وَنابِهٍ في الهَوى لَنا ناسِ

وَنابِهٍ في الهَوى لَنا ناسِ

قَطَّعَ لي بِالهِجرانِ أَنفاسي

قَطَّعَ لي بِالهِجرانِ أَنفاسي

And one renowned in love, forgetful of us,

My love is fickle though I pine for her,

And one of noble standing in love, yet forgetful of us,

Cut my breaths short through abandonment.

She severed my breath with her disdain,

Has severed my very breath through abandonment.

لَستُ لَها واصِفاً مَخافَةَ أَن

لَستُ لَها واصِفاً مَخافَةَ أَن

يَعرِفَ ما بي جَماعَةُ الناسِ

يَعرِفَ ما بي جَماعَةُ الناسِ

I do not describe her, for fear that

I'm loathe to describe her for fear the folk

I will not describe her, for fear that

The people at large should learn what ails me.

Should learn what ails me—no cure they contain.

The gathering of people might discover what ails me.

أَكثَرُ وَصفي لَها شِكايَةُ ما

أَكثَرُ وَصفي لَها شِكايَةُ ما

فيها قَضى اللَهُ لي عَلى راسي

فيها قَضى اللَهُ لي عَلى راسي

Most of my description of her is lament for what

My greatest depiction of her is to speak

The bulk of my description regarding her is a complaint

God has decreed upon my head on her account.

Of the fate God decreed for me, set in stone.

Of what God has decreed upon my head regarding her.

يُطمِعُني لَحظُها وَيُؤنِسُني

يُطمِعُني لَحظُها وَيُؤنِسُني

بِاللَفظِ مِنها فُؤادُها القاسي

بِاللَفظِ مِنها فُؤادُها القاسي

Her glance gives me hope, and I am comforted

Her glance kindles hope, her harsh heart consoles

Her glance tempts me with hope, while I am comforted

Through her words, by her hard heart.

With the sound of her voice my own.

By the words spoken from her cruel heart.

فَصِرتُ بِاللَحظِ مِن مُعَذِّبَتي

فَصِرتُ بِاللَحظِ مِن مُعَذِّبَتي

وَاللَفظِ بَينَ الرَجاءِ وَالياسِ

وَاللَفظِ بَينَ الرَجاءِ وَالياسِ

So through my tormentress's glance I found myself

Thus by her gaze and voice oscillate

Thus I have become, between the glance of my tormentor

And through her words, between hope and despair.

Twixt hope and despair my days;

And her spoken words, suspended between hope and despair.

أَسعَدُ يَومٍ لَها حَظيتُ بِهِ

أَسعَدُ يَومٍ لَها حَظيتُ بِهِ

مَقالُها لي وَلَستُ بِالناسي

مَقالُها لي وَلَستُ بِالناسي

The happiest day with her that I enjoyed

The happiest day was when I heard her speak,

The happiest day I ever enjoyed in her company

Was when she spoke to me—and I shall not forget

Her words made all else fade.

Was when she spoke to me—and I shall never forget

لِذَلِكَ اليَومِ ما حَيِيتُ وَما

لِذَلِكَ اليَومِ ما حَيِيتُ وَما

تَرجَمَ قَولي سَوادُ أَنفاسي

تَرجَمَ قَولي سَوادُ أَنفاسي

That day as long as I live, and as long as

For that day, as long as I draw breath

That day, for as long as I live, and as long as

The blackness of my breaths interprets my words.

My words cannot thank enough.

The darkness of my breath gives voice to my speech.

تَقولُ لي وَالمُدامُ مُرسَلَةٌ

تَقولُ لي وَالمُدامُ مُرسَلَةٌ

تُفيضُ حَولي نُفوسَ جُلّاسي

تُفيضُ حَولي نُفوسَ جُلّاسي

She says to me, as the wine is passed around,

She said, and the wine flowed free in our midst,

She speaks to me while the wine flows freely,

Pouring out my companions' souls around me:

My drinking companions in revels lost,

Flooding the souls of my drinking companions around me:

هَل لَكَ أَن تَطرُدَ النُعاسَ فَقَد

هَل لَكَ أَن تَطرُدَ النُعاسَ فَقَد

طابَ اِنضِواعُ المُدامِ وَالآسِ

طابَ اِنضِواعُ المُدامِ وَالآسِ

"Would you care to drive drowsiness away? For now

"Can you banish sleep? For the night invites

"Would you care to banish drowsiness? For indeed,

The wafting scent of wine and myrtle has grown sweet."

To the wine and companionship we have crossed."

The fragrance of the wine and myrtle has grown sweet."

قُلتُ لَها فَاِبتَدي وَهاتي فَما

قُلتُ لَها فَاِبتَدي وَهاتي فَما

حَسَوتِ مِنها فَإِنَّني حاسِ

حَسَوتِ مِنها فَإِنَّني حاسِ

I said to her, "Then begin and hand it over; for whatever

I said "Start pouring and keep it coming,

I said to her, "Then begin, and pass it to me; for whatever

You sip of it, I too shall sip."

For I've tasted nothing yet of your draft."

You sip from it, I too shall sip."

وَغايَتي أَن أَنالَ فَضلَتَها

وَغايَتي أَن أَنالَ فَضلَتَها

في الكَأسِ مِن شُربِها أَوِ الطاسِ

في الكَأسِ مِن شُربِها أَوِ الطاسِ

And my aim was to obtain what she left

My only aim is to gain her leftovers,

My sole intent being to obtain her leftovers

In the cup or drinking bowl after she had drunk.

Be it the cup or the spill on her shaft.

Remaining in the cup or goblet from her draught.

ثُمَّ أَظُنُّ الحِذارَ نَبَّهَها

ثُمَّ أَظُنُّ الحِذارَ نَبَّهَها

وَما بِها قَد أَرَدتُ مِن باسِ

وَما بِها قَد أَرَدتُ مِن باسِ

Then, I think, caution alerted her,

But propriety, I guess, gave her pause

Then, I believe, caution alerted her,

Though I had intended no harm to her.

As that was not my intent in this farce.

Though I intended no harm towards her.

قالَت فَدَع عَنكَ الاِحتِيالَ لِما

قالَت فَدَع عَنكَ الاِحتِيالَ لِما

أَرَدتَ سُكري لَهُ وَإِنعاسي

أَرَدتَ سُكري لَهُ وَإِنعاسي

She said, "Give up your scheming to achieve what

She said "Cease your tricks to get what you wish—

She said, "Cast aside this trickery regarding

You wanted me drunk and drowsy for."

My drunkenness and my sleep take their course."

That for which you sought my intoxication and slumber."

أَعرَضتُ عَنها وَقَد فَهِمتُ لِكَي

أَعرَضتُ عَنها وَقَد فَهِمتُ لِكَي

تَحسَبَ أَنّي لِقَولِها ناسِ

تَحسَبَ أَنّي لِقَولِها ناسِ

I turned away from her, though I understood, so that

I shrugged as though her words meant nothing,

I turned away from her—having understood—so that

She would think I had forgotten her words.

So she'd think them no barb in my side.

She might suppose I was oblivious to her remark.

ثُمَّ دَعَتها المُدامُ مِن كَثَبٍ

ثُمَّ دَعَتها المُدامُ مِن كَثَبٍ

وَاللَيلُ ذو سُدفَةٍ وَإِدماسِ

وَاللَيلُ ذو سُدفَةٍ وَإِدماسِ

Then the wine called to her from close by,

Then the wine beckoned with mischievous glint

Then the wine called out to her from close at hand,

While the night was full of gloom and darkness.

In the deep of the liquored night.

While the night was veiled in darkness and shadow.

فَاِحتَلَبَت زِقَّنا فَمَجَّ بِها

فَاِحتَلَبَت زِقَّنا فَمَجَّ بِها

في الكَأسِ راحاً كَضَوءِ مِقباسِ

في الكَأسِ راحاً كَضَوءِ مِقباسِ

So she milked our wineskin, and it spat forth

She milked the wineskin, and in the cup poured

She milked our wineskin, and it poured forth for her

Into the cup wine like the light of a firebrand.

A drink like the gleam of an oil lamp emblazed.

Into the cup, a wine luminous as a torch's flame.

ثُمَّ تَحَسَّت حَتّى إِذا شَرِبَت

ثُمَّ تَحَسَّت حَتّى إِذا شَرِبَت

نِصفاً كَما قيسَ لي بِمِقياسِ

نِصفاً كَما قيسَ لي بِمِقياسِ

Then she sipped until, when she had drunk

She sipped, till halfway she stopped, just the portion

Then she sipped, and when she had drunk

Half, as though measured for me with a measure,

Allotted me, in my presence appraised.

Exactly half, as if measured out for me by gauge,

نازَعتُها الكَأسَ فيهِ فُضلَتُها

نازَعتُها الكَأسَ فيهِ فُضلَتُها

فَفُزتُ بِالكَأسِ بَعدَ إِمراسِ

فَفُزتُ بِالكَأسِ بَعدَ إِمراسِ

I struggled with her for the cup, with her leavings in it,

I grabbed at the cup for what remained inside,

I wrestled the cup from her, containing her dregs,

And won the cup after a struggle.

And won it after a tussle, wine flying wide!

And I won the prize of the cup after a struggle.

فَكادَتِ النَفسُ لِلسُرورِ بِها

فَكادَتِ النَفسُ لِلسُرورِ بِها

تَخرُجُ بَينَ المُدامِ وَالكاسِ

تَخرُجُ بَينَ المُدامِ وَالكاسِ

So my soul, for joy in it, nearly

From the contest and the wine my soul sprouted wings

So that my soul, for the sheer joy of it, almost

Escaped between the wine and the cup.

Poised between cup and mistress beside.

Departed my body between the wine and the cup.