1. A friend bid me farewell, and the stars were like
Necklaces hanging behind the Phoenix constellation.

2. And he said, “Seize the heedlessness of our days,
For the bridle of fate is not firmly tied.”

3. He handed me a cup that seemed as though
Its crystals were dyed by its red wine.

4. When the wine mixed in it surged, I thought it
Like twinkling ruby stars in a sapphire sky.

5. It creeps with the creeping of lightning in every joint
And clothes the faces of sipping with the veil of dawn.

6. Of the pleasures of my days, I’m content
With sweet conversation or aged wine.

7. Whatever they are, nothing remains but them—
The talk of a friend or the fragrance of aged wine.