شوقي سميُّك شاعرٌ

شوقي سميُّك شاعرٌ

يا حَبّذا لو كنتَ مثلَهُ

يا حَبّذا لو كنتَ مثلَهُ

Shawqi, your namesake, is a poet.

Shawqi, I call you a poet

Oh, how lovely if you were like him!

If only you were like him

يسمُو إلى الملكوتِ حتى

يسمُو إلى الملكوتِ حتى

يجعلَ الأملاكَ رُسْلَه

يجعلَ الأملاكَ رُسْلَه

He soars to the heavenly realm until

He soars to the highest heavens

he makes the angels his messengers.

Making angels his messengers

توحي السماءُ لَه فَتلقى

توحي السماءُ لَه فَتلقى

وحيّها في الأرض قولَه

وحيّها في الأرض قولَه

Heaven inspires him, and you find

The sky inspires him and he hears

its inspiration on earth in his words.

Its inspiration as poetry on earth

شعرٌ كساه الوحيُ من

شعرٌ كساه الوحيُ من

حِلّلِ البيانِ أجلًّ حِلَّهْ

حِلّلِ البيانِ أجلًّ حِلَّهْ

Poetry that inspiration has clothed in

Poetry that revelation clothed

the most splendid of eloquence's robes.

In the finest rhetorical garb

أَسمِعْهُ عنترةً فإِنَّ

أَسمِعْهُ عنترةً فإِنَّ

جماله يُنسيه عَبْلَه

جماله يُنسيه عَبْلَه

Let Antarah hear it, for

Let him hear Antara and he will

its beauty makes him forget Ablah.

Forget his own beauty for Antara’s

شَوْقي ومَن يَجْهَلْهُ لا

شَوْقي ومَن يَجْهَلْهُ لا

يغفر له الأدباءُ جهلَهْ

يغفر له الأدباءُ جهلَهْ

Shawqi—and whoever does not know him will not

Shawqi, whoever is ignorant of him

have his ignorance forgiven by men of letters.

The literati will not forgive his ignorance

يا حبّذا لو كنَتهُ

يا حبّذا لو كنَتهُ

وحويتَ بين الناسِ عَقْلَهْ

وحويتَ بين الناسِ عَقْلَهْ

Oh, how lovely if you were him,

If only you were him

and possessed his intellect among men!

And shared his intellect among people

شَرَفاً أبا شوقي فمثلُك

شَرَفاً أبا شوقي فمثلُك

مُنجِبٌ في الناسِ نَسْلَه

مُنجِبٌ في الناسِ نَسْلَه

Honor to you, Abu Shawqi—for one like you

Nobility, father of Shawqi, your like

begets worthy offspring among men.

Begets the finest offspring among people

هاتِ اسقِنِيها قهوةً

هاتِ اسقِنِيها قهوةً

صِرفاُ تخففُ كلَّ عِلًّهْ

صِرفاُ تخففُ كلَّ عِلًّهْ

Bring it—give me coffee to drink,

Give me, let me drink coffee

unmixed—it eases every ailment.

To wash away all my worries

عبثاً تحاول قَتْلَ ما

عبثاً تحاول قَتْلَ ما

قد حرّم الرّحمنُ قتلَهْ

قد حرّم الرّحمنُ قتلَهْ

In vain you try to kill what

You try in vain to kill what

the All-Merciful has forbidden killing.

The Merciful has made inviolable

سوداء يشربها ابن خضرٍ

سوداء يشربها ابن خضرٍ

شافياً في الصدر غِلًّهْ

شافياً في الصدر غِلًّهْ

Black, Ibn Khidr drinks it,

Black coffee drunk by Ibn Khadir

soothing the rancor in his breast.

Curing the sickness in his chest

أو عاطنيها إذ ترى

أو عاطنيها إذ ترى

للشمس نحو العصر مَيْلَهْ

للشمس نحو العصر مَيْلَهْ

Or pass it to me when you see

Or give it to me as you see

the sun decline toward late afternoon.

The sun in the late afternoon leaning west

إني امرؤٌ لولا التُقى

إني امرؤٌ لولا التُقى

جعلَ ابنةَ العنقود شُغْلَهْ

جعلَ ابنةَ العنقود شُغْلَهْ

Indeed, I am a man who, were it not for piety,

If not for my piety, I am a man

would make the grape-cluster's daughter his preoccupation.

Who would have made the daughter of the vine his sole pursuit

تَثِبُ الرؤوسُ لها وتُضرِم

تَثِبُ الرؤوسُ لها وتُضرِم

في صدورِ القوم شعله

في صدورِ القوم شعله

Heads leap for her, and she kindles

Heads would turn to her and ignite

a flame in the people's breasts.

Fires in the hearts of the people

أترشّف اللذاتِ منها

أترشّف اللذاتِ منها

نهلةً في إثر نَهْلَه

نهلةً في إثر نَهْلَه

I sip delights from her,

I would gain the pleasures of her

draught after draught.

Sipping one draft after another

قلْ للرشيد وقد أقام

قلْ للرشيد وقد أقام

اليوم للحفلات حَفْلَهْ

اليوم للحفلات حَفْلَهْ

Tell al-Rashid, who has held

Say to Al-Rashid, who has prepared

his celebration for the festivities today:

Celebrations for today’s festivities

عاش الرشيدُ لِنَجْلِهِ

عاش الرشيدُ لِنَجْلِهِ

وأعزَّ بين الناس نَجْلَهْ

وأعزَّ بين الناس نَجْلَهْ

Long live al-Rashid for his son,

Long live Al-Rashid, for his heir

and may he exalt his son among men!

Whom he has made glorious among all people