كَيفَ النُزوعُ عَنِ الصِبا وَالكاسِ

كَيفَ النُزوعُ عَنِ الصِبا وَالكاسِ

قِس ذا لَنا يا عاذِلي بِقِياسِ

قِس ذا لَنا يا عاذِلي بِقِياسِ

How can one renounce youth and the winecup?

How to abstain from youth and wine

How can I turn away from youthful passion and the cup?

Judge this for us, O my reproacher, by analogy.

Judge that for us, O reproacher by measure

Apply your logic here for us, O you who cast the blame.

وَإِذا عَدَدتُ سِنِيَّ كَم هِيَ لَم أَجِد

وَإِذا عَدَدتُ سِنِيَّ كَم هِيَ لَم أَجِد

لِلشَيبِ عُذراً في النُزولِ بِراسي

لِلشَيبِ عُذراً في النُزولِ بِراسي

And when I counted how many years were mine, I found no

And if I number my years how many are they, I cannot find

When I count up my years—however few they seem to be—

Excuse for gray hair to settle upon my head.

For gray hair an excuse in letting it fall on my head

I find no just excuse for gray to settle on my head.

قالوا شَمِطتَ فَقُلتُ ما شَمِطَت يَدي

قالوا شَمِطتَ فَقُلتُ ما شَمِطَت يَدي

عَن أَن تَحُثَّ إِلى فَمي بِالكاسِ

عَن أَن تَحُثَّ إِلى فَمي بِالكاسِ

They said, “You have grown gray.” So I said, “My hand has not grown too gray

They said, you wrenched it, so I said, my hand has not wrenched

They said, "You have gone gray." I said, "My hand has not gone gray,

To hurry the winecup to my mouth.”

From urging to my mouth the goblet

Too weak to lift the brimming goblet to my waiting mouth."

صَفراءُ زانَ رُوائَها مَخبورُها

صَفراءُ زانَ رُوائَها مَخبورُها

فَلَها المُهَذَّبُ مِن ثَناءِ الحاسي

فَلَها المُهَذَّبُ مِن ثَناءِ الحاسي

A golden wine whose proven quality enhances its beauty;

Yellow, adorned are its meads boiled

A yellow vintage, whose tested proof adorns its form,

So it deserves the drinker’s choicest praise.

So for it is the refined praise of the taster

To which the taster offers up his most refined praise.

وَكَأَنَّ شارِبَها لِفَرطِ شُعاعِها

وَكَأَنَّ شارِبَها لِفَرطِ شُعاعِها

بِاللَيلِ يَكرَعُ في سَنا مِقباسِ

بِاللَيلِ يَكرَعُ في سَنا مِقباسِ

And its drinker, so intense is its radiance, seems

And as if its drinker from the excess of its radiance

It is as if the drinker, for the sheer force of its beams,

At night to drink deep of a torch’s glow.

In the night swallows in the brightness of the lamp’s flame

Were sipping, in the dark of night, the light of a torch.

وَأَلَذَّ مِن إِنعامِ خُلَّةِ عاشِقٍ

وَأَلَذَّ مِن إِنعامِ خُلَّةِ عاشِقٍ

نالَتهُ بَعدَ تَصَعُّبٍ وَشِماسِ

نالَتهُ بَعدَ تَصَعُّبٍ وَشِماسِ

And it is sweeter than the favor of a lover’s beloved,

And sweeter than the favor of the privacy of a lover

More sweet than favors granted by a recalcitrant lover,

Bestowed on him after resistance and defiance.

That met him after difficulty and aloofness

Won only after long refusal and distinct disdain.

فَالراحُ طَيِّبَةٌ وَلَيسَ تَمامُها

فَالراحُ طَيِّبَةٌ وَلَيسَ تَمامُها

إِلّا بِطيبِ خَلائِقِ الجُلّاسِ

إِلّا بِطيبِ خَلائِقِ الجُلّاسِ

So wine is delightful, yet its perfection lies

So comfort is a perfume, and its perfection

For wine is good, and yet its goodness is not complete

Only in the good character of the drinking companions.

Is only in the scent of the fine companions

Without the noble nature of one's drinking companions.

فَإِذا نَزَعتُ عَنِ الغَوايَةِ فَليَكُن

فَإِذا نَزَعتُ عَنِ الغَوايَةِ فَليَكُن

لِلَّهِ ذاكَ النَزعُ لا لِلناسِ

لِلَّهِ ذاكَ النَزعُ لا لِلناسِ

So if I renounce waywardness, let

So if I abstain from misguidance let

So if I must renounce this wayward path of error,

That renunciation be for God, not for people.

That abstinence be for God, not people

Then let that renunciation be for God, not for men.

وَإِذا أَرَدتَ مَديحَ قَومٍ لَم تَمِن

وَإِذا أَرَدتَ مَديحَ قَومٍ لَم تَمِن

في مَدحِهِم فَاِمدَح بَني العَبّاسِ

في مَدحِهِم فَاِمدَح بَني العَبّاسِ

And if you wish to praise a people without lying

And if you want to praise people from whom you expect

And if you seek to praise a people without falsehood

In their praise, then praise the sons of al-Abbas.

No praise, then praise the Abbasids

In laudatory verse, then praise the Banu Abbas.