رُبّ ظبي كهلالٍ

رُبّ ظبي كهلالٍ

بتُّ أسقيه المداما

بتُّ أسقيه المداما

Many a gazelle, like a crescent moon,

Many a white-haired drunkard

Many a gazelle, radiant as the crescent moon,

I spent the night serving him wine.

I gave wine to drink

I spent the night pouring him wine;

زارني سرّاً وجهراً

زارني سرّاً وجهراً

بعد أن صلّى وصاما

بعد أن صلّى وصاما

He visited me secretly and openly,

Visited me secretly and openly

He visited me in secret and in the open,

after he had prayed and fasted,

After he had prayed and fasted

After he had prayed and fasted.

بعدما قد كنتُ م

بعدما قد كنتُ م

ن وجدٍ به أقضي الحِماما

ن وجدٍ به أقضي الحِماما

after I had been

After I had been one who spends his time

After I had all but—

dying of longing for him.

Judging others and living virtuously

From passion for him—met my doom.

فتحدّثنا وغانجنا

فتحدّثنا وغانجنا

عناقاً والتزاما

عناقاً والتزاما

Then we talked and flirted,

We talked and whispered intimately

We conversed and toyed with coquetry,

embracing and holding each other close.

Embracing tightly

With embraces and tight clinging.

قلتُ قم تخلط

قلتُ قم تخلط

بالخيرِ خبيثاً وأثاما

بالخيرِ خبيثاً وأثاما

I said: Rise and mix

I said “Go ahead and mix

I said, "Rise, let us mix

wickedness and sin with goodness.

Good with evil and transgressions”

Good deeds with the wicked and the sinful."

فتأبى وتلكا

فتأبى وتلكا

ثم أعطاني الزماما

ثم أعطاني الزماما

Then he refused and hesitated,

But he refused and held back

He refused and he lingered,

then he gave me the reins.

Then handed me the reins

Then he surrendered the reins to me.

قال لي لما تمدّد

قال لي لما تمدّد

تُ عليه حين ناما

تُ عليه حين ناما

He said to me, when I stretched

He said to me when I leaned

He spoke to me as I stretched—

out upon him as he lay down to sleep:

Against him as he slept

Myself upon him while he slept:

ما ترى طولي وعرضي

ما ترى طولي وعرضي

قلتُ دع عنكَ الكلاما

قلتُ دع عنكَ الكلاما

What do you think of my length and breadth?

“What do you think of my height and width?”

"Do you not see my height and breadth?"

I said: Leave off talking.

I said “Stop this talk”

I said, "Leave aside this talk.

إن بازي بازُّ جوٍّ

إن بازي بازُّ جوٍّ

يصرعُ الطيرَ العظاما

يصرعُ الطيرَ العظاما

Indeed, my hawk is a hawk of the open sky,

“My falcon is a falcon of the air

For my hawk is a hawk of the high air,

that brings down the mighty birds.

That takes down mighty birds

That strikes down the mighty birds;

لا يصيد الدهرَ إلّا

لا يصيد الدهرَ إلّا

حمرَ وحشٍ أو نعاما

حمرَ وحشٍ أو نعاما

It never hunts anything but

It hunts nothing but

It hunts not, throughout time, except

wild asses or ostriches.

The wild donkeys and ostriches of fate”

Wild asses or ostriches."

ولقد نِكنا بدَين

ولقد نِكنا بدَين

وقرنّا كم غلاما

وقرنّا كم غلاما

And indeed, we fucked on credit,

“We have winked at each other for a long time

And we rutted upon a debt,

and paired off many a young man.

And gathered as boys do”

And yoked together many a lad,

وشربنا يومنا ذا

وشربنا يومنا ذا

ك بباقيهِ مداما

ك بباقيهِ مداما

And that day of ours we drank

“And we drank one day

And we drank away this day of ours,

wine with what remained of it.

The dregs of the wine”

With wine for what remained of it.

وكذا فعلي بقمري

وكذا فعلي بقمري

أبداً كي لا أُلاما

أبداً كي لا أُلاما

Such is my way with my moon,

“And so I do with my dear moon

And such is my deed with my moon,

always, so that I am not blamed.

So I am never blamed”

Forever, that I may not be blamed.

لستُ أعطي في حرامٍ

لستُ أعطي في حرامٍ

أبداً إلّا حراما

أبداً إلّا حراما

For anything forbidden, I never give

“I never give forbidden

I never give, regarding the forbidden,

anything but what is forbidden.

Except what is forbidden”

Ever, anything but the forbidden.