فِتيَةَ الصَهباءِ خَيرَ الشارِبين

فِتيَةَ الصَهباءِ خَيرَ الشارِبين

جَدِّدوا بِاللَهِ عَهدَ الغائِبين

جَدِّدوا بِاللَهِ عَهدَ الغائِبين

O young men of tawny wine, best of drinkers,

The youth of Sahba are the best drinkers,

By God, renew the remembrance of the absent.

Renew with God the pact of the absent ones,

وَاِذكُروني عِندَ كاساتِ الطِلا

وَاِذكُروني عِندَ كاساتِ الطِلا

إِنَّني كُنتُ إِمامَ المُدمِنين

إِنَّني كُنتُ إِمامَ المُدمِنين

And remember me over cups of wine;

And remember me at the goblets of wine,

Indeed, I was the leader of inveterate drinkers.

For I was the leader of addicts.

وَإِذا ما اِستَنهَضَتكُم لَيلَةً

وَإِذا ما اِستَنهَضَتكُم لَيلَةً

دَعوَةُ الخَمرِ فَثوروا أَجمَعين

دَعوَةُ الخَمرِ فَثوروا أَجمَعين

And when, one night, you are roused

And if a night rouses you,

By wine's summons, rise up, all together.

The call of wine - so rise up altogether!

رُبَّ لَيلٍ قَد تَعاهَدنا عَلى

رُبَّ لَيلٍ قَد تَعاهَدنا عَلى

ما تَعاهَدنا وَكُنّا فاعِلين

ما تَعاهَدنا وَكُنّا فاعِلين

Many a night we pledged ourselves to

Many a night we made a pact

What we pledged, and carried it out.

On what we pledged, and we did it.

فَقَضَيناهُ وَلَم نَحفِل بِما

فَقَضَيناهُ وَلَم نَحفِل بِما

سَطَّرَت أَيدي الكِرامِ الكاتِبين

سَطَّرَت أَيدي الكِرامِ الكاتِبين

So we spent it, paying no heed to what

We spent it, and did not heed what

The hands of the noble scribes wrote down,

The noble scribes' hands wrote down.

بَينَ أَقداحٍ وَراحٍ عُتِّقَت

بَينَ أَقداحٍ وَراحٍ عُتِّقَت

وَرَياحينٍ وَوِلدانٍ وَعين

وَرَياحينٍ وَوِلدانٍ وَعين

Amid goblets and aged wine,

Between goblets and cheer were freed

And fragrant flowers, boys, and wide-eyed beauties,

Breezes, boys and eyes.

وسُقاةٍ صَفَّقَت أَكوابَها

وسُقاةٍ صَفَّقَت أَكوابَها

بَعضُها البَلّورُ وَالبَعضُ لُجَين

بَعضُها البَلّورُ وَالبَعضُ لُجَين

And cupbearers pouring from cup to cup,

And servers who clinked their cups -

Some were crystal, and others silver.

Some of crystal and some of silver.

آنَسَت مِنّا عِطاشاً كَالقَطا

آنَسَت مِنّا عِطاشاً كَالقَطا

صادَفَت وِرداً بِهِ ماءٌ مَعين

صادَفَت وِرداً بِهِ ماءٌ مَعين

They found thirsty men among us, like sandgrouse

They quenched from us a thirst like a cat's

That came upon a watering place with flowing water.

Who found a stream wherein was limpid water.

فَمَشَت بِالكاسِ وَالطاسِ لَنا

فَمَشَت بِالكاسِ وَالطاسِ لَنا

مِشيَةَ الأَفراحِ لِلقَلبِ الحَزين

مِشيَةَ الأَفراحِ لِلقَلبِ الحَزين

So they walked toward us with cup and bowl,

So they walked towards us with cup and platter

As joys walk toward a sorrowful heart.

With the gait of joys for a sorrowful heart.

وَتَواثَبنا إِلى مَشمولَةٍ

وَتَواثَبنا إِلى مَشمولَةٍ

ذاتِ أَلوانٍ تَسُرُّ الناظِرين

ذاتِ أَلوانٍ تَسُرُّ الناظِرين

And we sprang toward wine cooled by the north wind,

And we leaped up for a conquest -

With colors that delight the beholders.

A beauty of diverse hues pleasing to the beholder.

عَمَدَ الساقي لِأَن يَقتُلَها

عَمَدَ الساقي لِأَن يَقتُلَها

وَهيَ بِكرٌ أَحصَنَت مُنذُ سِنين

وَهيَ بِكرٌ أَحصَنَت مُنذُ سِنين

The cupbearer set out to kill her,

The cupbearer decided to kill her

Though she was a virgin, chaste for years.

While she, a virgin, had been chaste for years.

ثُمَّ لَمّا أَن رَأى عِفَّتَها

ثُمَّ لَمّا أَن رَأى عِفَّتَها

خافَ فيها اللَهَ رَبِّ العالَمين

خافَ فيها اللَهَ رَبِّ العالَمين

Then, when he saw her chastity,

But when he saw her chastity

He feared God, Lord of the worlds, in dealing with her.

He feared God, Lord of the Worlds, about her.

وَأَجَلنا الكاسَ فيما بَينَنا

وَأَجَلنا الكاسَ فيما بَينَنا

وَعَلى الصَهباءِ بِتنا عاكِفين

وَعَلى الصَهباءِ بِتنا عاكِفين

And we passed the cup around among ourselves,

And we passed the goblet amongst ourselves

And spent the night devoted to tawny wine.

While staying devoted to Sahba.

وَشَفَينا النَفسَ مِن كُلِّ رَشاً

وَشَفَينا النَفسَ مِن كُلِّ رَشاً

نَطَقَت عَيناهُ بِالسِحرِ المُبين

نَطَقَت عَيناهُ بِالسِحرِ المُبين

And we soothed the soul with every young gazelle

And we healed the soul of every filth

Whose two eyes spoke with unmistakable magic.

Whose eyes spoke clear sorcery.

وَطَوى مَجلِسَنا بَعدَ الهَنا

وَطَوى مَجلِسَنا بَعدَ الهَنا

وَاِنشِراحِ الصَدرِ تَكبيرُ الأَذين

وَاِنشِراحِ الصَدرِ تَكبيرُ الأَذين

And our gathering was folded away, after joy

And after ecstasy and breast's expansion

And gladness of heart, by the prayer-caller's 'God is greatest.'

Our gathering dispersed with ears' pronouncing God's greatness.

هَكَذا كُنّا بِأَيّامِ الصَفا

هَكَذا كُنّا بِأَيّامِ الصَفا

تَنهَبُ اللَذّاتِ في الوَقتِ الثَمين

تَنهَبُ اللَذّاتِ في الوَقتِ الثَمين

Thus we were in days of carefree ease,

Thus we were, in the days of purity,

Plundering pleasures in precious time.

Seizing pleasures in the precious time.

لَيتَ شِعري هَل لَنا بَعدَ النَوى

لَيتَ شِعري هَل لَنا بَعدَ النَوى

مِن سَبيلٍ لِلِقا أَم لاتَ حين

مِن سَبيلٍ لِلِقا أَم لاتَ حين

If only I knew: after separation, is there for us

Would that I knew! Do we after the resolve

Any path to reunion, or is it too late?

Have any means to meet again or not?