لاdo not تَبكِweep بَعدَafter تَفَرُّقِthe parting of الخُلَطاءِthe companions
لا تَبكِ بَعدَ تَفَرُّقِ الخُلَطاءِ
وَاِكسِرand break بِمائِكَwith your water سَورَةَthe fierceness of الصَهباءِthe tawny wine
وَاِكسِر بِمائِكَ سَورَةَ الصَهباءِ
Do not weep after the companions have parted;
Do not weep after the parting of friends
Do not weep over the scattering of friends who depart,
And quell the tawny wine's fury with your water.
And break the spell of sorrow with your tears
But break the reddish vintage's might with water's art.
فَإِذاthen when رَأَيتَyou see خُضوعَهاher submission لِمِزاجِهاto her admixture
فَإِذا رَأَيتَ خُضوعَها لِمِزاجِها
فَمُرَنthen bid يَدَيكَyour two hands بِعِفَّةٍwith chastity وَحَياءِand modesty
فَمُرَن يَدَيكَ بِعِفَّةٍ وَحَياءِ
Then, when you see her yield to her admixture,
When you see it submit to its constitution
And when you see her yield to the mixture's sway,
Bid your hands act with chastity and modesty.
Restrain your hands with chastity and shyness
Direct your hands with grace and a modest way.
وَمُدامَةٍand a wine سَجَدَbowed down المُلوكَthe kings لِذِكرِهاat her mention
وَمُدامَةٍ سَجَدَ المُلوكَ لِذِكرِها
جَلَّتshe was exalted عَنِbeyond التَصريحِexplicit utterance بِالأَسماءِof names
جَلَّت عَنِ التَصريحِ بِالأَسماءِ
And a wine at whose mention kings bowed down,
With an intoxicant kings have bowed down before
A wine before whose mention kings bow down their heads,
Too exalted to be named outright.
Too exalted to be named explicitly
Too majestic to be named by what language spreads.
شَمطاءُgray-haired تَذكُرُshe remembers آدَماًAdam مَعwith شيثِهِhis Seth
شَمطاءُ تَذكُرُ آدَماً مَع شيثِهِ
وَتُخَبِّرُand she recounts الأَخبارَthe tales عَنabout حَوّاءِEve
وَتُخَبِّرُ الأَخبارَ عَن حَوّاءِ
Gray-haired, she remembers Adam and his Seth,
A brazen one who recalls Adam and his Seth
An ancient crone remembering Adam and his Seth,
And tells tales of Eve.
And tells the tales of Eve unabashed
Who recounts the tales of Eve with every breath.
صاغَfashioned المِزاجُthe admixture لَهاfor her مِثالَa likeness of زَبَرجَدٍchrysolite
صاغَ المِزاجُ لَها مِثالَ زَبَرجَدٍ
مُتَأَلِّقٍglittering بِبَدائِعِwith the wonders of الأَضواءِthe lights
مُتَأَلِّقٍ بِبَدائِعِ الأَضواءِ
The admixture fashioned for her a likeness of chrysolite,
Nature molded her in the form of aquamarine
The mixture molds a peridot form within the glass,
Glittering with wondrous lights.
Dazzling with the wonders of lights
Sparkling with wonders of light that none surpass.
فَالخَمرُthus the wine فيناamong us كَالبِجاديlike garnet حُمرَةًin redness
فَالخَمرُ فينا كَالبِجادي حُمرَةً
وَالكَأسُand the goblet مِنof ياقوتَةٍa sapphire بَيضاءِwhite
وَالكَأسُ مِن ياقوتَةٍ بَيضاءِ
Thus the wine among us is as red as garnet,
So wine in us is like crimson silk
The wine among us glows like garnet, deep and red,
And the goblet is of white sapphire.
And the cup a white sapphire
Within a cup of white ruby, beautifully spread.
وَالكوبُand the cup يَضحَكُlaughs كَالغَزالِlike a gazelle مُسَبِّحاًpraising God
وَالكوبُ يَضحَكُ كَالغَزالِ مُسَبِّحاً
عِندَduring الرُكوعِthe bowing بِلَثغَةِwith the lisp of الفَأفاءِthe stammerer
عِندَ الرُكوعِ بِلَثغَةِ الفَأفاءِ
And the cup laughs like a gazelle, chanting praises,
The goblet laughs like a gazelle glorifying
The goblet laughs like a fawn in chanting prayer,
As it bows, with a stammerer's lisp.
At the bow with a lisp of wonder
Bowing with a stuttering lisp upon the air.
وَكَأَنَّand as though أَقداحَthe goblets of الزُجاجِglass إِذاwhen جَرَتthey pass around
وَكَأَنَّ أَقداحَ الزُجاجِ إِذا جَرَت
وَسطَamid الظَلامِthe darkness كَواكِبُthe stars of Orion الجَوزاءِOrion
وَسطَ الظَلامِ كَواكِبُ الجَوزاءِ
And the glass goblets, when they pass around,
And it's as if when the glass decanters flow
As though the crystal cups, as they circulate and run
Seem Orion's stars amid the darkness.
Amid the darkness, they are stars in the Zodiac
Amidst the darkness, were the stars of Orion.
يَسعىhastens بِهاwith them مَنfrom وُلدِthe offspring of يافِثِJapheth أَحوَرٌdark-eyed
يَسعى بِها مَن وُلدِ يافِثِ أَحوَرٌ
كَقَضيبِlike a shoot of بانٍa ben tree فَوقَabove دِعصِa rounded mound of نَقاءِpure sand
كَقَضيبِ بانٍ فَوقَ دِعصِ نَقاءِ
A dark-eyed descendant of Japheth hastens with them,
They're brought by one born of limping Japheth
A wide-eyed son of Japheth bears the cup around,
Like a ben-tree shoot atop a mound of pure sand.
Like a rod atop the udder of an immaculate she-camel
Like a willow branch above a dune of sandy ground.
وَفَتىًand a youth كَأَطوَعِlike the most compliant of مَنthose whom رَأَيتَyou have seen إِذاwhen اِنتَشىhe became tipsy
وَفَتىً كَأَطوَعِ مَن رَأَيتَ إِذا اِنتَشى
غَنّىhe sang بِحُسنِwith fine لَباقَةٍtact وَحَياءِand modesty
غَنّى بِحُسنِ لَباقَةٍ وَحَياءِ
And a youth, as compliant as any you have seen, when tipsy,
And a lad more docile than any you've seen
A youth most pliant to the will when wine takes hold,
Sang with graceful tact and modesty.
When elated, sang of grace and propriety
He sings with fine elegance and modesty untold.
عَلِقَbecame caught الهَوىdesire بِحَبائِلِin the snares of الشَعتاءِal-Shaʿtāʾ
عَلِقَ الهَوى بِحَبائِلِ الشَعتاءِ
وَالمَوتُand death بَعضُis among حَبائِلِthe snares of الأَهواءِthe passions
وَالمَوتُ بَعضُ حَبائِلِ الأَهواءِ
Desire was caught in al-Shaʿtāʾ's snares,
Passion clung to the ropes of the disheveled one
Passion clings to the snares of the disheveled fair,
And death is among the snares of passion.
While death clutched the ropes of desires
And death is but a part of passion’s fatal snare.
Sol 6.1