أصغَى إليكَ بِكأسهِ مُصغِي

أصغَى إليكَ بِكأسهِ مُصغِي

صَلْتُ الجبينِ مُعَقْرَبُ الصّدغِ

صَلْتُ الجبينِ مُعَقْرَبُ الصّدغِ

Toward you he inclined with his cup, listening—

Attentive, he leaned toward you with his cup,

smooth of brow, his temple-lock curled like a scorpion.

Smooth-browed, his temple-lock curled like a scorpion.

كأسٌ تؤلّفُ بِالمَحَبَّةِ بَيْنَنا

كأسٌ تؤلّفُ بِالمَحَبَّةِ بَيْنَنا

طَوراً وتَنْزغُ أَيَّما نَزْغِ

طَوراً وتَنْزغُ أَيَّما نَزْغِ

A cup that joins us together in love

A cup unites us in love

one moment, then tears us apart—what a tearing!

At times, and at others stirs up the fiercest discord.

في روضةٍ دَرَجت بزَهرَتِها الصَّبا

في روضةٍ دَرَجت بزَهرَتِها الصَّبا

والشَّمسُ في دَرجٍ منَ الفَرعِ

والشَّمسُ في دَرجٍ منَ الفَرعِ

In a garden through whose blossoms the east breeze moved,

In a garden where the east wind wandered among its blossoms,

while the sun rested on stair-like tiers of boughs.

And the sun lies in a casket of tresses.

فَاشْرَبْ بِكَفِّ أَغَنَّ عَقْرَبُ صُدْغِهِ

فَاشْرَبْ بِكَفِّ أَغَنَّ عَقْرَبُ صُدْغِهِ

لِلقلبِ مِنْكَ مُمِيتَةُ اللَّدغِ

لِلقلبِ مِنْكَ مُمِيتَةُ اللَّدغِ

So drink from the hand of a sweet-voiced one whose lock curls scorpion-like at his temple,

So drink from the hand of a sweet-voiced one; his temple's scorpion

deadly in its sting to the heart within you.

Is deadly in its sting to your heart.