لا تَبكِ لِلذاهِبينَ في الظُعُنِ

لا تَبكِ لِلذاهِبينَ في الظُعُنِ

وَلا تَقِف بِالمَطِيِّ في الدِمَنِ

وَلا تَقِف بِالمَطِيِّ في الدِمَنِ

Do not weep for those departing in the camel litters,

Weep not for those who left in sorrow's night,

Weep not for those who vanished in the caravan,

nor halt with the riding camels among the camp ruins.

Nor stand where roads end and journeys blight.

Nor halt your mount where ruined traces lie,

وَعُج بِنا نَصطَبِح مُعَتَّقَةً

وَعُج بِنا نَصطَبِح مُعَتَّقَةً

مِن كَفِّ ظَبيٍ يَسقيكَها فَطِنِ

مِن كَفِّ ظَبيٍ يَسقيكَها فَطِنِ

Turn aside with us to drink aged wine in the morning,

Come! Let's enjoy what morn's young hand presents

But turn with us to drink the vintage morning draught,

from the hand of a clever gazelle who serves it to you.

From a fawn's palm whilst keen with good intents.

From a clever gazelle’s hand who serves it forth.

تُخبِرُ عَن طيبِهِ مَحاسِنُهُ

تُخبِرُ عَن طيبِهِ مَحاسِنُهُ

مُكَحِّلٌ ناظِرَيهِ بِالفِتَنِ

مُكَحِّلٌ ناظِرَيهِ بِالفِتَنِ

His charms proclaim his sweetness;

His lovely looks do of his goodness tell;

His lovely features tell of his sweet nature,

he lines his eyes with the kohl of seduction.

Dark-lashed eyes take hearts prisoner and quell.

With kohl of sheer seduction round his eyes.

ما أَمَّتِ العَينُ مِنهُ ناحِيَةً

ما أَمَّتِ العَينُ مِنهُ ناحِيَةً

إِلّا أَقامَت مِنهُ عَلى حَسَنِ

إِلّا أَقامَت مِنهُ عَلى حَسَنِ

The eye turns to no part of him

I spied him not from any quarter but

The gaze directs not to a part of him,

without resting upon some beauty of his.

Saw there perfection, loveliness absolute.

But that it settles on a beauteous spot.

يُزهى بِخَدَّينِ سالَ فَوقَهُما

يُزهى بِخَدَّينِ سالَ فَوقَهُما

صُدغانِ قَد أَشرَفا عَلى الذَقَنِ

صُدغانِ قَد أَشرَفا عَلى الذَقَنِ

He glories in two cheeks over which flow

He's graced with cheeks whence flows a stream that waters

He boasts of cheeks upon which flow freely

two sidelocks already hanging over his chin.

Chin mounds rising o'er his collar's borders.

Two temple-locks that overlook the chin.

حَتّى إِذا ما الجَمالُ تَمَّ لَهُ

حَتّى إِذا ما الجَمالُ تَمَّ لَهُ

وَالظُرفُ قالا لَهُ كَذا فَكُنِ

وَالظُرفُ قالا لَهُ كَذا فَكُنِ

At last, when beauty had reached perfection in him,

Till perfection was completed in his charm,

Until, when beauty was complete in him,

and elegance too, they both told him, 'Be just so.'

Wit and grace proclaimed, 'Be thou shaped thus and form!'

And charm as well, they told him: "Be thou thus!"

نازَعتُهُ في الزُجاجِ مِثلَ دَمِ ال

نازَعتُهُ في الزُجاجِ مِثلَ دَمِ ال

شادِنِ تَنفي طَوارِقَ الحَزَنِ

شادِنِ تَنفي طَوارِقَ الحَزَنِ

I shared with him, in glass cups, wine like the blood of the

I vied with glass of wine red as his lips

I vied with him o'er cups like blood of fawns,

young gazelle, banishing sorrow's night visitors.

To drive away the woes that to sad bosoms cling.

That banish every onset of despair.

فَدَبَّتِ الراحُ في مَفاصِلِهِ

فَدَبَّتِ الراحُ في مَفاصِلِهِ

وَرَنَّقَت فيهِ فَترَةُ الوَسَنِ

وَرَنَّقَت فيهِ فَترَةُ الوَسَنِ

Then the wine crept through his joints,

The morning breeze then stirred in his slender waist,

Then through his joints the wine began to creep,

and the languor of drowsiness settled upon him.

As in his neck eve's languor interlaced.

And the languor of slumber clouded him.

قُلتُ لَهُ وَالكَرى يُغازِلُهُ

قُلتُ لَهُ وَالكَرى يُغازِلُهُ

هَل لَكَ في النَومِ قالَ لَم يَحِنِ

هَل لَكَ في النَومِ قالَ لَم يَحِنِ

I said to him, as slumber flirted with him,

I said, while passion courted him with yearning,

I asked him, while sleep flirted with his gaze,

'Would you care to sleep?' He said, 'It is not time yet.'

'Hast longing for sleep?' Said he, 'No, I've no burning

"Have you a mind for bed?" He said, "Not yet."

يُراقِبُ الصُبحَ أَن يَبينَ لَهُ

يُراقِبُ الصُبحَ أَن يَبينَ لَهُ

فَيَغتَدي سالِماً وَلَم يَهِنِ

فَيَغتَدي سالِماً وَلَم يَهِنِ

He watched for dawn to reveal itself to him,

Desire for slumber, but the morn I await

He watched the dawn, fearing it might appear,

so he could leave in the morning, safe and unweakened.

To rise up fresh, serene, sedate.'

That he might leave in safety, undemeaned.

حَتّى إِذا ما النُعاسُ أَقصَدَهُ

حَتّى إِذا ما النُعاسُ أَقصَدَهُ

نامَ فَنِلتُ السُرورَ مِن سَكَني

نامَ فَنِلتُ السُرورَ مِن سَكَني

Until, when drowsiness felled him,

But when drowsiness assailed him and held sway,

But when the heavy drowsiness struck true,

he slept, and I gained delight from my beloved.

He slept; and from his stillness joy I did convey.

He slept, and I obtained my heart's desire.

فَلَم أَقُل بَعدَما ظَفِرتُ بِهِ

فَلَم أَقُل بَعدَما ظَفِرتُ بِهِ

يا لَيتَ ما كانَ مِنهُ لَم يَكُنِ

يا لَيتَ ما كانَ مِنهُ لَم يَكُنِ

And after I had won him, I did not say,

When he was captured, I exclaimed in glee

And I said not, once I had won my prize,

'Oh, if only what came from him had never been!'

Not 'Would he had not been!' but 'Hail! What bliss for me!'

"Alas, I wish this deed had never been."

كَأَنَّنا وَالفُسوقُ يَجمَعُنا

كَأَنَّنا وَالفُسوقُ يَجمَعُنا

بَعدَ الكَرى طائِرانِ في غُصُنِ

بَعدَ الكَرى طائِرانِ في غُصُنِ

It was as though we, with debauchery uniting us,

Though lewdness gathered us, we seemed as if

As though we two, whom wild indulgence bound,

were, after slumber, two birds upon a bough.

Two birds paired on a bough in friendliest love.

Were, after sleep, two birds upon a bough.

لا تَطلُبَنَّ اللَذّاتِ مُكتَتِماً

لا تَطلُبَنَّ اللَذّاتِ مُكتَتِماً

وَاِغدُ إِلَيها كَخالِعِ الرَسَنِ

وَاِغدُ إِلَيها كَخالِعِ الرَسَنِ

Do not seek pleasures in secret,

Seek thou not secret sensual delights, but go

Seek not your pleasures while concealing them,

and set out for them in the morning like one casting off the halter.

With open heart to them like one who casts off woe.

But rush to them like one who casts the reins.