كَسَتْكَ الشَّبيبةُ رَيعانَها

كَسَتْكَ الشَّبيبةُ رَيعانَها

وأهدَتْ لكَ الرَّاحُ رَيحانَها

وأهدَتْ لكَ الرَّاحُ رَيحانَها

Youth has clothed you in its bloom,

Youth shed its blossoms upon you

And wine has offered you its sweet basil.

And the wind offered you its fragrance

فَدُمْ للنَّديمِ على عَهْدِهِ

فَدُمْ للنَّديمِ على عَهْدِهِ

وغادِ المُدامَ ونَدمانَها

وغادِ المُدامَ ونَدمانَها

So remain true to the drinking companion's pledge,

So stay with the cupbearer as you promised

And seek out wine and its companions at dawn.

And keep pouring the wine and regret not

فقَد خلَعَ الأُفقُ ثَوْبَ الدُّجى

فقَد خلَعَ الأُفقُ ثَوْبَ الدُّجى

كما نَضَتِ البيضُ أجفانَها

كما نَضَتِ البيضُ أجفانَها

For the horizon has cast off the robe of darkness,

For the horizon has shed the garment of gloom

Just as bright swords have shed their sheaths.

As the eyelids shed their drowsiness

وساقٍ يُواجِهُني وجهُهُ

وساقٍ يُواجِهُني وجهُهُ

فتَجْعَلُه العَينُ بستانَها

فتَجْعَلُه العَينُ بستانَها

And a cupbearer whose face greets me—

With a companion whose face confronts me

The eye makes it its garden.

That my eyes make their garden

يُتوِّجُ بالكأسِ كَفَّ النَّديمِ

يُتوِّجُ بالكأسِ كَفَّ النَّديمِ

إذا نَظَمَ الماءُ تِيجانَها

إذا نَظَمَ الماءُ تِيجانَها

He crowns the drinking companion's palm with the cup,

Crowning the cupbearer’s hand with a cup

When water strings together its crowns.

When water strings its pearls

فطَوْراً يُوشِّحُ ياقوتَها

فطَوْراً يُوشِّحُ ياقوتَها

وطَوْراً يُرصِّعُ عِقيانَها

وطَوْراً يُرصِّعُ عِقيانَها

At times it adorns its ruby with a sash,

Now adorning its ruby, now studding its bracelets

And at times it studs its pure gold with jewels.

I raced its steeds around the meadow

رَمَيْتُ بأفراسِها حَلبةً

رَمَيْتُ بأفراسِها حَلبةً

مِنَ اللَّهْوِ تُرْهِجُ مَيدانَها

مِنَ اللَّهْوِ تُرْهِجُ مَيدانَها

I launched its steeds onto a racecourse

Whose arena glows with revelry

Of revelry, raising dust across its field.

And a convent whose gazelles enchanted me

وديرٍ شُغِفْتُ بِغِزلانِه

وديرٍ شُغِفْتُ بِغِزلانِه

فكِدْتُ أُقَبِّلُ صُلبانَها

فكِدْتُ أُقَبِّلُ صُلبانَها

And a monastery whose gazelles enthralled me—

I almost kissed their crosses

So I almost kissed their crosses.

When night fell I dispelled it

فلما دَجَى اللَّيلُ فرَّجْتُه

فلما دَجَى اللَّيلُ فرَّجْتُه

برُوحٍ تُحيِّفُ جُثمانَها

برُوحٍ تُحيِّفُ جُثمانَها

Then, when night grew dark, I dispelled it

With a spirit that sways its body

With a spirit that eats away at its own body:

With a candle borrowed from lances’ flames

بشَمْعٍ أُعِيرَ قُدودَ الرِّماحِ

بشَمْعٍ أُعِيرَ قُدودَ الرِّماحِ

وسُرْجٍ ذُراها وألوانها

وسُرْجٍ ذُراها وألوانها

With candles lent the slender forms of spears,

And a lantern, its light and colors

And lamps lent their tips and their colors.

Branches of incense that blossomed

غُصونٌ من التِّبْرِ قد أَزهَرَتْ

غُصونٌ من التِّبْرِ قد أَزهَرَتْ

لهيباً يُزَيِّنَ أفنانَها

لهيباً يُزَيِّنَ أفنانَها

Branches of gold have blossomed

With flames adorning their buds

With flame that adorns their boughs.

O beauty of their spirits in the dark

فيا حُسنَ أرواحِها في الدُّجى

فيا حُسنَ أرواحِها في الدُّجى

وقد أكَلتْ فيه أبدانَها

وقد أكَلتْ فيه أبدانَها

And oh, how lovely their spirits are in the darkness,

When it consumed their bodies

Though they have devoured their bodies there!

One night drunk on lute music

سَكِرتُ بِقُطرُبُّلٍ ليلةً

سَكِرتُ بِقُطرُبُّلٍ ليلةً

صَبْوتُ فغازلْتُ غِزلانَها

صَبْوتُ فغازلْتُ غِزلانَها

I grew drunk at Qutrubbul one night;

I courted its gazelles

I yielded to passion, then flirted with its gazelles.

And which nights of passion were kinder

وأيُّ ليالي الهَوى أحسَنَتْ

وأيُّ ليالي الهَوى أحسَنَتْ

إليَّ فأَنكرْتُ إحسانَها

إليَّ فأَنكرْتُ إحسانَها

And which of love's nights has shown kindness

That I forgot their kindness?

To me, only for me to deny its kindness?