هَات أسقني الّراحَ في راووقِها عَلَلا

هَات أسقني الّراحَ في راووقِها عَلَلا

وَعَاطِني في الحَديثِ الّلهو والغزلا

وَعَاطِني في الحَديثِ الّلهو والغزلا

Come, give me wine through its strainer, draught after draught,

Bring me a drink in her jug, and make me drunk

And share with me, in conversation, merriment and love-talk.

With frivolous talk and flirtation

أَرى الشَّحيحَ من الْحِرْمان في شُغُل

أَرى الشَّحيحَ من الْحِرْمان في شُغُل

فاجْعَل لنَفسِكَ في لذَّاتها شُغُلا

فاجْعَل لنَفسِكَ في لذَّاتها شُغُلا

I see the miser preoccupied with deprivation;

I see the miserly deprived by his preoccupation

So keep yourself occupied with your own pleasures.

So make your own pleasures your preoccupation

فَالعَيشُ ما عُشْتَ أنْ تْمسي وتُصْبحِ من

فَالعَيشُ ما عُشْتَ أنْ تْمسي وتُصْبحِ من

سُكْرِ المَدامةِ في سُكْرِ الْهَوَى ثَمِلا

سُكْرِ المَدامةِ في سُكْرِ الْهَوَى ثَمِلا

For life, while you live, is to pass your evenings and mornings

For life is to spend your days intoxicated

Drunk with wine's intoxication, amid the intoxication of love.

By wine and passion’s inebriation

قِفْ بالْدّساكِرِ وارْبَعْ في الريّاض وَطِبْ

قِفْ بالْدّساكِرِ وارْبَعْ في الريّاض وَطِبْ

عَيْشاً وَخلِّ شَقِيّاً يَنْدُبُ الطّلَلا

عَيْشاً وَخلِّ شَقِيّاً يَنْدُبُ الطّلَلا

Stop at the country estates, linger in the gardens, and enjoy

Stop by the taverns and stroll in the meadows

A pleasant life, and leave a wretch to lament the ruined campsite.

Live well and leave the wretched to lament the ruins

أَمَا تَرَى نَفَحاتِ الصّيْفِ قَدْ نَشَرَتْ

أَمَا تَرَى نَفَحاتِ الصّيْفِ قَدْ نَشَرَتْ

مِنَ النّبات عَلى وجَهِ الثَّرى حُلَلا

مِنَ النّبات عَلى وجَهِ الثَّرى حُلَلا

Do you not see how summer's breezes have spread

Do you not see the summer breeze has spread

Robes of vegetation over the face of the earth?

Greenery over the face of the earth in gowns

وَاسْتَضْحَكَ الْزَّهرُ والنُّوارُ مُبْتسماً

وَاسْتَضْحَكَ الْزَّهرُ والنُّوارُ مُبْتسماً

قَدْ غَادَرَتْ فيهِ أَنْفاسُ الصِّبا بَلَلا

قَدْ غَادَرَتْ فيهِ أَنْفاسُ الصِّبا بَلَلا

And flowers and blossoms have burst into smiling laughter,

The flowers laugh and buds smile

The breaths of youth having left moisture upon them.

As the morning breeze leaves its dewdrops on them

حَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ سِجالاً كلُّ غَادِيَةٍ

حَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ سِجالاً كلُّ غَادِيَةٍ

وطَفاءُ تَسْفَحُ فيهِ وابلا هَطَلا

وطَفاءُ تَسْفَحُ فيهِ وابلا هَطَلا

Every morning rain-cloud descended upon it in torrents,

Every passerby argues playfully with them

Dense and trailing, pouring heavy, streaming rain upon it.

While the clouds pour down on them torrential rain

حَتّى إذا ما الرُّبى اعتَمّت بِخُضْرِتها

حَتّى إذا ما الرُّبى اعتَمّت بِخُضْرِتها

وتَمَّ فيها نباتُ الرَّوْضِ وَاكتهَلا

وتَمَّ فيها نباتُ الرَّوْضِ وَاكتهَلا

Until, when the hills donned turbans of their greenery,

Until the pastures turned green with vegetation

And the garden's growth upon them was complete and mature,

And the meadows completed their growth

وفَتّقتْ سَحَراً عنْهُ كَمائمهُ

وفَتّقتْ سَحَراً عنْهُ كَمائمهُ

ريحُ الصَّبا وجرَى فيه النَّدى خَضِلا

ريحُ الصَّبا وجرَى فيه النَّدى خَضِلا

And at dawn its bud-sheaths were split open

The morning breeze uncovered its treasures

By the east wind, and dew flowed over it, moistening it,

And the dew ran through it, dripping

والرّوضُ يخْتالُ في رَوْضِ البَهاء وقَدْ

والرّوضُ يخْتالُ في رَوْضِ البَهاء وقَدْ

غَدا الثَّرَى بِفُنُون الْوَشْي مُشْتَمِلا

غَدا الثَّرَى بِفُنُون الْوَشْي مُشْتَمِلا

And the garden struts in a garden of splendor, while

While the meadow prides itself in the meadow of splendor

The earth has become clothed in varied embroidery—

The ground now adorned with patterns of beauty

فَيَصْبِحُ الرَّاحُ فيها بالصَّبُوحِ عَلىَ

فَيَصْبِحُ الرَّاحُ فيها بالصَّبُوحِ عَلىَ

حُسنِ السّماع وصِلْ بالَكرَة الأُصلا

حُسنِ السّماع وصِلْ بالَكرَة الأُصلا

Then wine greets dawn there with the morning draught, to

So the breeze in the mornings brings

Sweet music; join morning to late afternoon.

The delight of music, reconnect with the first melody

طَوْعَ البّطالَةِ وَاعْص الّلوْمَ والعَذلاَ

طَوْعَ البّطالَةِ وَاعْص الّلوْمَ والعَذلاَ

وَعاقِرِ اللَّهْو فيها بالعُقارِ عَلا

وَعاقِرِ اللَّهْو فيها بالعُقارِ عَلا

Yield to idleness, and defy blame and reproach,

Yield to leisure, and disobey blame and rebuke

And indulge in pleasure there with wine, draught after draught.

And frustrate frivolity with reason and integrity

وشادِنِ يتَهَادَى في الصّبا غَيَداً

وشادِنِ يتَهَادَى في الصّبا غَيَداً

مَيسَ القضيب تَثَنَّى ثمَّتَّ اعْتِدَلا

مَيسَ القضيب تَثَنَّى ثمَّتَّ اعْتِدَلا

And a young gazelle, swaying languidly in youth,

Take me swaying tipsily in the breeze

With a bough's sway, bending and then straightening.

A supple branch bending then straightening

رَخصُ البَنَانِ مَليحُ المُقْلَتين تَرَى

رَخصُ البَنَانِ مَليحُ المُقْلَتين تَرَى

في ناظريْهِ فُتورَ الطَّرْف والكَحْلا

في ناظريْهِ فُتورَ الطَّرْف والكَحْلا

Soft-fingered, lovely-eyed; you see

A handsome, large-eyed gazelle you’d think

In his eyes the languor of the gaze and kohl-dark rims.

In his eyes is languor and kohl

يَسْعى علينا بنور في زجاجَتهِ

يَسْعى علينا بنور في زجاجَتهِ

لَوْلاَ وقوعُ مزاجِ الماءِ لاشتَعَلا

لَوْلاَ وقوعُ مزاجِ الماءِ لاشتَعَلا

He waits upon us with a light in his glass,

He runs to us with a light in his flask

Which, but for the admixture of water, would burst into flame.

If not for the water’s composition, it would have caught fire

من قهوة كَنسيم المسك تَحْسِبُها

من قهوة كَنسيم المسك تَحْسِبُها

دَماجَرَت في فم الإبريقِ مُتَّصلا

دَماجَرَت في فم الإبريقِ مُتَّصلا

Of wine like a waft of musk, which you would take

Coffee like the wafting scent of musk you’d think

For blood flowing unbroken in the ewer's mouth.

Flowing nonstop in the mouth of the pot

كأن رَيْقَتَها مِمَّا تَرَقرَقَ في

كأن رَيْقَتَها مِمَّا تَرَقرَقَ في

صَفو الزّجاج دُموعٌ غُشِّيتْ مَقلا

صَفو الزّجاج دُموعٌ غُشِّيتْ مَقلا

As though its clear essence, shimmering in

As if its draft were the tears

The clear glass, were tears that had veiled eyes.

That dripped into the pure glass

وقينةٍ انطقت صوتَ الكِران وقد

وقينةٍ انطقت صوتَ الكِران وقد

غنَّت بَسيطاً عَلى الأوتار أَو رَمَلا

غنَّت بَسيطاً عَلى الأوتار أَو رَمَلا

And a singing-girl gave voice to the lute, having

And a lute singing the voice of the strings

Sung a Basīṭ tune upon the strings, or a Ramal tune.

Or singing Basit or Raml rhythm on the strings

وَالشَّرْبُ قد مَزَجوا صَفْواً خَلائقهم

وَالشَّرْبُ قد مَزَجوا صَفْواً خَلائقهم

كما مَزَجت بماءِ المُزنة العَسَلا

كما مَزَجت بماءِ المُزنة العَسَلا

And the drinking companions have blended their dispositions in pure harmony,

While the drinking brought together their dispositions

As you mixed honey with water from the rain-cloud.

As honey blends with the water of the strainer