أَفيكُم لِهَذا الحُسنِ بالله مِنكِرُ

أَفيكُم لِهَذا الحُسنِ بالله مِنكِرُ

فَإِن كانَ فَالأَعمى الَّذي لَيسَ يُبصِرُ

فَإِن كانَ فَالأَعمى الَّذي لَيسَ يُبصِرُ

Is there among you, by God, a denier of this beauty?

Is there among you one who this beauty denies?

For if there is, he is the blind man who cannot see.

For if there is, then he is blind and cannot see.

تُؤَدّي إِلى قَلبِ الفَتى نَغَماتُهُ

تُؤَدّي إِلى قَلبِ الفَتى نَغَماتُهُ

هَوىً غَيرَ ما كانَت بِهِ العَينُ تَشعُرُ

هَوىً غَيرَ ما كانَت بِهِ العَينُ تَشعُرُ

His melodies convey to the young man's heart

Its melodies carry to the heart of the young man

a passion unlike what the eye had sensed.

A passion not felt by eyes however keen.

هِيَ الكأسُ ما دارَت بِكَفٍّ عَلى فَمٍ

هِيَ الكأسُ ما دارَت بِكَفٍّ عَلى فَمٍ

فَبِالسَمعِ نُسقاها وَبِالقَلبِ نَسكَرُ

فَبِالسَمعِ نُسقاها وَبِالقَلبِ نَسكَرُ

They are the cup no hand has ever passed to a mouth;

It is the cup passed from hand to mouth;

so through hearing we are given it to drink, and with the heart we grow drunk.

We drink it in through hearing, in heart grow drunk.

فَيالَكَ مِن دُرٍّ مِنَ اللَفظِ مُقتَنىً

فَيالَكَ مِن دُرٍّ مِنَ اللَفظِ مُقتَنىً

وَيا لَكَ مِن خَمرِ مِنَ اللَحظِ تُعصَرُ

وَيا لَكَ مِن خَمرِ مِنَ اللَحظِ تُعصَرُ

So what pearls, garnered from speech,

O precious pearl of elegant diction!

and what wine, pressed from glances!

O wine of amorous glance pressed pure!

يُمَجمِجُ أَلفاظاً بِخَمرَةِ ريقِهِ

يُمَجمِجُ أَلفاظاً بِخَمرَةِ ريقِهِ

سُكارى الخُطا في ذَيلِها تَتَعَثَّرُ

سُكارى الخُطا في ذَيلِها تَتَعَثَّرُ

He mumbles words with the wine of his saliva,

He mingles words intoxicated by his saliva.

drunken in their steps, stumbling over their own hem.

In his train the drunk ardors stumbling fare.

فَمَحبوبُ هَذا اليَومِ بِالأَمسِ مُجتَوىً

فَمَحبوبُ هَذا اليَومِ بِالأَمسِ مُجتَوىً

وَمَعروفُهُ قَد كانَ مِن قَبلُ يُنكَرُ

وَمَعروفُهُ قَد كانَ مِن قَبلُ يُنكَرُ

So today's beloved was loathed yesterday,

Love of today was shunned but yesterday,

and his goodness had once been denied.

Long known his favors, though once thought rare.

فَأَنجَزَ هَذا الدَهرُ ما كُنتُ أَرتَجي

فَأَنجَزَ هَذا الدَهرُ ما كُنتُ أَرتَجي

وَأَنجَزَ هَذا الدَهرُ ما كُنتُ أَحذَرُ

وَأَنجَزَ هَذا الدَهرُ ما كُنتُ أَحذَرُ

So this age has fulfilled what I hoped for,

What I had hoped for, time has now allowed,

and this age has fulfilled what I feared.

What I feared, time has now endowed.

فَأُدرِكُ في هَذاكَ ما لا غَرَستُهُ

فَأُدرِكُ في هَذاكَ ما لا غَرَستُهُ

وَأَغرِسُ في ذا غَيرَ ما هُوَ مُثمِرُ

وَأَغرِسُ في ذا غَيرَ ما هُوَ مُثمِرُ

So in that I reap what I did not plant,

I attain in the last what first I sowed,

and in this I plant what bears no fruit.

And sow in the first what last I owed.

فَيا وَيلَتي مِن بُعدِ ما لا أَذُمُّهُ

فَيا وَيلَتي مِن بُعدِ ما لا أَذُمُّهُ

وَيا ضَيعَتي في قُربِ ما لَيسَ يُشكَرُ

وَيا ضَيعَتي في قُربِ ما لَيسَ يُشكَرُ

So woe is me for the distance of what I do not blame,

Woe for what I bear yet do not mourn!

and alas for my loss in the nearness of what is not praised!

Woe for proximity, no thanks return!

وَما في يَدي مِنهُ سِوى أَنَّ خاطِري

وَما في يَدي مِنهُ سِوى أَنَّ خاطِري

بِعابِرَةِ الأَخبارِ عَنهُ يُخَبَّرُ

بِعابِرَةِ الأَخبارِ عَنهُ يُخَبَّرُ

And I have nothing of it in hand, except that my mind

Of it my hands hold nothing but the thought

is informed about it through passing reports.

That by the news of it my mind is taught.

عَلى أَنَّ لَيلاً لِلصِبا لا يَسُرُّني

عَلى أَنَّ لَيلاً لِلصِبا لا يَسُرُّني

إِذا كانَ عَن صُبحِ الشَبيبَةِ يُسفِرُ

إِذا كانَ عَن صُبحِ الشَبيبَةِ يُسفِرُ

Yet a night of childhood brings me no joy

For youth’s night that begins daybreak pains me

if it unveils the dawn of youth.

If with dawn of hair it does not square.