أمَّا الخيالُ فما يزالُ يَشُوقُهُ

أمَّا الخيالُ فما يزالُ يَشُوقُهُ

يُدنيك منه على البعادِ طُروقُهُ

يُدنيك منه على البعادِ طُروقُهُ

As for the dream-vision, it still stirs his longing;

Imagination still impassions him,

its visit by night brings you near him despite the distance.

Its lights draw you near though you're far,

أَنَّى اهتدى للرقَّتين كأنما

أَنَّى اهتدى للرقَّتين كأنما

بالرقَّتين زَرُودُه وعقيقه

بالرقَّتين زَرُودُه وعقيقه

How did it find its way to the two Raqqas? As though

However did it find this tenderness, as if

its Zarud and its Aqiq lay in the two Raqqas,

Its necklace and earrings were of tenderness,

بدنو إذا ما البينُ بانَ بِقُرْبه

بدنو إذا ما البينُ بانَ بِقُرْبه

عنّا وأزمعَ بالفراقِ فريقه

عنّا وأزمعَ بالفراقِ فريقه

close at hand, when separation has carried his presence

When the distance vanishes through nearness,

away from us, and his company has resolved to part.

And its people bid farewell and depart,

نعم النديمُ أرى ووردي خَدُّهُ

نعم النديمُ أرى ووردي خَدُّهُ

في النوم منتشياً وخمري ريقه

في النوم منتشياً وخمري ريقه

A fine drinking companion I see—his cheek my rose—

What a boon-friend! His cheek appears rosy

in sleep, tipsy; his saliva is my wine.

In sleep, my wine moistening his mouth,

أفضى إلى الصبِّ المشوقِ بِكُنْهِ ما

أفضى إلى الصبِّ المشوقِ بِكُنْهِ ما

لاقى به صبُّ الفؤادِ مشوقه

لاقى به صبُّ الفؤادِ مشوقه

To the lovesick, yearning lover were disclosed the depths of what

He disclosed to passionate yearning a secret—

the heart-stricken lover had suffered because of him—by his beloved.

The outpouring of my heart met its yearning,

هجر الصبوحَ مع الغَبوقِ وإنما

هجر الصبوحَ مع الغَبوقِ وإنما

فيضُ الدموعِ صَبوحُهُ وَغَبُوقُه

فيضُ الدموعِ صَبوحُهُ وَغَبُوقُه

He forsook the morning draught and the evening cup; only

It abandoned dawn's first blush, but the flow

a flood of tears is his morning draught and evening cup.

Of tears is its dawn-prayer and dusk-prayer,

يا ناصحاً ما زال يُتْبِعُ نُصْحَه

يا ناصحاً ما زال يُتْبِعُ نُصْحَه

غِشّاً إذا نصحَ الصديقَ صديقهُ

غِشّاً إذا نصحَ الصديقَ صديقهُ

O counselor, who keeps following his counsel

"Take my advice," the adviser says to his friend,

with deceit when a friend is counseled by his friend!

Veiling irascibility in advising a friend,

قلت العزاءُ يُرَامُ لستُ أرومُهُ

قلت العزاءُ يُرَامُ لستُ أرومُهُ

قلت السلو يطاق لست أُطيقه

قلت السلو يطاق لست أُطيقه

You said consolation can be sought; I do not seek it.

I said, "Comfort can be hoped for," but do not hope it,

You said forgetting love can be borne; I cannot bear it.

I said, "Patience can be endured," but cannot endure it,

أرسى بأرضِ الرقتين مُجَلْجِلٌ

أرسى بأرضِ الرقتين مُجَلْجِلٌ

يستنُّ فيه رَعْدُهُ وَبُرُوقُه

يستنُّ فيه رَعْدُهُ وَبُرُوقُه

A rumbling cloud settled over the land of the two Raqqas;

In the land of tenderness, lightning established

within it, its thunder and lightning race.

A castle wherein its thunder and lightnings dwell,

ولنعم مأوى اللهوِ للكلفِ الذي

ولنعم مأوى اللهوِ للكلفِ الذي

للهو كان غُدُوُّهُ طرُوقه

للهو كان غُدُوُّهُ طرُوقه

And what a fine haven of pleasure for the enamored one whose

What an excellent lodging for distraction is the one

morning outings, like his night visits, were for pleasure:

Whose morning ramblings were its distraction,

روضٌ عهدناهُ تصوغُ بطونُهُ

روضٌ عهدناهُ تصوغُ بطونُهُ

لظهوره زهراً يلوحُ أنيقُهُ

لظهوره زهراً يلوحُ أنيقُهُ

a meadow we knew, whose depths fashion

A garden we knew wherein its valleys wrought

blossoms for its surfaces, their beauty gleaming.

Blossoms whose sheen glowed exquisitely,

سحبتْ سحائبُه عليه ذيولَها

سحبتْ سحائبُه عليه ذيولَها

حتى تَشَقَّقَ في رُباهُ شقيقُه

حتى تَشَقَّقَ في رُباهُ شقيقُه

Its clouds dragged their trailing hems across it,

Its clouds dragged their hems over it

until its anemones burst open on its hills.

Till in its copious rain its cutting hail pelted,

وكأنما هو عند ذلك عاشقٌ

وكأنما هو عند ذلك عاشقٌ

صبٌّ أحبَّ وصالَهُ معشوقه

صبٌّ أحبَّ وصالَهُ معشوقه

And it was then as though it were a lover,

As if at that time it were a lover

love-stricken, whose beloved cherished union with him.

Whose passion a longing for union with the beloved,

عِطرٌ فمبيضُّ الربى كافورُهُ

عِطرٌ فمبيضُّ الربى كافورُهُ

رَدعُ ومصفرُّ الوهادِ خَلوقه

رَدعُ ومصفرُّ الوهادِ خَلوقه

A perfume: the white on the hills is its camphor;

A fragrance—the bloom of the land is its camphor,

perfume-stained, the yellow in the hollows is its saffron perfume.

A repeller—the yellow of the meadows its colocynth,

كم قد سقاني الكاسَ فيه شادنٌ

كم قد سقاني الكاسَ فيه شادنٌ

كالغصن ممشوقُ القوام رشيقُه

كالغصن ممشوقُ القوام رشيقُه

How often a young gazelle has served me the cup there,

How often in it one mingled for me a goblet

like a branch, tall and slender of stature, graceful of form.

Like a supple branch made to wave gracefully,

ذهبية فإذا تُشَجُّ فإنما

ذهبية فإذا تُشَجُّ فإنما

هي في الإِناءِ لظىً يطير حريقه

هي في الإِناءِ لظىً يطير حريقه

Golden wine—and when diluted, it is nothing but

She offered it golden, so when it was shaken

a flame in the vessel, its blaze taking flight.

It was as if its red embers flared up in the vessel,

وإذا القيانُ ترنَّمتْ أوتارُها

وإذا القيانُ ترنَّمتْ أوتارُها

للشَّربِ قَهقَهَ ضاحكاً إِبريقه

للشَّربِ قَهقَهَ ضاحكاً إِبريقه

And when the songstresses' strings sang melodiously

And when the lutes trilled, their strings

for the drinkers, his ewer guffawed, laughing.

Laughing with the drinking-cups for the draft,

ما زلتُ أَمزجُ ريقَهُ برحيقِه

ما زلتُ أَمزجُ ريقَهُ برحيقِه

سيَّانِ عندي ريقُهُ ورحيقه

سيَّانِ عندي ريقُهُ ورحيقه

I kept mixing his saliva with his pure wine;

I would blend its draft with its wine—

his saliva and his pure wine are alike to me.

To me its draft and its wine were equal.