إيماضُ برقٍ أَم ثغورِ

إيماضُ برقٍ أَم ثغورِ

في ضمنها نُطَفُ الخمورِ

في ضمنها نُطَفُ الخمورِ

A flash of lightning—or mouths

Is it a flash of lightning or the lips

holding drops of wine within?

Within which lies the sap of vines?

حلبُ الغمامِ رضابُها

حلبُ الغمامِ رضابُها

وحديثُها حلبُ العصيرِ

وحديثُها حلبُ العصيرِ

Their saliva is the milk of clouds,

Milking the clouds is their chatter

and their speech, the milk of grape juice.

And their talk is milking the sweet drink

لما نشرن لنا حديثَ

لما نشرن لنا حديثَ

الوصلِ كالروض النضيرِ

الوصلِ كالروض النضيرِ

When they unfolded for us the tale

When they showed us the tale

of union, like a verdant garden,

Of union like a blossoming meadow

ساقطن عن بَرَدٍ تنظّم

ساقطن عن بَرَدٍ تنظّم

رائقَ الدرّ النثيرِ

رائقَ الدرّ النثيرِ

they let words fall from hail-white teeth, a string of

They let fall from the coolness poems

the purest scattered pearls.

Strung like precious pearls

سقياً لليلة لهونا

سقياً لليلة لهونا

في ذلك الرشأِ الغريرِ

في ذلك الرشأِ الغريرِ

May rain bless the night we dallied

Quenching on a night of bliss

with that guileless young gazelle!

In that clear draft

والكأسُ دائرةٌ عليَّ

والكأسُ دائرةٌ عليَّ

تعينها عينُ المديرِ

تعينها عينُ المديرِ

The cup was passing round to me,

With the cup circulating round me

aided by the cupbearer's eye.

Helped by the eye of the cupbearer

فمفاصلي وجفونه ال

فمفاصلي وجفونه ال

وسنا سواءٌ في الفتورِ

وسنا سواءٌ في الفتورِ

So my joints and his eyelids,

So my joints and their eyelids

sleep-heavy, were alike in languor.

Are equal in languor

نشوات سكرٍ أمكنتني

نشوات سكرٍ أمكنتني

من محالات الأُمورِ

من محالات الأُمورِ

The raptures of drunkenness enabled me

The transports of wine empowered me

to accomplish impossible things.

To achieve the impossible

لو يعتفيني عندها

لو يعتفيني عندها

ربُّ الشويهة والبعيرِ

ربُّ الشويهة والبعيرِ

Had someone sought my bounty then—

If the Lord of toast and camel

an owner of a little ewe and a camel—

Were to reproach me then

لَوَهبتُ من طربي له

لَوَهبتُ من طربي له

رب الخورنق والسديرِ

رب الخورنق والسديرِ

I would have given him, in my rapture,

For my rapture I would gift Him

the lord of al-Khawarnaq and al-Sadir.

The Lord of vineyard and palm

الآن دع يا سعد قا

الآن دع يا سعد قا

صرةَ الغواني للقصورِ

صرةَ الغواني للقصورِ

Now, Sa'd, leave the secluded one

Now enough O Saad of the songs

among the beauties to the palaces,

Of the taverns and palaces

وانهض لبشرى طبَّق

وانهض لبشرى طبَّق

الدنيا بها صوتُ البشيرِ

الدنيا بها صوتُ البشيرِ

and rise for glad tidings that have filled

Rise to the glad tidings which have

the world through the herald's voice:

Spread in all corners of the world

بشفاء من عبرت معا

بشفاء من عبرت معا

ليه على الشعرى العبورِ

ليه على الشعرى العبورِ

the recovery of one whose lofty ranks

With the recovery of the one who crossed with me

have surpassed Sirius, the Crossing Star.

The celestial orbit

كم عين داعٍ إذ شكى

كم عين داعٍ إذ شكى

شخصت إلى الملك القديرِ

شخصت إلى الملك القديرِ

How many a supplicant's eye, as he lamented,

How many a weeping eye when it lamented

looked intently toward the Almighty King,

Turned to the Almighty

واستوهبته شفاءَ بدر

واستوهبته شفاءَ بدر

المجد وهاب البدورِ

المجد وهاب البدورِ

and begged Him for healing for the full moon

And implored the recovery of the full moon

of glory, the bestower of full moons.

Of glory, granter of all requests

فأجاب دعوتَها وقال

فأجاب دعوتَها وقال

رجعتِ في جفنٍ قريرِ

رجعتِ في جفنٍ قريرِ

So He answered its prayer and said:

So He answered its prayer and said

You have returned to an eyelid at peace.

You have come back with a delighted eye

فبه لك البشرى وفي

فبه لك البشرى وفي

أعداه راعية الثبورِ

أعداه راعية الثبورِ

So through him, glad tidings are yours; among

With it is good news for you, and in

his foes is the shepherdess of ruin.

Opposing it, tending to destruction

أقسمت ما لكفاية الأ

أقسمت ما لكفاية الأ

حرار فادحة الأُمورِ

حرار فادحة الأُمورِ

I swear: none can shield the freeborn

I swear that the burning sorrows

from life's crushing calamities

Have no remedy except Muhammad

إلاَّ محمّد صالحٌ

إلاَّ محمّد صالحٌ

ولنعم جارُ المستجيرِ

ولنعم جارُ المستجيرِ

except Muhammad Salih—

The righteous, blessed neighbor

and what a fine protector of the refuge-seeker!

of the seeker of refuge

مولًى غدت بشفائه الأ

مولًى غدت بشفائه الأ

يامُ باسمةَ الثغورِ

يامُ باسمةَ الثغورِ

A lord at whose recovery

O protector! With his recovery, the days

the days' mouths broke into smiles.

Have become perfumed with the scent of meadows

عَبِقٌ بعطفيه عبيرُ ال

عَبِقٌ بعطفيه عبيرُ ال

مجدِ لا عَبَقُ العبيرِ

مجدِ لا عَبَقُ العبيرِ

His sides are fragrant with the perfume

With his kindness wafts the fragrance

of glory—not the fragrance of perfume.

Of glory, not the scent of incense

نظر الزمانُ بأعين

نظر الزمانُ بأعين

أبداً إلى علياه صورِ

أبداً إلى علياه صورِ

Time gazes with eyes

Eyes have forever looked

forever turned toward his exalted station.

At the lofty star of his form

عدد النجوم جفانُه

عدد النجوم جفانُه

والراسيات من القدورِ

والراسيات من القدورِ

His great bowls are as many as the stars,

As numerous as the stars his qualities

and so are his cauldrons, fixed in place.

And the firmly rooted principles

تقف المكارمُ عنده

تقف المكارمُ عنده

وتسير حيث يقول سيري

وتسير حيث يقول سيري

Noble virtues stand beside him,

All virtues stand before him

and go wherever he says, 'Go!'

And walk wherever he commands

فإذا نظرت إلى الزمان

فإذا نظرت إلى الزمان

بعين منتقدٍ بصيرِ

بعين منتقدٍ بصيرِ

So if you look upon Time

So when you look upon the age

with a discerning critic's eye,

With a critical, discerning eye

لم تلقه إلاَّ صحيفة

لم تلقه إلاَّ صحيفة

مأثراتِ بني الدهورِ

مأثراتِ بني الدهورِ

you find it nothing but a page

You will not find it but a page

of the glorious deeds of the sons of the ages;

Of the exploits of mankind

وسوى مآثره الجميلة

وسوى مآثره الجميلة

ليس فيها من سطورِ

ليس فيها من سطورِ

yet apart from his beautiful achievements,

And apart from his beautiful feats

it bears not a single line.

There are no lines in it

تغنيه أوَّل نظرةٍ

تغنيه أوَّل نظرةٍ

في الرأي عن نظر المشيرِ

في الرأي عن نظر المشيرِ

A first glance suffices him

One glance is enough for the wise man

in judgment, without an adviser's scrutiny.

To be free of the advisor’s gaze

ويرى بعين وروده

ويرى بعين وروده

في الأمر عاقبةَ الصدورِ

في الأمر عاقبةَ الصدورِ

And with the eye of his arrival he sees

And with the eye of his flowers he sees

a matter's outcome at departure.

The outcome of matters in the end

تغدو حلوبةُ جودِهِ

تغدو حلوبةُ جودِهِ

العافينَ بالدَّرِّ الغزيرِ

العافينَ بالدَّرِّ الغزيرِ

His bounty's milk-giving beast comes each morning

The sweetness of his generosity

to petitioners with abundant milk.

Makes happy the abundant rain

يتشطَّرون ضروعَها

يتشطَّرون ضروعَها

لا بالتلوّث ولا الشطورِ

لا بالتلوّث ولا الشطورِ

They take their shares from its udders,

They split its fruits open

without scant milk or half-dry teats.

Without soiling or severing

زرعوا رجاءهم بجا

زرعوا رجاءهم بجا

نب جودِه العذب النميرِ

نب جودِه العذب النميرِ

They planted their hopes beside

They planted their hopes by the side

his sweet, pure-flowing bounty.

Of his sweet, limpid kindness

فنما ورفَّ عليه مثلُ

فنما ورفَّ عليه مثلُ

النبت رفَّ على الغديرِ

النبت رفَّ على الغديرِ

So hope grew and flourished above it, like

So it grew and upon it waved

plants flourishing above a pool.

Like crops wave by the brook

لولا نظارة ولده

لولا نظارة ولده

لحلفت عزَّ عن النظيرِ

لحلفت عزَّ عن النظيرِ

Were it not for his children's likeness to him,

Were it not for the gaze of his son

I would swear he stands beyond compare.

I would swear excellence has no peer

إذ مِن بهاه بهاؤهم

إذ مِن بهاه بهاؤهم

وكذا الشعاع من المنيرِ

وكذا الشعاع من المنيرِ

For their splendor comes from his,

For by his beauty their beauty

just as a ray comes from a shining source.

As rays come from the shining moon

أوما ترى للبدر ما

أوما ترى للبدر ما

للشمس من شرفٍ ونورِ

للشمس من شرفٍ ونورِ

Do you not see that the full moon has

Do you not see the superiority

the sun's eminence and light?

The moon has over the sun in radiance and light?

خير الكرام وفيهم

خير الكرام وفيهم

ما شئتَ من كرمٍ وخيرِ

ما شئتَ من كرمٍ وخيرِ

The finest of the generous, and in them

The best of all nobles, and among them

is all the generosity and goodness you could wish.

Whatever you wish of generosity and good

تروي قديمَ المجد

تروي قديمَ المجد

تسنده صغيراً عن كبيرِ

تسنده صغيراً عن كبيرِ

You recount ancient glory,

Watering old glory, supporting

tracing its transmission, the young from the old.

The great and small equally

يا مَعشراً لولاهم

يا مَعشراً لولاهم

أضحى السماحُ بلا عشيرِ

أضحى السماحُ بلا عشيرِ

O company, without whom

O people! Without them

generosity would be left without a companion!

Generosity would be without kin

قرَّت عيونكم بصحَّة

قرَّت عيونكم بصحَّة

صفوة الشرف الخطيرِ

صفوة الشرف الخطيرِ

May your eyes rejoice at the restored health

Your eyes have found peace in the health

of the very essence of exalted honor.

Of the elite of high rank

وهناكم المنشور من

وهناكم المنشور من

هذا السرور إلى النشورِ

هذا السرور إلى النشورِ

And may what is spread abroad of

And hereby the joy spreads

this joy delight you until the Resurrection.

From this bliss to the resurrection