نك مَن لقيتَ من البَشر

نك مَن لقيتَ من البَشر

واعذر أخاكَ إذا فجَر

واعذر أخاكَ إذا فجَر

Fuck whomever you meet among humankind.

You are who you meet of mankind

Bed whoever you encounter among mankind,

And excuse your brother when he sins.

Excuse your brother if he errs

And excuse your brother if he falls into sin.

واخلع عذاركَ في الهوى

واخلع عذاركَ في الهوى

فعلَ الخليعِ المشتهَر

فعلَ الخليعِ المشتهَر

And cast off your bridle in passion,

And remove your reproach in love

Cast off all restraint in the ways of passion,

as a notorious libertine does.

The vile and notorious act

Following the path of the renowned libertine.

واقبل مقالةَ خاسرٍ

واقبل مقالةَ خاسرٍ

واعص الرشيدَ إذا أمَر

واعص الرشيدَ إذا أمَر

And accept a loser's counsel,

And accept the saying of a loser

Heed the counsel of a wretched soul,

and disobey al-Rashid when he commands.

And disobey the right-minded if he commands

And disobey the Righteous Guide whenever he commands.

واجسر فما نالَ الذي

واجسر فما نالَ الذي

يهواهُ إلّا مَن جسَر

يهواهُ إلّا مَن جسَر

And dare, for none has attained what

And take risks, for only those

Be bold, for no one ever attained

he desires except one who dared.

Who dare get what they desire

What he desires, save the one who dared.

ودعِ الصلاةَ وأهلَها

ودعِ الصلاةَ وأهلَها

إنّ الحراثَ على البَقَر

إنّ الحراثَ على البَقَر

And leave prayer and its practitioners;

And leave prayer and its people

Abandon prayer and the pious folk,

indeed, plowing is for cattle.

Ploughing is upon the cows

For the yoke of the plow belongs upon the ox.

إنّ التنسّكَ عندنا

إنّ التنسّكَ عندنا

يا صاح من إحدى الكِبَر

يا صاح من إحدى الكِبَر

Indeed, ascetic devotion, in our eyes,

Asceticism with us, my friend

Verily, ascetic devotion is, in our view,

my friend, is one of the great enormities.

Is one of the major sins

O friend, counted among the gravest sins.

لا يمنعنّك زاجرٌ

لا يمنعنّك زاجرٌ

مِن نيكِ أُنثى أو ذكَر

مِن نيكِ أُنثى أو ذكَر

Let no admonisher ever prevent you

No deterrent prevents you

Let no scolding voice deter you

from fucking a woman or a man.

From laying a female or male

From bedding a female or a male.

واشرب معتّقةَ الكرو

واشرب معتّقةَ الكرو

مِ ولا تعفّ عن السَكَر

مِ ولا تعفّ عن السَكَر

And drink the aged wine of the vines,

And drink matured wine

Drink deep the aged vintage of the vines,

and do not abstain from drunkenness.

Do not abstain from drunkenness

And do not hold yourself back from intoxication.

واسكر لتضحى شُهرةً

واسكر لتضحى شُهرةً

متلوّثاً وسطَ القذَر

متلوّثاً وسطَ القذَر

And get drunk, so you become notorious,

Get drunk to become famous

Get drunk until you become a public spectacle,

befouled amid filth.

Defiled amidst the filth

Soiled and wallowing amidst the filth.

واسحب ذيولكَ في الصبا

واسحب ذيولكَ في الصبا

ودعِ العواذلَ في سقَر

ودعِ العواذلَ في سقَر

And trail your hems in youthful folly,

And drag your train in youth

Trail your robes arrogantly in youthful passion,

and leave the reproaching women in Saqar.

And leave the chaste in hell

And leave the critics to burn in Hellfire.

والمرد لا تتركهمُ

والمرد لا تتركهمُ

أهلَ التسفّرِ والطُرَر

أهلَ التسفّرِ والطُرَر

And do not forsake the beardless men,

And never leave the deviants

And the beardless youths—do not shun them,

those with unveiled faces and forelocks.

The rascals and wanderers

Those of unveiled beauty and carefully styled locks.

ممّن إذا كلّمتَهُ

ممّن إذا كلّمتَهُ

أبدى الشتيمة أو نخَر

أبدى الشتيمة أو نخَر

Those who, when you address them,

Who if you speak to

Even the one who, when you speak to him,

utter an insult or snort.

Slander or scoff he displays

Responds with insults or an arrogant snort.

ممّن يقولُ لأرضهِ

ممّن يقولُ لأرضهِ

سيري ويمرحُ ذا بطَر

سيري ويمرحُ ذا بطَر

Those who say to the ground beneath them,

Like the son of Sisila the clown

The one who commands the very ground he walks on:

“Move!” and strut with arrogant pride.

And the braggart and arrogant

"Move," as he struts with insolent pride.

مثل ابن سيسلَ ذي الدلا

مثل ابن سيسلَ ذي الدلا

لِ وذي التزنّ والفخَر

لِ وذي التزنّ والفخَر

Like Ibn Sisal, possessed of coquetry

They said, "Shave," so he erased

Like Ibn Sisl, possessor of such coquetry,

and of affected airs and pride.

The hair on his face completely

Of affectation and boastful vanity.

قالوا التحى فمحا محا

قالوا التحى فمحا محا

سنَ وجهِهُ نبتُ الشَعَر

سنَ وجهِهُ نبتُ الشَعَر

They said, “He grew a beard; it erased the beauty

I replied, they will not precede me

They claimed his beard grew out and erased

of his face, that growth of hair.”

In falsehood, your rain of lies

The charms of his face with the sprouting hair.

فأجبتُهم لا يسبقن

فأجبتُهم لا يسبقن

في الزورِ سيلُكُمُ المطر

في الزورِ سيلُكُمُ المطر

So I answered them, “Let not

That beard is a green meadow

But I answered them: Do not let your flood of lies

your torrent of falsehood outrun the rain.

Growing flowers and trees

Outstrip the rain in its torrent.

تلك اللُحيّةُ روضةٌ

تلك اللُحيّةُ روضةٌ

خضراءُ تنبتُ في زَهَر

خضراءُ تنبتُ في زَهَر

That beard is a garden,

Now it is beautiful when it grew

That beard is but a verdant garden,

green, growing amid blossoms.

The blossoms on the branches

Green and flourishing amidst the blooms.

الآن طابَ وقد نما

الآن طابَ وقد نما

حسنُ البهارِ على الشجَر

حسنُ البهارِ على الشجَر

Now he is lovely, and there has grown

If not for darkness on the moon

It has only now become delightful, as the beauty

the beauty of bahār blossoms upon the trees.

By God, the moon is not beautiful

Of spring blossoms grows upon the boughs.

لولا سوادٌ في القمَر

لولا سوادٌ في القمَر

واللَهِ ما حسُنَ القمَر

واللَهِ ما حسُنَ القمَر

Were it not for dark patches in the moon,

My critic of love

Were it not for the dark spots upon the moon,

by God, the moon would not be beautiful.”

This is my rebuttal to you both

By God, the moon would not possess such beauty.

يا عاذليّ على الهوى

يا عاذليّ على الهوى

هذا تجاهكما الحجَر

هذا تجاهكما الحجَر

O my two reproachers for my passion,

Strike both your heads with it

O you two who blame me for my passion,

here, before you both, is the stone.

And you are both dust from the grave

Behold, there is a stone right before you;

دقّا بهِ رأسيكما

دقّا بهِ رأسيكما

وكُلا الترابَ من المَدر

وكُلا الترابَ من المَدر

Strike your two heads with it,

No, no, I excuse who I love

Go smash your heads against it,

and eat the dirt from the clods of clay.

And reproach even if he errs

And eat the dirt from the clods of earth.

لا لا عذرتُ إلى المما

لا لا عذرتُ إلى المما

تِ بمَن هويتُ وإن عذَر

تِ بمَن هويتُ وإن عذَر

No, no! Until death I shall not excuse

By God, I will not deprive him of me

No, no! I shall not repent until death comes

the one I love, even if he excuses me.

Union even if he is estranged

Of the one I desire, even if he turns away.

واللَهِ لا أجنيتُهُ

واللَهِ لا أجنيتُهُ

منّي الوصالَ وإن هجَر

منّي الوصالَ وإن هجَر

By God, I shall not let him reap

By God, I shall not deny him

intimacy from me, even if he forsakes me.

My union, even if he forsakes me.