بنِ عامِرِ

I witnessed Thamud when ruin befell them,

“I saw Thamud in the day they were destroyed,

I witnessed Thamud when destruction settled on them,

And lived through the days of Amr ibn Amir.'

And lived through the days of ‘Amr ibn ‘Aamir.”

And I attained the days of 'Amr son of 'Amir."

فَقُلنا أَنُسقاها عَلى وَجهِ أَهيَفٍ

فَقُلنا أَنُسقاها عَلى وَجهِ أَهيَفٍ

لَهُ تيهُ مَعشوقٍ وَشَخرَةُ شاطِرِ

لَهُ تيهُ مَعشوقٍ وَشَخرَةُ شاطِرِ

So we said, 'Shall we be served her, gazing on a slender youth's face,

We drank her down in great drafts,

We asked, "Shall we drink her before a slender youth,

Who has a beloved's haughtiness and a rogue's snort?'

Sipped by a fanciful, flirtatious sot,

Possessing a beloved's pride and a rogue's bravado?"

فَما زالَ هَذا دَأبُنا وَغِذاءَنا

فَما زالَ هَذا دَأبُنا وَغِذاءَنا

ثَلاثينَ يَوماً مَع لَيالٍ غَوابِرِ

ثَلاثينَ يَوماً مَع لَيالٍ غَوابِرِ

So this remained our habit and our nourishment

And this has been our way and nourishment

So this remained our custom and our sustenance,

For thirty days, with nights passing by.

For thirty days and dark, moonless nights.

For thirty days, along with passing nights.

تَرى عِندَنا ما يَكرَهُ اللَهُ كُلَّهُ

تَرى عِندَنا ما يَكرَهُ اللَهُ كُلَّهُ

سِوى الشُركِ بِالرَحمَنِ رَبِّ المَشاعِرِ

سِوى الشُركِ بِالرَحمَنِ رَبِّ المَشاعِرِ

You see among us all that God detests,

You will find us doing all that God hates,

You would see among us everything that God abhors,

Except associating partners with the Merciful, Lord of the sacred sites.

Except polytheism, service of idols.

Save for associating partners with the Merciful, Lord of the Rites.