Sol 6.1

  1. أَظُبىً جُرِّدَت لَنا مِن جُفونِ

    أَم ظِباءٌ رَنَونَ أَم حورُ عِينِ

    Are these blades unsheathed for us from eyelids,

    or gazelles casting glances, or wide-eyed houris?

  2. أَوُجوهٌ واجَهنَنا أَم شُموسٌ

    في غُصونٍ بَينَ اِعتِدالٍ وَلينِ

    Are these faces turned toward us, or suns

    on branches, poised between straightness and suppleness?

  3. كُلُّ فَتّانَةٍ تُقَلِّبُ هارو

    تَ وَماروتَ بَينَ نَفَثِ الجُفونِ

    Each enchantress tosses Harut

    and Marut about amid her eyelids' spell-breath,

  4. مِن بَناتِ التُركِ الرَواجِحِ أَكفا

    لاً وَلَكِنَّهُنَّ خُمصُ البُطونِ

    from among the daughters of the Turks, ample of haunch,

    and yet slender of belly.

  5. هَتَفَت بي صَبابَتي بِصَبايا

    مُصبِياتٍ بِالدَلِّ أَهلَ الدينِ

    My longing called me to maidens

    who captivate the devout with their coquetry.

  6. يا نَديمي أَما تَرى خُطَباءَ ال

    وُرقِ تَرقى مَنابِراً مِن غُصونِ

    O my drinking companion, do you not see the preachers—

    the gray doves—mounting pulpits of branches?

  7. وَهُم قائِلونَ حَيّ هَلا بِالر

    راحِ مِن معرَبونَ أَو حَلبونِ

    And they say: bring on the

    wine from Ma'rabun or Halbun,

  8. قَهوَةً تَطرُدُ الهُمومَ عَنِ القَل

    بِ وَتَأَتي بِفَرحَةِ المَحزونِ

    a wine that banishes cares from the heart

    and brings joy to the sorrowful.

  9. وَكَأَنَّ الحَبابَ ثَغرُ حَبيبٍ

    ذي اِبتِسامٍ عَن لُؤلُؤٍ مَكنونِ

    And the bubbles are like a beloved's mouth,

    smiling to reveal hidden pearls.

  10. صاغَهُ الخالِقُ الَّذي إِن يُرِد شَي

    ئاً يَكُن مِنهُ بَينَ كافٍ وَنونِ

    The Creator fashioned it—He who, if He wills a thing,

    brings it into being between kāf and nūn.

  11. هاتِ بِكراً تَمَخَّضَت بِجَنينِ ال

    سُكرِ لِلَّهِ دَرُّهُ مِن جَنينِ

    Bring virgin wine, in labor with the embryo of

    intoxication—God be praised for such an embryo!

  12. إِنَّ عُمرَ الوَردِ الأَنيقِ قَصيرٌ

    فَاِغنَموا قَبلَ الحَينِ طيبَ الحينِ

    Indeed, the lovely rose's life is brief;

    so, before death, seize the sweetness of the moment,

  13. بَينَ عودٍ وَبَينَ نايٍ وَجَنكٍ

    وَطَبيبِ القانونِ بِالقانونِ

    amid a lute, a reed flute, and a harp,

    and the qanun's physician, healing with the qanun.

  14. مَن مُجيري مِن جَورِ أَحوَرَ أَحوى

    عِندَ بابِ القَناةِ مِن جَيرونِ

    Who will shield me from the tyranny of a wide-eyed, dark-lipped beloved,

    at the Canal Gate in Jayrun?

  15. وَهوَ الجارُ بيتَ بَيتَ وَلَكِن

    بانَ عَنّي كَالرَملِ مِن يَبرينِ

    And he is my neighbor, house beside house, yet

    he is as far from me as the sands of Yabrin.

  16. لَو تَراني وَشَعرُهُ بِيَساري

    وَالحُمَيّا مَمزوجَةٌ بِيَميني

    If you saw me, his hair in my left hand

    and strong wine, mixed, in my right,

  17. لَرَأَيتَ الشُجاعَ وَالشَمسَ وَالدر

    ياقَ وَالريمَ صَيدَ لَيثِ العَرينِ

    you would see the serpent, the sun, the antidote,

    and the gazelle—the prey of a lion in his den.

  18. وَلَقَد هاجَتِ النَواقيسُ بِالدي

    رِ جَناني فَكُنتُ كَالمَجنونِ

    And indeed, the bells in the monastery stirred

    my heart, so I became like a madman.

  19. وَالشَّحاريرُ كَالرَهابينِ يَتلو

    نَ الزَبورَ البَديعَةَ التَلحينِ

    And the blackbirds, like monks, recite

    the Psalms with wondrous melody.

  20. وَصَفيرُ الصُّفرِيِّ يَشدو بِشَدوٍ

    مُعرِبٍ عَن صَبابَةٍ وَحَنينِ

    And the yellow songbird's whistle sings a song

    expressing ardent love and yearning.

  21. وَالهَزاراتُ وَالبَلابِلُ وَالوُر

    قُ عَلى الدَّوحِ بادِياتُ الشُجونِ

    And the nightingales, the bulbuls, and the gray doves

    on the spreading trees reveal their sorrows.

  22. وَإِذا العَندَليبُ صاحَ ظَنَنا

    هُ تَلا المُحكَماتِ مِن يَسينِ

    And when the nightingale calls, we think

    it has recited the clear verses of Ya-Sin.