غَرَّدَ في غُصْنِهِ الهزارُ

غَرَّدَ في غُصْنِهِ الهزارُ

واختالَ في رَوْضِهِ البَهارُ

واختالَ في رَوْضِهِ البَهارُ

The nightingale warbled on its branch,

The thousand sang on its branch,

and the oxeye flower strutted in its garden.

And the spring gloried in its meadow.

واستوتِ الدورُ والصحاري

واستوتِ الدورُ والصحاري

لمّا استوى الليلُ والنهار

لمّا استوى الليلُ والنهار

And houses and deserts became alike

The houses and the deserts leveled out

when night and day became equal.

When night and day leveled out.

وعاد عُوْدُ العُقارِ رطباً

وعاد عُوْدُ العُقارِ رطباً

فاليومَ طابتْ لنا العقار

فاليومَ طابتْ لنا العقار

And the wine-vine's stem grew tender again,

And the wood of aloes returned wet,

so today the wine tastes good to us.

So today aloes were sweet for us.

آخذها لا أخاف فيها

آخذها لا أخاف فيها

عاراً وهل في العقار عار

عاراً وهل في العقار عار

I drink it, with no fear of

I take it without fearing in it

shame—and is there shame in wine?

Disgrace - and is there disgrace in aloes?

لؤلؤةٌ حَشْوُها عقيقٌ

لؤلؤةٌ حَشْوُها عقيقٌ

من فوقها لؤلؤٌ صغار

من فوقها لؤلؤٌ صغار

A pearl whose filling is agate,

A pearl whose stuffing is carnelian,

with little pearls above it.

Above it small pearls.

قرارُ كأسي أبو نواسٍ

قرارُ كأسي أبو نواسٍ

للكأسِ في كفِّهِ قَرار

للكأسِ في كفِّهِ قَرار

My goblet's base is Abu Nuwas;

The steadiness of my cup is Abū Nuwās’s -

the goblet rests in his palm.

For the cup in his palm there is steadiness.

نادمتُ منه نديمَ صدقٍ

نادمتُ منه نديمَ صدقٍ

شيمتُهُ السَّمتُ والوقار

شيمتُهُ السَّمتُ والوقار

In him I found a true drinking companion,

I shared it with a friend of sincerity,

whose nature is decorum and dignity.

Whose trait was loftiness and dignity.

طُنبورُهُ ما عليه زيرٌ

طُنبورُهُ ما عليه زيرٌ

وزقه ليس فيه قار

وزقه ليس فيه قار

His lute has no treble string,

His tambour has no patches on it,

and his wineskin contains no pitch.

And his sack has no holes.

يلهو بعذراء قي ندامي

يلهو بعذراء قي ندامي

ما فيهمُ مَنْ له عِذار

ما فيهمُ مَنْ له عِذار

He dallies with a maiden among my drinking companions,

He plays with a chaste woman in my session,

not one of whom has hair upon his cheeks.

There is no one among them who is inhibited.

أمثلةٌ في الزجاجِ منه

أمثلةٌ في الزجاجِ منه

حواجبُ القومِ والطِّرار

حواجبُ القومِ والطِّرار

In the glass are likenesses, made of it:

Examples among the glass because of it -

the company's eyebrows and forelocks.

The people’s eyebrows and twinkling.

منهُ أكاليلهُمْ ومنه

منهُ أكاليلهُمْ ومنه

تلك الدراريعُ والصِّدار

تلك الدراريعُ والصِّدار

Of it are their wreaths, and of it

From it their wreaths and from it

those robes and vests.

Those breastplates and armors.

وبينهمْ كلُّ ما هوينا

وبينهمْ كلُّ ما هوينا

مما حوى البرُّ والبحار

مما حوى البرُّ والبحار

And among them is all that we loved

And between them everything we fancied

of what land and seas contain.

Of what the land and sea contained.

فالليثُ والظبيُ حيثُ حلُّوا

فالليثُ والظبيُ حيثُ حلُّوا

والحوتُ والضبُّ حيث ساروا

والحوتُ والضبُّ حيث ساروا

So the lion and gazelle are wherever they settle,

So the lion and the gazelle wherever they lodged,

and the fish and spiny-tailed lizard wherever they travel.

The whale and the wolf wherever they stalked.

هاذاك بازٍ وذاك صقرٌ

هاذاك بازٍ وذاك صقرٌ

وتلك صَعْوٌ وذا هَزَار

وتلك صَعْوٌ وذا هَزَار

That is a hawk, and that a falcon;

And there a horse and here a thousand.

and those are wrens, and this a nightingale.

Their engraver did not tire of skill -

لم يألُ خُرّاطُهُنَّ حِذْقاً

لم يألُ خُرّاطُهُنَّ حِذْقاً

ما فيه أمْرٌ ولا ائْتِمَار

ما فيه أمْرٌ ولا ائْتِمَار

Their turner stinted nothing in skill;

In it there is no defect and no cheat.

there is neither command nor obedience in it.

How long we have lived this way already -

كم قد غبرنا كذا زماناً

كم قد غبرنا كذا زماناً

ما إنْ على وجههِ غُبار

ما إنْ على وجههِ غُبار

How often we have lingered thus for a time,

There is no dust on its face!

with no dust at all upon its face.