أَلا فَاسقِني خَمراً وَقُل لي هِيَ الخَمرُ

أَلا فَاسقِني خَمراً وَقُل لي هِيَ الخَمرُ

وَلا تَسقِني سِرّاً إِذا أَمكَنَ الجَهرُ

وَلا تَسقِني سِرّاً إِذا أَمكَنَ الجَهرُ

Ah, pour me wine, and tell me, 'It is wine.'

Pour me some wine, and say to me: "It is wine,"

And do not pour for me in secret when it can be done openly.

And do not serve me in secret if it can be done openly.

فَما العَيشُ إِلّا سَكرَةٌ بَعدَ سَكرَةٍ

فَما العَيشُ إِلّا سَكرَةٌ بَعدَ سَكرَةٍ

فَإِن طالَ هَذا عِندَهُ قَصُرَ الدَهرُ

فَإِن طالَ هَذا عِندَهُ قَصُرَ الدَهرُ

For life is nothing but one bout of drunkenness after another.

For life is nothing but intoxication after intoxication,

For if this lasts long, time beside it grows short.

And if this state endures, the span of time feels brief.

وَما الغَبنُ إِلّا أَن تَرانِيَ صاحِياً

وَما الغَبنُ إِلّا أَن تَرانِيَ صاحِياً

وَما الغُنمُ إِلّا أَن يُتَعتِعُني السُكرُ

وَما الغُنمُ إِلّا أَن يُتَعتِعُني السُكرُ

And the only loss is your seeing me sober;

True loss is nothing but that you see me sober,

And the only gain is drunkenness making me stagger.

And true gain is nothing but that drunkenness leaves me reeling.

فَبِح بِاسمِ مَن تَهوى وَدَعني مِنَ الكِنى

فَبِح بِاسمِ مَن تَهوى وَدَعني مِنَ الكِنى

فَلا خَيرَ في اللَذّاتِ مِن دونِها سِترُ

فَلا خَيرَ في اللَذّاتِ مِن دونِها سِترُ

So name aloud the one you love, and spare me bynames.

Speak the name of the one you love, and spare me the metaphors,

For there is no good in pleasures hidden behind a veil.

For there is no good in pleasures hidden behind a veil.

وَلا خَيرَ في فَتكٍ بِدونِ مُجانَةٍ

وَلا خَيرَ في فَتكٍ بِدونِ مُجانَةٍ

وَلا في مَجونٍ لَيسَ يَتبَعُهُ كُفرُ

وَلا في مَجونٍ لَيسَ يَتبَعُهُ كُفرُ

And no good in reckless daring without shamelessness,

There is no good in bold vice without open shamelessness,

Nor in debauchery not followed by unbelief.

Nor in debauchery that is not followed by disbelief.

بِكُلِّ أَخي فَتكٍ كَأَنَّ جَبينَهُ

بِكُلِّ أَخي فَتكٍ كَأَنَّ جَبينَهُ

هِلالٌ وَقَد حَفَّت بِهِ الأَنجُمُ الزُهرُ

هِلالٌ وَقَد حَفَّت بِهِ الأَنجُمُ الزُهرُ

With every daring fellow whose brow seems

With every brother of sin, whose forehead appears

A crescent, already ringed by brilliant stars.

Like a crescent moon surrounded by the radiant stars.

وَخَمّارَةٍ نَبَّهتُها بَعدَ هَجعَةٍ

وَخَمّارَةٍ نَبَّهتُها بَعدَ هَجعَةٍ

وَقَد غابَتِ الجَوزاءُ وَارتَفَعَ النِسرُ

وَقَد غابَتِ الجَوزاءُ وَارتَفَعَ النِسرُ

And a wine-selling woman I woke after a slumber,

And a mistress of the tavern I roused from her slumber,

When Orion had set and the Eagle had risen.

When Gemini had set and the Eagle star had risen.

فَقالَت مَنِ الطُرّاقِ قُلنا عِصابَةً

فَقالَت مَنِ الطُرّاقِ قُلنا عِصابَةً

خِفافُ الأَداوي يُبتَغى لَهُمُ خَمرُ

خِفافُ الأَداوي يُبتَغى لَهُمُ خَمرُ

She said, 'Who are the night callers?' We said, 'A band,

She asked, "Who comes knocking?" We replied, "A band

Whose leather flasks are light, for whom wine is sought;

With empty waterskins, seeking wine for their need."

وَلابُدَّ أَن يَزنوا فَقالَت أَوِ الفِدا

وَلابُدَّ أَن يَزنوا فَقالَت أَوِ الفِدا

بِأَبلَجَ كَالدينارِ في طَرفِهِ فَترُ

بِأَبلَجَ كَالدينارِ في طَرفِهِ فَترُ

And they must fornicate.' She said, 'Or a ransom

"And they are bound to commit sin." She said, "Or would you take a ransom

With a bright-faced man like a dinar, with languor in his gaze.'

Of a fair-faced lad like a gold coin, with languor in his eye?"

فَقُلنا لَها هاتيهِ ما إِن لِمِثلِنا

فَقُلنا لَها هاتيهِ ما إِن لِمِثلِنا

فَدَيناكَ بِالأَهلينَ عَن مِثلِ ذا صَبرُ

فَدَيناكَ بِالأَهلينَ عَن مِثلِ ذا صَبرُ

We said to her, 'Bring him! The likes of us have no—

We said to her, "Bring him out! For the likes of us—

May we ransom you with our families—patience to forgo one like this.'

May we ransom you with our kin—have no patience to resist such a one."

فَجاءَت بِهِ كَالبَدرِ لَيلَةَ تِمِّهِ

فَجاءَت بِهِ كَالبَدرِ لَيلَةَ تِمِّهِ

تَخالُ بِهِ سِحراً وَلَيسَ بِهِ سِحرُ

تَخالُ بِهِ سِحراً وَلَيسَ بِهِ سِحرُ

So she brought him, like the full moon on the night of its fullness.

So she came with him, like the full moon on its perfect night;

You would think there was magic in him, though no magic was in him.

You would imagine magic in him, yet he bears no spell.

فَقُمنا إِلَيهِ واحِداً بَعدَ واحِدٍ

فَقُمنا إِلَيهِ واحِداً بَعدَ واحِدٍ

فَكانَ بِهِ مِن صَومِ غُربَتِنا الفِطرُ

فَكانَ بِهِ مِن صَومِ غُربَتِنا الفِطرُ

Then we approached him, one after another,

Then we rose toward him, one following another,

And through him the fast of our exile was broken.

And in him found the breaking of the fast of our deprivation.

فَبِتنا يَرانا اللَهُ شَرَّ عِصابَةٍ

فَبِتنا يَرانا اللَهُ شَرَّ عِصابَةٍ

نُجَرِّرُ أَذيالَ الفُسوقِ وَلا فَخرُ

نُجَرِّرُ أَذيالَ الفُسوقِ وَلا فَخرُ

So we spent the night, God seeing us as the worst of bands,

So we spent the night, God seeing us as the vilest of troupes,

Dragging the skirts of depravity—and no boast intended.

Trailing the skirts of iniquity—and I claim no glory.