أَطِعِ الخَليفَةَ وَاِعصِ ذا عَزفِ

أَطِعِ الخَليفَةَ وَاِعصِ ذا عَزفِ

وَتَنَحَّ عَن طَرَبٍ وَعَن قَصفِ

وَتَنَحَّ عَن طَرَبٍ وَعَن قَصفِ

Obey the caliph and disobey the musician,

Obey the caliph and disobey the one of meager skill

Obey the Caliph and spurn the musician's call,

And turn away from rapture and revelry.

And abstain from frivolity and empty chatter

And turn aside from mirth and the revelers' hall.

عَينُ الخَليفَةِ بي مُوَكَّلَةٌ

عَينُ الخَليفَةِ بي مُوَكَّلَةٌ

عَقَدَ الحِذارُ بِطَرفِهِ طَرفي

عَقَدَ الحِذارُ بِطَرفِهِ طَرفي

The caliph's eye is charged with watching me;

The caliph's eye is entrusted upon me

For the Caliph’s eye is appointed to watch over me,

Fear has bound my gaze to his.

Caution has tied its knot with my knot

And caution has tied my gaze to his decree.

صَحَّت عَلانِيَتي لَهُ وَأَرى

صَحَّت عَلانِيَتي لَهُ وَأَرى

دينَ الضَميرِ لَهُ عَلى حَرفِ

دينَ الضَميرِ لَهُ عَلى حَرفِ

My outward conduct toward him is sound, yet I see

My overtness is wholesome for him yet I see

My public deeds appear righteous in his view,

My heart's allegiance to him poised on an edge.

My conscience's religion for him hangs by a thread

While the faith of my conscience hangs on an edge untrue.

فَلَئِن وَعَدتُكَ تَركَها عِدَةً

فَلَئِن وَعَدتُكَ تَركَها عِدَةً

إِنّي عَلَيكَ لَخائِفٌ خُلفي

إِنّي عَلَيكَ لَخائِفٌ خُلفي

So if I give you my promise to forsake it,

So if I promise you to leave it for a while

Though I promised you I would cast the wine aside,

I truly fear, for your sake, that I will break my word.

I truly fear for you my treachery

I fear that by my promise I shall not abide.

دارَت فَواقِعُها فَناظِرُهُ

دارَت فَواقِعُها فَناظِرُهُ

مُتَصَنِّعٌ بِخِلافِ ما يُخفي

مُتَصَنِّعٌ بِخِلافِ ما يُخفي

Its bubbles swirled; his watching eye

Its occurrences turned and its onlooker

When the cups circulated, the drinker’s eye would feign,

Puts on a show contrary to what he conceals.

Is pretentious of that which he hides within

Displaying the opposite of the secrets his thoughts contain.

وَمُدامَةٍ تَحيا النُفوسُ بِها

وَمُدامَةٍ تَحيا النُفوسُ بِها

جَلَّت مَآثِرُها عَنِ الوَصفِ

جَلَّت مَآثِرُها عَنِ الوَصفِ

And a wine that brings souls to life,

And a wine-bearer who enlivens souls with it

And a wine by which the weary souls revive,

Whose virtues surpass description.

Its magnificent traces are beyond description

Whose virtues soar beyond what words can contrive.

قَد عُتِّقَت في دَنِّها حِقَباً

قَد عُتِّقَت في دَنِّها حِقَباً

حَتّى إِذا آلَت إِلى النِصفِ

حَتّى إِذا آلَت إِلى النِصفِ

It had been aged in its jar for ages,

Emancipated in its lowliness for eras

It was aged within its vessel for eras past,

Until, when it had dwindled to half,

Until it came halfway

Until it dwindled to half its measure at last.

سَلَبوا قِناعَ الطينِ عَن رَمَقٍ

سَلَبوا قِناعَ الطينِ عَن رَمَقٍ

حَيِّ الحَياةِ مُشارِفُ الحَتفِ

حَيِّ الحَياةِ مُشارِفُ الحَتفِ

They stripped the veil of clay from a flicker of life,

They stripped the mask of clay from a fading life

They stripped the clay mask from a spirit lingering there,

Still full of life, yet on the brink of death.

The threshold of death, the living's environ

Alive with life, yet of death's brink aware.

فَتَنَفَّسَت في البَيتِ إِذ مُزِجَت

فَتَنَفَّسَت في البَيتِ إِذ مُزِجَت

كَتَنَفُّسِ الرَيحانِ في الأَنفِ

كَتَنَفُّسِ الرَيحانِ في الأَنفِ

Then it breathed through the house when mixed,

So it breathed in the abode when blended

It breathed through the house the moment it was poured,

Like the breath of basil in the nose,

Like the breathing of basil in the nostril

Like the breath of sweet basil, by the senses adored.

مِن كَفِّ ساقِيَةٍ مُقَرطَقَةٍ

مِن كَفِّ ساقِيَةٍ مُقَرطَقَةٍ

ناهيكَ مِن حُسنٍ وَمِن ظُرفِ

ناهيكَ مِن حُسنٍ وَمِن ظُرفِ

From the hand of a wine-maid clad in a short tunic,

From the palm of a large-handled pitcher

From the hand of a tunic-clad cupbearer, fair and bright,

Beauty and charm enough for you!

Not to mention its beauty and its grace

A wonder of beauty and charm to the sight.

نَظَرَت بِعَينَي جُؤذَرٍ خَرِقٍ

نَظَرَت بِعَينَي جُؤذَرٍ خَرِقٍ

وَتَلَفَّتَت بِسَوالِفِ الخِشفِ

وَتَلَفَّتَت بِسَوالِفِ الخِشفِ

She gazed with the eyes of a startled wild-ox calf,

It looked with the eyes of a sleepy drunk

She gazed with the eyes of a wild calf, wide and shy,

And turned her head with a gazelle fawn's neck.

And it glanced with the tales of the protective veil

And turned with a young gazelle’s grace as she passed by.

قالَت وَقَد جَعَلَت تَمايَلُ لي

قالَت وَقَد جَعَلَت تَمايَلُ لي

كَتَمايُلِ الماشي عَلى الدَفِّ

كَتَمايُلِ الماشي عَلى الدَفِّ

She said, as she began to sway for me,

It said, and it began to sway to and fro for me

She spoke, while swaying her body towards my side,

Like the swaying of one walking on a plank:

Like the swaying of a walker on the tambourine

Like the rhythmic sway of a walker's gentle stride.

وَجهي إِذا أَقبَلتُ يَشفَعُ لي

وَجهي إِذا أَقبَلتُ يَشفَعُ لي

وَعَذابُ قَلبِكَ حُسنُ ما خَلفي

وَعَذابُ قَلبِكَ حُسنُ ما خَلفي

"My face, when I approach, intercedes for me;

When I come face-forward my face intercedes for me

"My face," she said, "is my advocate when I appear,"

And your heart's torment is the beauty of what is behind me."

And the torment of your heart is the beauty of what's behind me

"But your heart's torment is the beauty of my rear."