اِعدِل عَنِ الطَلَلِ المُحيلِ وَعَن هَوى

اِعدِل عَنِ الطَلَلِ المُحيلِ وَعَن هَوى

نَعتِ الدِيارِ وَوَصفِ قَدحِ الأَزنُدِ

نَعتِ الدِيارِ وَوَصفِ قَدحِ الأَزنُدِ

Turn away from the weathered ruins and from the desire

Turn away from the ruined abode and from the passion

Turn away from the decaying ruins and the desire

To describe dwellings and the striking of fire-sticks.

Of describing the dwellings and depicting the goblet of wine

To describe the campsites and the striking of fire.

وَدَعِ العَريبَ وَخَلِّها مَعَ بُؤسِها

وَدَعِ العَريبَ وَخَلِّها مَعَ بُؤسِها

لِمُحارِفٍ أَلِفَ الشَقاءَ مُزَنَّدِ

لِمُحارِفٍ أَلِفَ الشَقاءَ مُزَنَّدِ

Leave the Bedouins and leave them, with their misery,

Leave the Bedouin and her woes behind

Leave the Bedouins alone with their misery,

To a luckless, straitened man accustomed to hardship.

To one accustomed to misery, forlorn and dejected

For the wretched soul, accustomed to penury.

وَاِقصِد إِلى شَطِّ الفُراتِ وَعاطِني

وَاِقصِد إِلى شَطِّ الفُراتِ وَعاطِني

قَبلَ الصَباحِ وَعاصِ كُلَّ مُفَنَّدِ

قَبلَ الصَباحِ وَعاصِ كُلَّ مُفَنَّدِ

Head for the bank of the Euphrates and hand me,

And head for the banks of Euphrates, and give me

But seek the Euphrates' bank and pour for me

Before dawn—and defy every faultfinder—

Before dawn, defying all the hostile and hateful

Before the dawn, and defy all pedantry.

صَفراءَ تَحكي التِبرَ في حافاتِها

صَفراءَ تَحكي التِبرَ في حافاتِها

عُقَدُ الحَبابِ كَلُؤلُؤٍ مُتَبَدِّدِ

عُقَدُ الحَبابِ كَلُؤلُؤٍ مُتَبَدِّدِ

Yellow wine resembling gold; along its edges

A yellow one, telling of ripe dates in her palms

Golden, resembling gold dust; upon its rim,

Clusters of bubbles are like scattered pearls.

Bracelets of pearls scattered and disjoined

The knots of bubbles look like scattered pearls within.

فَلَأَشرَبَنَّ بِطارِفٍ وَبِتالِدٍ

فَلَأَشرَبَنَّ بِطارِفٍ وَبِتالِدٍ

بِنتَ الكُرومِ بِرَغمِ أَنفِ الحُسَّدِ

بِنتَ الكُرومِ بِرَغمِ أَنفِ الحُسَّدِ

So I shall surely drink, spending newly acquired and inherited wealth,

I will drink despite the enviers with joy and mirth

I shall surely drink, with wealth both new and old,

The daughter of the vines, in defiance of the envious:

The daughter of vineyards, despite the spites of the envious

The Daughter of the Vines, to spite the envious scold.

كَرخِيَّةً كَصَفاءِ وَجهِ مَشوقَةٍ

كَرخِيَّةً كَصَفاءِ وَجهِ مَشوقَةٍ

مَرهاءَ تَرغَبُ عَن سَوادِ الإِثمِدِ

مَرهاءَ تَرغَبُ عَن سَوادِ الإِثمِدِ

From Karkh, as clear as a yearning woman's face,

Like a gazelle, with the clarity of a lovely face

A vintage of Karkh, clear as a yearning beauty's face,

Her eyes unpainted, shunning the blackness of antimony kohl.

Pale, averting the blackness of ugly sins

Bright-eyed and fair, needing no kohl to add grace.

حَنَّت مُكاتَمَةً فَبَينَ جُفونِها

حَنَّت مُكاتَمَةً فَبَينَ جُفونِها

رَقراقُ دَمعٍ فاضَ أَو فَكَأَن قَدِ

رَقراقُ دَمعٍ فاضَ أَو فَكَأَن قَدِ

She yearned in secret; between her eyelids

She glanced coyly, and between her lids

She yearned in secret, so between her eyelids,

Lay glistening tears that overflowed—or seemed to have.

Were teardrops pouring or about to pour

A shimmering tear overflowed, or almost did.

وَتَخافُ تَهدُرُهُ فَتَرفَعُ جَفنَها

وَتَخافُ تَهدُرُهُ فَتَرفَعُ جَفنَها

فَالدَمعُ بَينَ تَحَدُّرٍ وَتَصَعُّدِ

فَالدَمعُ بَينَ تَحَدُّرٍ وَتَصَعُّدِ

And she fears spilling them, so raises her eyelid;

Fearing they would flow, she raised her lids

She fears to shed it, so she lifts her gaze,

So the tears hover between falling and rising.

So the tears were between descending and ascending

Leaving the tear suspended between descent and a raise.