بَادِرْ إِلَى رَاعِي الصَّبُوحِ صَبَاحَا

بَادِرْ إِلَى رَاعِي الصَّبُوحِ صَبَاحَا

واجْعَلِ زَمَانَكَ كُلَّهُ أَفْرَاحَا

واجْعَلِ زَمَانَكَ كُلَّهُ أَفْرَاحَا

Hasten at morning to the keeper of the morning draught,

Hasten in the morn to the keeper of dawn with joy,

And make all your time joyful.

And make your time entirely one of bliss.

وَأجِلِ التَّي تَجْلو هُمُومَكَ في الدُّجَى

وَأجِلِ التَّي تَجْلو هُمُومَكَ في الدُّجَى

حَتّى تَرَى لِظَلاَمِهِ إِصْبَاحَا

حَتّى تَرَى لِظَلاَمِهِ إِصْبَاحَا

And pass round that which dispels your cares in the dark,

Put off the cares that cloud your spirit in the gloaming,

Until you see dawn break through its darkness.

Until you see that for its darkness there’s a radiance.

يَا طَالبَ الرَّاحَاتِ لَيْسَ يَنَالُهَا

يَا طَالبَ الرَّاحَاتِ لَيْسَ يَنَالُهَا

إِلاَّ الَّذِي فِي الرَّاحِ يَجْلُو الرَّاحَا

إِلاَّ الَّذِي فِي الرَّاحِ يَجْلُو الرَّاحَا

O seeker of comforts, none attains them

O seeker of comforts, none attains them

Except one who makes wine gleam in his palms,

Save he who finds in comfort surcease of care,

أَوْ مُغْرَمٌ أَعْطَى الصَّبَابَةَ حَقَّهَا

أَوْ مُغْرَمٌ أَعْطَى الصَّبَابَةَ حَقَّهَا

تَدْعُوهُ صَبْوَتُهُ إِليْهِ كِفَاحَا

تَدْعُوهُ صَبْوَتُهُ إِليْهِ كِفَاحَا

Or a passionate lover who has given yearning its due,

Or a love-sick soul who gave youth its due,

Whose passion calls him to the beloved, face to face.

And his passion calls him to the fray.

نَشْوَانُ مِنْ طَرَبِ الصِّبَا فَكَأَنَّهُ

نَشْوَانُ مِنْ طَرَبِ الصِّبَا فَكَأَنَّهُ

غُصْنٌ يَميلُ مَعَ الصَّبَا مُرتَاحَا

غُصْنٌ يَميلُ مَعَ الصَّبَا مُرتَاحَا

Drunk with youth’s rapture, he is like

The exuberance of one made drunk with joyousness is like

A bough swaying joyfully with the east wind.

A branch that sways gently in the breeze at peace,

أَوْ مَا تَرَى عُجْمَ الحَمَائِمِ لَحْنُهَا

أَوْ مَا تَرَى عُجْمَ الحَمَائِمِ لَحْنُهَا

قَدْ رَاحَ يُفْصِحُ فِي الهَوىَ إِفْصَاحَا

قَدْ رَاحَ يُفْصِحُ فِي الهَوىَ إِفْصَاحَا

Or do you not see the speechless doves, whose song

Or like the murmurings of the doves - their song

Has begun to speak of love with eloquence?

Has begun to speak eloquently of love's travail.

والرُّوضُ فِي حُلَلِ الجَدَاوِلِ مُشْبِةٌ

والرُّوضُ فِي حُلَلِ الجَدَاوِلِ مُشْبِةٌ

حُلَلاَ تُجِرِّدُ فَوْقَهُنَّ صِفْاحَا

حُلَلاَ تُجِرِّدُ فَوْقَهُنَّ صِفْاحَا

And the garden, in robes of streams, resembles

The meadow in its brocade of streamlets resembles

Robes above which you unsheathe broad blades.

Raiment that is stripped off to reveal a nakedness.

وَالرُّيحُ بِالأَنْفَاسِ تَقْصُدُ أَنْفُساً

وَالرُّيحُ بِالأَنْفَاسِ تَقْصُدُ أَنْفُساً

مَوْتَى فَتَبْعَثُ فَيْهِمُ الأَرْوَاحَا

مَوْتَى فَتَبْعَثُ فَيْهِمُ الأَرْوَاحَا

And the wind, with its breaths, seeks out souls

The wind with its breaths seeks out languid souls

That are dead, then reawakens spirits within them.

And deadened spirits to revive them into life anew.

فَإِذَا لَحَاكَ عَلَى البُرُوقِ وَشَمِّهَا

فَإِذَا لَحَاكَ عَلَى البُرُوقِ وَشَمِّهَا

لاَحٍ وَخِلْتَ الكَأْسَ بَرْقاً لاَحَا

لاَحٍ وَخِلْتَ الكَأْسَ بَرْقاً لاَحَا

Then if you are chided for the lightning and watching it

When the lightning flashes upon you, inhale its fragrance,

By a scolder, and you take the cup for a flashing bolt,

And quaff the cup till it flashes like lightning unveiled.

فَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلمُدِيرِ وَغِبْ عَنِ

فَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلمُدِيرِ وَغِبْ عَنِ

الَّلاحِي تَرَى منْ حَالَتَيْكَ نَجَاحا

الَّلاحِي تَرَى منْ حَالَتَيْكَ نَجَاحا

Then lower your wing to the cupbearer, and withdraw from

Then fold your wings in the presence of fate and absent yourself

The scolder; both your states will bring you success.

From sobriety - you will see success in your two states.

لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ في السُّكْرِ إِلاَّ فُرْقَةُ

لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ في السُّكْرِ إِلاَّ فُرْقَةُ

اللاَّحيِ فَوَصْلُكَ قَهْوَةً وَمِلاَحَا

اللاَّحيِ فَوَصْلُكَ قَهْوَةً وَمِلاَحَا

Were there in drunkenness nothing but parting

Were it not for the anguish of sobriety, your union with the cup

From the scolder—then yours would be union with wine and beauties.

Would be coffee and pastime, nothing more.

أَوَلَيْسَ صَحْوَكَ دَأْبُهُ مِنْ شَأْنِهِ

أَوَلَيْسَ صَحْوَكَ دَأْبُهُ مِنْ شَأْنِهِ

أَنْ يَجْمَعَ العُذَّالَ وَالنُّصَّاحَا

أَنْ يَجْمَعَ العُذَّالَ وَالنُّصَّاحَا

And is it not your sobriety’s habit and nature

Does not your habit in sobriety consist in

To gather reproachers and advisers?

Bringing together the censorious and admonishers?

فَاجْعَلْ مَكَانَ الصَّحْوِ سُكْراً تَجْتَلِي

فَاجْعَلْ مَكَانَ الصَّحْوِ سُكْراً تَجْتَلِي

مِنْ خَمْرِكَ الأَحْدَاقَ والأقداحا

مِنْ خَمْرِكَ الأَحْدَاقَ والأقداحا

So put drunkenness in sobriety’s place, and behold

So make intoxication your state of wakefulness, and draw

In your wine the eyes and the cups.

From your wine both eyes and cups in abundance.

أَنَا مَنْ تَجِرْتُ مَعَ الغَرَامِ مُجَرِّباً

أَنَا مَنْ تَجِرْتُ مَعَ الغَرَامِ مُجَرِّباً

فَوَجَدْتُ كُلَّ تِجَارَتِي أَرْبَاحَا

فَوَجَدْتُ كُلَّ تِجَارَتِي أَرْبَاحَا

I am one who traded with love, putting it to the test,

I am one who has trafficked long with passion

And so I found all my trading to be profit.

And found all my commerce to be profit.

وَرَأَيْتَني غَنَّيتُ مِنْ طَرَبِ الهَوَى

وَرَأَيْتَني غَنَّيتُ مِنْ طَرَبِ الهَوَى

وَأَخُو التَّسَلِّي بِالتَّشَكِّي بَاحَا

وَأَخُو التَّسَلِّي بِالتَّشَكِّي بَاحَا

And you saw me sing from the rapture of love,

You have seen me sing out in the rapture of love,

While the seeker of solace spoke out in complaint.

And take delight in anguish and complaining.

وَرَأَيْتُ لَيْلَى أَسْفَرَتْ فَكَحَلْتُ مِنْ

وَرَأَيْتُ لَيْلَى أَسْفَرَتْ فَكَحَلْتُ مِنْ

أَلْحَاظِهَا مُقَلاً مُلِئْنَ جِرَاحَا

أَلْحَاظِهَا مُقَلاً مُلِئْنَ جِرَاحَا

And I saw Layla unveil, so I applied kohl from

I have seen Layla dawn and so I lined

Her glances to eyes brimming with wounds.

My eyes with the arrows of her glances full of wounds.

وجَلاَ ظَلاَمِيَ نُورُهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا

وجَلاَ ظَلاَمِيَ نُورُهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا

أَهْدَتْ إِلىَ ظُلُمَاتِهَا مِصْبَاحَا

أَهْدَتْ إِلىَ ظُلُمَاتِهَا مِصْبَاحَا

And her light dispelled my darkness, as though

The light of her being dispelled my darkness, as though

She had bestowed a lamp on her darkness.

She had brought a lamp to its gloom.

فَرَأَيْتُ إِذْ شَاهدْتُ مِنْ أَجْفَانِهَا

فَرَأَيْتُ إِذْ شَاهدْتُ مِنْ أَجْفَانِهَا

المَرْضَى مَعَانٍ في الجَمَالِ صِحَاحَا

المَرْضَى مَعَانٍ في الجَمَالِ صِحَاحَا

So I saw, as I gazed upon her eyelids,

Then when I saw in her eyes the sickness

Ailing though they were, meanings of beauty perfectly sound.

Of languid looks, I saw in her beauty only health.

فَغَدَوْتُ نَشْوانَ المَعَاطِفَ أمْلأُ

فَغَدَوْتُ نَشْوانَ المَعَاطِفَ أمْلأُ

الأَكْوَانَ مِنْ طَرَبِ الوِصَالِ مِرَاحاً

الأَكْوَانَ مِنْ طَرَبِ الوِصَالِ مِرَاحاً

So I grew drunk in every limb, filling

So I went out exultant, filled with the intoxication of union,

The worlds with mirth from the rapture of union.

The vessels with the rapture of attaining, of comfort.