أَبَحتُ حَريمَ الكَأسِ إِذ كُنتُ مُثرِياً

أَبَحتُ حَريمَ الكَأسِ إِذ كُنتُ مُثرِياً

وَأَقصَرتُ عَنها بَعدَما صِرتُ مُعسِرا

وَأَقصَرتُ عَنها بَعدَما صِرتُ مُعسِرا

I threw open the cup's sanctuary when I was wealthy,

I enjoyed drinking wine when I was wealthy,

I laid claim to the sanctuary of the cup when wealth was mine,

And abstained from it after I fell into poverty.

But stayed away when I became impoverished.

But held my hand from it once I fell into penury.

وَلَو أَنَّ مالي يَستَقِلَّ بِلَذَّتي

وَلَو أَنَّ مالي يَستَقِلَّ بِلَذَّتي

لَأَنسَيتُ أَهلَ اللَهوِ كِسرى وَقَيصَرا

لَأَنسَيتُ أَهلَ اللَهوِ كِسرى وَقَيصَرا

Were my wealth enough to sustain my pleasure,

If only I had money to enjoy it,

And were my wealth sufficient to sustain my delight,

I would make the revelers forget Kisra and Caesar.

I would forget the revelers like Chosroes and Caesar.

I would have made the revelers forget both Chosroes and Caesar.

وَثِقتُ بِعَفوِ اللَهِ عَن كُلِّ مُسلِمٍ

وَثِقتُ بِعَفوِ اللَهِ عَن كُلِّ مُسلِمٍ

فَلَستُ عَنِ الصَهباءِ ما عِشتُ مُقصِرا

فَلَستُ عَنِ الصَهباءِ ما عِشتُ مُقصِرا

I have trusted in God's pardon for every Muslim,

I trust in God's forgiveness of every Muslim,

I placed my trust in God's forgiveness for every Muslim,

So I will not abstain from tawny wine as long as I live.

So I shall not neglect prayer as long as I live.

So never, while I live, shall I renounce the crimson wine.

وَأَحوَرَ مَخلوعِ الزِمامِ تَخالُهُ

وَأَحوَرَ مَخلوعِ الزِمامِ تَخالُهُ

قَضيباً مِنَ الريحانِ يَهتَزُّ أَخضَرا

قَضيباً مِنَ الريحانِ يَهتَزُّ أَخضَرا

And a dark-eyed youth, unbridled—you would think him

The loose-reined beauty sways

And a dark-eyed youth, unbridled and wild—you would deem him

A green stalk of basil, swaying.

Like a green basil twig.

A slender branch of sweet basil, swaying in its greenness,

مَريضِ جُفونِ المُقلَتَينِ مُزَنَّرٍ

مَريضِ جُفونِ المُقلَتَينِ مُزَنَّرٍ

لَهُ شَفَةٌ مِن مَصِّها مَصَّ سُكَّرا

لَهُ شَفَةٌ مِن مَصِّها مَصَّ سُكَّرا

With languid lids over both eyes, wearing a girdle,

Sick are the eyelids of the sleepy drunk

With languid, heavy eyelids, and girded by a sash,

He has a lip—to suck it is to suck sugar.

Whose lips are sweet with sugar.

Possessing lips that taste of sugar to the one who sips them.

فَلَو أَنَّهُ يَقظانُ أَو في مَنامِهِ

فَلَو أَنَّهُ يَقظانُ أَو في مَنامِهِ

يَجودُ لِأَعمى بِالوَلاءِ لَأَبصَرا

يَجودُ لِأَعمى بِالوَلاءِ لَأَبصَرا

So if he, awake or in his sleep,

If he were awake or dreaming,

Were he—whether waking or deep in slumber—

Bestowed affection on a blind man, the man would see.

He would be loyal to a blind man.

To grant his favor to the blind, that blind man would surely see.

يَخُرُّ لِصِرفِ الكَأسِ في السُكرِ ساجِداً

يَخُرُّ لِصِرفِ الكَأسِ في السُكرِ ساجِداً

وَإِن مُزِجَت صَلّى عَلَيها وَكَيَّرا

وَإِن مُزِجَت صَلّى عَلَيها وَكَيَّرا

In drunkenness he falls prostrate before the cup's unmixed wine,

He bows down worshipping the pouring of wine,

He falls down prostrate in his stupor before the pure cup,

And if it is mixed, he prays over it and chants, 'Lord, have mercy.'

And if it is mixed, he prays over it and honours it.

And should it be diluted, he prays and magnifies its name.

أَدارَ عَلَينا بِالتَحِيَّةِ كَأسَهُ

أَدارَ عَلَينا بِالتَحِيَّةِ كَأسَهُ

وَسَربَلَها لَوناً مِنَ الراحِ أَحمَرا

وَسَربَلَها لَوناً مِنَ الراحِ أَحمَرا

He passed his cup among us with a greeting,

He passed the cup to us in greeting

He passed his goblet round among us with a greeting,

And clothed it in a red hue of wine.

And coloured its robe a rosy red.

And robed the glass in the crimson raiment of the vine.

فَقُلتُ لَهُ وَالكَأسُ تُزهى بِكَفِّهِ

فَقُلتُ لَهُ وَالكَأسُ تُزهى بِكَفِّهِ

وَقَد رَعَفَ الإِبريقُ فيها وَقَرقَرا

وَقَد رَعَفَ الإِبريقُ فيها وَقَرقَرا

So I said to him, as the cup shone proudly in his palm,

I said to him, as the cup adorned his palm,

I said to him, as the cup flaunted its pride within his palm,

And the pitcher had bled into it and gurgled:

And the ewer gurgled into it:

While the pitcher bled its vintage into it and gurgled loud:

بِرَبِّكَ خَمراً أَم نَقيعاً سَقَيتَني

بِرَبِّكَ خَمراً أَم نَقيعاً سَقَيتَني

فَقالَ مِنَ التَكريهِ ماءً مُزَعفَرا

فَقالَ مِنَ التَكريهِ ماءً مُزَعفَرا

'By your Lord, did you give me wine or a steeped drink?'

"By your Lord, did you give me wine or pure drink?"

"By your Lord, is it wine or mere infusion you have served me?"

Then he said, disparaging it, 'Saffron-tinted water.'

He said, to avoid sin: "Yellow water."

He answered with a coy disdain: "'Tis but water dyed with saffron."

فَقُلتُ لَهُ هَب لي مِنَ النَومِ رَقدَةً

فَقُلتُ لَهُ هَب لي مِنَ النَومِ رَقدَةً

فَسَوفَ نُغاديها إِذا الصُبحُ أَسفَرا

فَسَوفَ نُغاديها إِذا الصُبحُ أَسفَرا

So I said to him, 'Grant me a spell of sleep;

So I said: "Give me some sleep,"

I said to him: "Grant me then a brief respite of sleep,"

Then we shall drink it in the morning, when dawn shines forth.'

"And we will indulge it when dawn glows."

"For we shall return to the cup as soon as dawn breaks bright."