أَماdoes it not يَسُرُّكَdelight you أَنَّthat الرَرضَthe earth زَهراءُin bloom
أَما يَسُرُّكَ أَنَّ الرَرضَ زَهراءُ
وَالخَمرُand the wine مُمكِنَةٌavailable شَمطاءُgray-haired عَذراءُa virgin
وَالخَمرُ مُمكِنَةٌ شَمطاءُ عَذراءُ
Does it not delight you that the earth is in bloom,
Does it not please you that the earth is verdant
Does it not delight you that the earth is radiant and in bloom,
and wine is at hand, gray-haired yet a virgin?
And the wine is brimming, pure and chaste?
And wine is within reach—gray-haired with age, yet a virgin pure?
ماno فيin قُعودِكَyour sitting idle عُذرٌexcuse عَنfrom مُعَتَّقَةٍan aged wine
ما في قُعودِكَ عُذرٌ عَن مُعَتَّقَةٍ
كَاللَيلِlike the night والِدُهاits father وَالأُمُّand the mother خَضراءُgreen
كَاللَيلِ والِدُها وَالأُمُّ خَضراءُ
You have no excuse for staying away from an aged wine
There is no excuse for you to remain sitting
You have no excuse to sit idle, far from the vintage draught,
whose father is like night and whose mother is green.
Like the night that begot it and the mother who is green.
Whose father is the dark night, and whose mother is the green vine.
بادِرhasten فَإِنَّfor indeed جِنانَthe gardens of الكَرخِal-Karkh مونِقَةٌdelightful
بادِر فَإِنَّ جِنانَ الكَرخِ مونِقَةٌ
لَمhas not تَلتَقِفهاsnatched them يَدٌa hand لِلحَربِof war عَسراءُleft
لَم تَلتَقِفها يَدٌ لِلحَربِ عَسراءُ
Hasten, for the gardens of al-Karkh are delightful;
Hasten, for the gardens of al-Karkh are blooming,
Make haste! For the gardens of Karkh are lush and fine,
war's left hand has not snatched them away.
Untouched by the hands of harsh war.
Untouched by the clumsy, ravaging hand of war.
فيهاin them مِنَof الطَيرِthe birds أَصنافٌvarieties مُشَتَّتَةٌscattered
فيها مِنَ الطَيرِ أَصنافٌ مُشَتَّتَةٌ
ماno بَينَهُنَّbetween them وَبَينَand between النُطقِspeech شَحناءُenmity
ما بَينَهُنَّ وَبَينَ النُطقِ شَحناءُ
Scattered through them are birds of various kinds;
In it are scattered kinds of birds
Within them, birds of scattered kinds abound;
there is no enmity between them and speech.
Inarticulate, wary of speech.
Between their warbling and human speech, there is no feud.
إِذاwhen تَغَنَّينَthey sing لاnot يُبقينَthey leave جانِحَةًa rib
إِذا تَغَنَّينَ لا يُبقينَ جانِحَةً
إِلّاexcept بِهاin it طَرَبٌrapture يُشفىis healed بِهِby it الداءُdisease
إِلّا بِها طَرَبٌ يُشفى بِهِ الداءُ
When they sing, they leave no rib
When they sing, they leave no sad one
When they sing, they leave no heart within the breast
without a rapture that heals disease.
Except relieved by it of illness.
Without a thrill of joy that cures every pain.
ياah رُبَّmany a مَنزِلَhouse of خَمّارٍa wine-seller أَطَفتُI visited بِهِat it
يا رُبَّ مَنزِلَ خَمّارٍ أَطَفتُ بِهِ
وَاللَيلُand the night حُلَّتُهُits robe كَالقارِlike pitch سَوداءُblack
وَاللَيلُ حُلَّتُهُ كَالقارِ سَوداءُ
Ah, many a wine-seller's house have I visited,
O Lord of the abode of a tavern I visited
How often I circled the vintner’s house,
while night's robe was black as pitch.
While the night donned its gown black as tar.
When the night wore a cloak as black as pitch,
فَقامَthen rose ذوone with وَفرَةٍear-length hair مِنfrom بَطنِthe depths of مَضجَعِهِhis bed
فَقامَ ذو وَفرَةٍ مِن بَطنِ مَضجَعِهِ
يَميلُhe sways مِنfrom سُكرِهِhis drunkenness وَالعَينُand the eye وَسناءُdrowsy
يَميلُ مِن سُكرِهِ وَالعَينُ وَسناءُ
Then a long-haired man rose from the depths of his bed,
A bushy-headed man rose from his bed
And a thick-haired youth rose from the depths of his bed,
swaying from his drunkenness, his eye drowsy.
Reeling from drunkenness, bleary-eyed.
Swaying from drowsiness, his eyes heavy with sleep.
فَقالَthen he said مَنwho أَنتَyou فيwith رُفقٍgentleness فَقُلتُso I said لَهُto him
فَقالَ مَن أَنتَ في رُفقٍ فَقُلتُ لَهُ
بَعضُone of الكِرامِthe generous وَليand I have فيin النَعتِdescription أَسماءُnames
بَعضُ الكِرامِ وَلي في النَعتِ أَسماءُ
He said gently, "Who are you?" I said to him,
He asked gently, “Who are you?” I said,
He asked gently, 'Who are you?' and I replied,
"One of the generous; I have various descriptive names."
“One of the noble ones, and I have names in description.”
'One of the noble kind, known by many names.'
وَقُلتُand I said إِنّيindeed I نَحوتُheaded toward الخَمرَthe wine أَخطُبُهاI seek her hand
وَقُلتُ إِنّي نَحوتُ الخَمرَ أَخطُبُها
قالَhe said الدَراهِمَthe dirhams هَلis there لِلمَهرِfor the dowry إِبطاءُdelay
قالَ الدَراهِمَ هَل لِلمَهرِ إِبطاءُ
And I said, "I have come seeking wine, to ask for her hand."
I said, “I came seeking wine.”
I said, 'I have come to woo the wine, seeking her hand to wed.'
He said, "The dirhams! Will the dowry be delayed?"
He said, “Money, can the dowry wait?”
He asked, 'The silver coins—is there delay in the dowry?'
لَمّاwhen تَبَيَّنَit became clear أَنّيthat I غَيرُnot ذيpossessed of بَخَلٍstinginess
لَمّا تَبَيَّنَ أَنّي غَيرُ ذي بَخَلٍ
وَلَيسَand there was no ليfor me شُغُلٌdistraction عَنهاfrom it وَإِبطاءُand delay
وَلَيسَ لي شُغُلٌ عَنها وَإِبطاءُ
When it became clear that I was no miser,
When he saw I was no miser
But when he saw clearly that I was no miser,
and that nothing kept me from it or made me delay,
And had no business but this, no waiting,
And that I had no mind to stall or turn away,
أَتىhe brought بِهاwith it قَهوَةًwine كَالمِسكِlike musk صافِيَةًpure
أَتى بِها قَهوَةً كَالمِسكِ صافِيَةً
كَدَمعَةٍlike a tear مَنَحَتهاbestowed it الخَدَّthe cheek مَرهاءُan eye without kohl
كَدَمعَةٍ مَنَحَتها الخَدَّ مَرهاءُ
he brought it, pure wine like musk,
He brought coffee as clear as musk,
He brought her forth: a vintage clear, dark as musk,
like a tear bestowed upon the cheek by an eye without kohl.
Like a teardrop shed by a shy, fawn-eyed gazelle.
Like a tear shed upon the cheek by a bright-eyed beauty.
ماnot زالَceased تاجِرُهاits seller يَسقيpours وَأَشرَبُهاand I drink it
ما زالَ تاجِرُها يَسقي وَأَشرَبُها
وَعِندَناand with us كاعِبٌa budding-breasted maiden بَيضاءُfair-skinned حَسناءُbeautiful
وَعِندَنا كاعِبٌ بَيضاءُ حَسناءُ
Its seller kept pouring, and I kept drinking it,
Its seller kept serving it to me and I drank it
Her merchant kept on pouring, and I quaffed the cup,
and with us was a fair, beautiful, budding-breasted maiden.
While with us was a fair, beautiful flirt.
While beside us sat a maiden, fair and radiant.
كَمhow often قَدindeed تَغَنَّتshe sang وَلاand no لَومٌreproach يُلِمُّalights بِناupon us
كَم قَد تَغَنَّت وَلا لَومٌ يُلِمُّ بِنا
دَعleave عَنكَaside from you لَوميblaming me فَإِنَّfor indeed اللَومَblame إِغراءُenticement
دَع عَنكَ لَومي فَإِنَّ اللَومَ إِغراءُ
How often she sang, with no reproach alighting upon us!
How she sang! No blame clings to us.
How often she sang! with no reproach to haunt us there;
Leave off blaming me, for blame is an enticement.
Spare me your blame, for blame is but temptation.
So cease your blaming of me, for blame only tempts me more.
Sol 6.1