تُعاتِبُني عَلى شُربِ اِصطِباحِ

تُعاتِبُني عَلى شُربِ اِصطِباحِ

وَوَصلِ اللَيلِ مِن فَلَقِ الصَباحِ

وَوَصلِ اللَيلِ مِن فَلَقِ الصَباحِ

She reproaches me for drinking a morning draught,

You reproach me for drinking at dawn

She chides me for the morning draught I take,

And linking night with the first break of dawn.

And continuing through the night till morn breaks

And for linking the night to the dawn's first break.

وَما عَلِمَت بِأَنّي أَريَحِيٌّ

وَما عَلِمَت بِأَنّي أَريَحِيٌّ

أُحِبُّ مِنَ النَدامى ذا اِرتِياحِ

أُحِبُّ مِنَ النَدامى ذا اِرتِياحِ

She did not know that I am generous-hearted:

You did not know I take pleasure in life

She knew not that I am a spirit free,

I love a cheerful man among drinking companions.

And like happy people when they're wide awake

Who loves a comrade of mirth and glee.

فَرُبَّ صَحابَةٍ بيضٍ كِرامٍ

فَرُبَّ صَحابَةٍ بيضٍ كِرامٍ

بَهاليلٍ غَطارِفَةٍ صِباحِ

بَهاليلٍ غَطارِفَةٍ صِباحِ

For many a band of fair, noble companions,

Many bright dawns with honorable friends

For many a companion, noble and fair,

Magnanimous, highborn, handsome men,

Clad in white garments, early risen folk

Illustrious chieftains with radiant air,

صَرَفتُ مَطِيَّهُم حَيرى طِلاحاً

صَرَفتُ مَطِيَّهُم حَيرى طِلاحاً

وَقَد سُدَّت أَساليبُ الرِياحِ

وَقَد سُدَّت أَساليبُ الرِياحِ

I turned their mounts, bewildered and exhausted,

I led their steeds wandering through the sands

I turned their mounts aside, weary and stray,

When the winds' passageways were sealed shut,

When the paths were blocked, no winds would blow

When the paths of the winds had lost their way.

وَقامَ الظِلُّ فَوقَ شِراكِ نَعلٍ

وَقامَ الظِلُّ فَوقَ شِراكِ نَعلٍ

مَقامَ الريشِ في ثِنيِ الجَناحِ

مَقامَ الريشِ في ثِنيِ الجَناحِ

And the shadow stood above a sandal's strap,

Our shadows stood above our sandals

When the shadow stood over the sandal-strap,

Like feathers in the fold of a wing,

Like feathers above a wing folded back

Like feathers tucked in a wing-fold's gap.

إِلى حاناتِ خَمرٍ في كُرومٍ

إِلى حاناتِ خَمرٍ في كُرومٍ

مُعَرَّشَةٍ مُعَرَّجَةِ النَواحي

مُعَرَّشَةٍ مُعَرَّجَةِ النَواحي

Toward wine taverns amid vineyards,

To taverns of wine in vineyards

To taverns of wine amidst the vines,

Trellised, with winding edges.

With arched bowers and branches hung low

With trellised roofs and winding lines.

فَأَقبَلَ رَبُّها يَسعى إِلَينا

فَأَقبَلَ رَبُّها يَسعى إِلَينا

يُهَنِّئُ بِالفَلاحِ وَبِالنَجاحِ

يُهَنِّئُ بِالفَلاحِ وَبِالنَجاحِ

Then their owner came hurrying toward us,

The tavern keeper came rushing to us

The master came running to welcome the guest,

Congratulating us on good fortune and success.

With congratulations and best wishes in tow

Wishing us fortune and success in our quest.

فَقُلتُ الخَمرَ قالَ نَعَم وَإِنّي

فَقُلتُ الخَمرَ قالَ نَعَم وَإِنّي

بِها لِبَني الكِرامِ لَذو سَماحِ

بِها لِبَني الكِرامِ لَذو سَماحِ

So I said, “Wine!” He said, “Yes, and I

I asked for wine, he said of course friend

I called for the wine; he said, "Yes, I agree,

Am indeed generous with it to the sons of noble men.”

To generous souls I'm happy to bestow

For the sons of the noble, my hand is free."

فَجاءَ بِها تَخُبُّ كَماءِ مُزنٍ

فَجاءَ بِها تَخُبُّ كَماءِ مُزنٍ

وَأَنشَأَ مُنشِداً شِعرَ اِقتِراحِ

وَأَنشَأَ مُنشِداً شِعرَ اِقتِراحِ

Then he brought it, rushing like water from rainclouds,

He brought it frothing like spring clouds

He brought it, bubbling like rain from the cloud,

And began reciting a poem on request:

And had a singer chant a song on cue

And improvised verses, reciting aloud:

أَتَصحو أَم فُؤادُكَ غَيرُ صاحٍ

أَتَصحو أَم فُؤادُكَ غَيرُ صاحٍ

عَشِيَّةَ هَمَّ صَحبُكَ بِالرَواحِ

عَشِيَّةَ هَمَّ صَحبُكَ بِالرَواحِ

“Are you sober, or is your heart still drunk,

Awake or does your heart still slumber

"Are you sober, or is your heart not awake,

On the evening your companions meant to leave?”

When your friends last night bid sleep adieu

The eve your friends planned the journey to take?"

فَبِتُّ لَدى دَساكِرِهِ عَروساً

فَبِتُّ لَدى دَساكِرِهِ عَروساً

بِعَذراوَينِ مِن ماءٍ وَراحِ

بِعَذراوَينِ مِن ماءٍ وَراحِ

So I spent the night at his estates, a bridegroom,

I slept the night in perfume's embrace

So I stayed in his courts like a groom in his pride,

With two virgins, water and wine.

A bride with chaste maidens in tow

With water and wine as my dual bride.

وَدارَ بِكَأسِنا رَشَأٌ رَخيمٌ

وَدارَ بِكَأسِنا رَشَأٌ رَخيمٌ

لَطيفُ الكَشحِ مَهضومِ الوِشاحِ

لَطيفُ الكَشحِ مَهضومِ الوِشاحِ

And a soft-voiced gazelle passed our cup around,

Our cup passed round in joy and cheer

A soft-voiced gazelle made the cup go round,

Slender of flank, slim beneath his sash.

Smooth taste it had, lightly clad in its flow

With a slender waist and a sash unbound.

وَقالَ أَتَبرَحونَ غَداً فَقُلنا

وَقالَ أَتَبرَحونَ غَداً فَقُلنا

وَكَيفَ نُطيقُ بَعدَكَ مِن رَواحِ

وَكَيفَ نُطيقُ بَعدَكَ مِن رَواحِ

And he said, “Will you leave tomorrow?” We said,

Will you not leave come the morn, we asked

He said, "Will you leave us tomorrow day?"

“And how could we bear to depart from you?”

How can we bear your loss when we go

We said, "How could we bear to go away?"

فَخاتَلَنا فَأَسكَرَنا فَنِمنا

فَخاتَلَنا فَأَسكَرَنا فَنِمنا

إِلى أَن هَمَّ ديكٌ بِالصِياحِ

إِلى أَن هَمَّ ديكٌ بِالصِياحِ

So he beguiled us, made us drunk, and we slept,

He entertained us until drunk we were

He tricked us with wine till we slept in the hall,

Until a rooster was about to crow.

And slept on ‘til the cock crowed at first light

Till the rooster intended his morning call.

فَقُمتُ إِلَيهِ أَرفُلُ مُستَقيماً

فَقُمتُ إِلَيهِ أَرفُلُ مُستَقيماً

وَقَد هَيَّأتُ كَبشي لِلنِطاحِ

وَقَد هَيَّأتُ كَبشي لِلنِطاحِ

Then I rose and went to him, swaggering erect,

I went to face it walking tall and straight

Then I rose toward him, stalking upright,

And I had readied my ram for butting.

Having prepared my ram for the fight

Having readied my ram to butt and to fight.

فَلَمّا أَن رَكَزتُ الرُمحَ فيهِ

فَلَمّا أَن رَكَزتُ الرُمحَ فيهِ

تَنَبَّهَ كَالرَقيدِ مِنَ الجِراحِ

تَنَبَّهَ كَالرَقيدِ مِنَ الجِراحِ

And when I planted the spear in him,

When I thrust my spear in no time

And when I had planted the spear in its place,

He awoke like a sleeper roused by wounds.

He startled awake as if pierced from a bite

He woke like one stung, with a startled face.

فَقُلتُ لَهُ بِحَقِّ أَبيكَ سَهلٌ

فَقُلتُ لَهُ بِحَقِّ أَبيكَ سَهلٌ

فَلا تُحوِج إِلى سَفحِ التَلاحي

فَلا تُحوِج إِلى سَفحِ التَلاحي

So I said to him, “By your father's honor—easy!

For your father's sake, stop, enough I said

I said, "By your father, be easy, be still,

So do not drive me to an outpouring of reproaches.”

Do not force me to steep slopes take flight

Do not force us to wrangle or speak of ill."

فَقالَ لَقَد ظَفِرتَ فَنَل هَنيئاً

فَقالَ لَقَد ظَفِرتَ فَنَل هَنيئاً

بِإِسعافٍ وَبَذلٍ مُستَباحِ

بِإِسعافٍ وَبَذلٍ مُستَباحِ

Then he said, “You have indeed won; take your pleasure

You have won, enjoy your fortune, he said

He said, "You have triumphed, so take what is sweet,

With compliance and an offering free for the taking.”

With kindness and favor no law can indict

With full compliance and a yielding complete."

فَلَمّا أَن وَضَعتُ عَلَيهِ رَحلي

فَلَمّا أَن وَضَعتُ عَلَيهِ رَحلي

تَبَدّى مُنشِداً شِعرَ اِمتِداحِ

تَبَدّى مُنشِداً شِعرَ اِمتِداحِ

And when I set my saddle upon him,

When I placed my belongings on his back

And when I had placed my saddle astride,

He appeared, reciting verses of praise:

He sang a song of praise that was quite bright

He began to chant verses of praise and pride:

أَلَستُم خَيرَ مَن رَكِبَ المَطايا

أَلَستُم خَيرَ مَن رَكِبَ المَطايا

وَأَندى العالِمينَ بُطونَ راحِ

وَأَندى العالِمينَ بُطونَ راحِ

“Are you not the best of all who ride mounts,

Are you not the best people to ride steeds

"Are you not the best who ever rode on a mount,

And the most generous-palmed of all mankind?”

And quench with rain the land suffering drought

And the most generous hands that the world can count?"