عَلا حِسُّ النَواعيرِ

عَلا حِسُّ النَواعيرِ

وَأَصواتُ الشَحاريرِ

وَأَصواتُ الشَحاريرِ

To the murmur of the waterwheels,

The sound of the waterwheels rose,

and the songs of the blackbirds,

and the voices of the blackbirds.

وَقَد طابَ لَنا وَقتٌ

وَقَد طابَ لَنا وَقتٌ

صَفا مِن غَيرِ تَكديرِ

صَفا مِن غَيرِ تَكديرِ

a time has grown delightful for us,

And a pleasant time was ours,

serene and free of all disturbance.

unclouded, free of trouble.

فَقُم يا أَلفَ مَولايَ

فَقُم يا أَلفَ مَولايَ

أَدِرها غَيرَ مَأمورِ

أَدِرها غَيرَ مَأمورِ

Rise, then, O my lord’s boon companion;

Then rise, O my lord a thousandfold;

pass it round unbidden.

pass it round, if you please.

وَخُذها كَالدَنانيرِ

وَخُذها كَالدَنانيرِ

عَلى رُغمِ الدَنانيرِ

عَلى رُغمِ الدَنانيرِ

Take it, golden as dinars,

And take it, like dinars,

in defiance of dinars themselves.

regardless of the dinars.

أَدِرها مِن سَنى الصُبحِ

أَدِرها مِن سَنى الصُبحِ

تَزِد نوراً عَلى نورِ

تَزِد نوراً عَلى نورِ

Pass it round in the radiance of dawn;

Pass it round from dawn's radiance;

it will gain light upon light—

you will add light upon light.

عُقاراً أَصبَحَت مِثلَ

عُقاراً أَصبَحَت مِثلَ

هَباءٍ غَيرِ مَنثورِ

هَباءٍ غَيرِ مَنثورِ

a wine that has become like

Wine that has become like

fine dust, yet unscattered.

dust that has not been scattered.

بَدَت أَحسَنَ مِن نارٍ

بَدَت أَحسَنَ مِن نارٍ

رَأَتها عَينُ مَقرورِ

رَأَتها عَينُ مَقرورِ

It seemed lovelier than fire

It appeared lovelier than a fire

to the eye of one numb with cold.

seen by the eye of one shivering with cold.

نَزَلنا شاطِئَ النيلِ

نَزَلنا شاطِئَ النيلِ

عَلى بُسطِ الأَزاهيرِ

عَلى بُسطِ الأَزاهيرِ

We alighted on the bank of the Nile,

We alighted on the bank of the Nile,

upon carpets of blossoms.

upon carpets of flowers.

وَقَد أَضحى لَهُ بِالمَو

وَقَد أَضحى لَهُ بِالمَو

جِ وَجهٌ ذو أَساريرِ

جِ وَجهٌ ذو أَساريرِ

And through its wa—

And now, with the waves, it had

—ves, it took on a face wreathed in smiles.

a face traced with lines.

تَسابَقنا إِلى اللَه

تَسابَقنا إِلى اللَه

وِ وَوافَينا بِتَكبيرِ

وِ وَوافَينا بِتَكبيرِ

We raced toward revel—

We raced one another toward revelry,

—ry and arrived crying, “God is greatest!”

and arrived crying, "God is great!"

وَفينا رَبُّ مِحرابٍ

وَفينا رَبُّ مِحرابٍ

وَفينا رَبُّ ماخورِ

وَفينا رَبُّ ماخورِ

Among us was a master of the prayer niche,

And among us was a man of the prayer niche,

and among us a master of the tavern;

and among us a man of the tavern.

وَمِن قَومٍ مَساتيرِ

وَمِن قَومٍ مَساتيرِ

وَمِن قَومٍ مَساخيرِ

وَمِن قَومٍ مَساخيرِ

some were respectable folk,

And some from respectable folk,

and some were buffoons;

and some from a crowd of buffoons.

وَمِن جَدٍّ وَمِن هَزَلٍ

وَمِن جَدٍّ وَمِن هَزَلٍ

وَمِن حَقٍّ وَمِن زورِ

وَمِن حَقٍّ وَمِن زورِ

now earnestness, now jest,

And some earnestness, and some jest,

now truth, now falsehood;

and some truth, and some falsehood.

فَطَوراً في المَقاصيرِ

فَطَوراً في المَقاصيرِ

وَطَوراً في الدَساكيرِ

وَطَوراً في الدَساكيرِ

at one time in secluded pavilions,

So sometimes in private chambers,

at another in country estates.

and sometimes in country estates.

وَرُهبانٌ كَما تَدري

وَرُهبانٌ كَما تَدري

مِنَ القِبطِ النَحاريرِ

مِنَ القِبطِ النَحاريرِ

And monks—as you know—

And monks, as you know,

from among the learned Copts.

from among the learned Copts.

وَفيهِم كُلُّ ذي حُسنٍ

وَفيهِم كُلُّ ذي حُسنٍ

مِنَ الإِحسانِ مَوفورِ

مِنَ الإِحسانِ مَوفورِ

Among them, every man of beauty

And every handsome one among them

was richly endowed with grace,

is richly endowed with kindness.

وَتالٍ لِلمَزاميرِ

وَتالٍ لِلمَزاميرِ

بِصَوتٍ كَالمَزاميرِ

بِصَوتٍ كَالمَزاميرِ

and a chanter of the Psalms

And a chanter of the Psalms,

with a voice like reed pipes.

with a voice like flutes.

وَفي تِلكَ البَرانيسُ

وَفي تِلكَ البَرانيسُ

بُدورٌ في الدَياجيرِ

بُدورٌ في الدَياجيرِ

Within those cowls

And in those hooded cloaks,

were full moons amid deep darkness:

full moons amid deep darkness.

وُجوهٌ كَالتَصاويرِ

وُجوهٌ كَالتَصاويرِ

تُصَلّي لِلتَصاويرِ

تُصَلّي لِلتَصاويرِ

faces like painted icons,

Faces like painted images,

praying before painted icons;

praying to painted images.

وَمِن تَحتِ الزَنانيرِ

وَمِن تَحتِ الزَنانيرِ

خُصورٌ كَالزَنابيرِ

خُصورٌ كَالزَنابيرِ

and beneath their cinctures,

And from beneath the girdles,

waists slender as wasps.

waists like wasps.

أَتَيناهُم فَما أَبقَوا

أَتَيناهُم فَما أَبقَوا

وَلا ضَنّوا بِمَدخورِ

وَلا ضَنّوا بِمَدخورِ

We came to them, and they held nothing back,

We came to them; they held nothing back,

nor begrudged a thing they had stored.

nor begrudged anything stored away.

لَقَد مَرَّ لَنا يَومٌ

لَقَد مَرَّ لَنا يَومٌ

مِنَ الغُرِّ المَشاهيرِ

مِنَ الغُرِّ المَشاهيرِ

Indeed, a day passed for us,

Indeed, a day passed for us,

one of the radiant, celebrated days—

one of the radiant, renowned days.

عَلى ما خِلتُهُ مِن غَي

عَلى ما خِلتُهُ مِن غَي

رِ ميعادٍ وَتَقريرِ

رِ ميعادٍ وَتَقريرِ

so I deemed it—with no—

As I thought, without

—appointment or prior arrangement.

an appointment or arrangement.

فَقُل ما شِئتَ مِن قَولٍ

فَقُل ما شِئتَ مِن قَولٍ

وَقَدِّر كُلَّ تَقديرِ

وَقَدِّر كُلَّ تَقديرِ

So say of it whatever you please,

So say whatever you wish to say,

and appraise it by every measure.

and reckon it in every way.