لَعَمري ما تَهيجُ الكَأسُ شَوقي

لَعَمري ما تَهيجُ الكَأسُ شَوقي

وَلَكِن وَجهُ ساقيها شَجاني

وَلَكِن وَجهُ ساقيها شَجاني

By my life, it is not the cup that stirs my longing,

By my life, it is not the cup that stirs my longing,

but its cupbearer's face that has made me lovesick.

But the face of its bearer that afflicts me with passion.

حَسَدتُ الكَأسَ وَالإِبريقَ لَمّا

حَسَدتُ الكَأسَ وَالإِبريقَ لَمّا

بَدا لِيَ مِن يَدَي رَخصِ البَنانِ

بَدا لِيَ مِن يَدَي رَخصِ البَنانِ

I envied the cup and the ewer when

I envied the cup and the ewer when

they appeared before me in his tender-fingered hands.

They appeared to me in hands of delicate fingertips.

أَموتُ إِذا أَزالَ الكَأسَ عَنّي

أَموتُ إِذا أَزالَ الكَأسَ عَنّي

وَأَحيا مِن يَدَيهِ إِذا سَقاني

وَأَحيا مِن يَدَيهِ إِذا سَقاني

I die when he takes the cup away from me,

I die if he removes the cup from me,

and revive at his hands when he gives me drink.

And I revive by his hands when he gives me drink.

فَلي سُكرانِ مِنهُ سُكرُ طَرفٍ

فَلي سُكرانِ مِنهُ سُكرُ طَرفٍ

وَسُكرٌ مِن رَحيقٍ خُسرَواني

وَسُكرٌ مِن رَحيقٍ خُسرَواني

So I have two intoxications from him: one from a glance,

I possess two intoxications from him: the intoxication of a glance,

and one from pure Khusrawani wine.

And the intoxication of a nectar fit for Khosrow.

تَجَمَّعُ فيهِ أَصنافُ المَعاني

تَجَمَّعُ فيهِ أَصنافُ المَعاني

فَما يُلفى لَهُ في الحُسنِ ثانِ

فَما يُلفى لَهُ في الحُسنِ ثانِ

In him every kind of charm is gathered,

In him, all varieties of aesthetic meaning are gathered,

so no equal to him in beauty can be found.

So that no second can be found to match his beauty.

إِذا ظَفِرَت بِهِ كَفّي اِستَفادَت

إِذا ظَفِرَت بِهِ كَفّي اِستَفادَت

لِنَفسي عَن تَجَمُّعِها الأَماني

لِنَفسي عَن تَجَمُّعِها الأَماني

When my hand takes hold of him, it gains

If my palm were to succeed in holding him, it would secure

for my soul, from those gathered charms, all it desires.

For my soul the realization of all its gathered hopes.

أَعَزُّ العَيشِ وَصلُ المُردِ دَهري

أَعَزُّ العَيشِ وَصلُ المُردِ دَهري

وَبُؤسُ العَيشِ وَصلي لِلغَواني

وَبُؤسُ العَيشِ وَصلي لِلغَواني

All my days, the best of life is union with beardless youths,

The most precious life, for all my time, is union with young men,

and life's misery is my union with beautiful women.

And the misery of life is my union with maidens.

مُعاقَرَةُ المُدامِ بِوَجهِ ظَبيٍ

مُعاقَرَةُ المُدامِ بِوَجهِ ظَبيٍ

حَوى في الحُسنِ غاياتِ الرِهانِ

حَوى في الحُسنِ غاياتِ الرِهانِ

Drinking wine before the face of a gazelle

To drink old wine in the presence of a gazelle

who has reached the farthest goals in beauty's race—

Who has claimed the highest stakes in the wager of beauty.

إِذا ما اِفتَرَّ قُلتُ رَفيفُ بَرقٍ

إِذا ما اِفتَرَّ قُلتُ رَفيفُ بَرقٍ

وَإِمّا اِهتَزَّ قُلتُ قَضيبُ بانِ

وَإِمّا اِهتَزَّ قُلتُ قَضيبُ بانِ

when he smiles, I say, “A flicker of lightning!”

When he smiles, I say: "A flash of lightning,"

and if he sways, I say, “A bough of the ban tree!”—

And when he sways, I say: "A branch of the ban-tree."

أَلَذُّ إِلَيَّ مِن عَيشٍ بِوادٍ

أَلَذُّ إِلَيَّ مِن عَيشٍ بِوادٍ

مَعَ الأَعرابِ مَجدوبِ المَكانِ

مَعَ الأَعرابِ مَجدوبِ المَكانِ

is sweeter to me than life in a valley

This is more delightful to me than life in a valley,

among the Bedouins, where the land is barren.

Living with Bedouins in a barren, desolate place.

قُصارى عَيشِهِم أَكلٌ لِضَبٍّ

قُصارى عَيشِهِم أَكلٌ لِضَبٍّ

وَشُربٌ مِن حَفيرٍ في شِنانِ

وَشُربٌ مِن حَفيرٍ في شِنانِ

The most their life offers is eating a spiny-tailed lizard

The height of their existence is the eating of lizards,

and drinking from a waterhole out of worn-out waterskins.

And drinking from a dug-out pit in worn-out skins.