1. اسْقِياني لقَدْ بَدا الفَجْرُ

    وخَفِي الكوْكَبْ

    Give me drink, you two: dawn has appeared,

    and the star has vanished.

  2. قهْوَةٌ تُرْكُ شرْبِها وِزْرٌ

    وهْيَ لي مذْهَبْ

    Wine—to abstain from drinking it is a sin,

    and it is my creed.

  3. أنَديمي اسْقِني لقدْ حَلا

    شُرْبُ راحٍ براحْ

    O my boon companion, give me drink: sweet indeed is

    wine-drinking in the open air.

  4. وغُرابُ الظّلامِ قدْ ولَّى

    منْ حَمامِ الصّباحْ

    And the raven of darkness has fled

    from the doves of morning.

  5. ارْفَعِ السّجْفَ تنْظُرِ الطَّلاّ

    كيْف رشّ البِطاحْ

    Lift the curtain; you will see the dew,

    how it has sprinkled the valley flats.

  6. وانْثَنى قُضْبُ روْضِها الخُضْرُ

    طَرَباً تلْعَبْ

    And its garden's green branches have bent,

    playing in delight.

  7. عجَباً كيْفَ نالَها السّكْرُ

    وهْيَ لمْ تشْرَبْ

    How strange—how has drunkenness overtaken them,

    though they have not drunk?

  8. تغنّتْ حَمائِمُ القُضْبِ

    بلِسانٍ بَديعْ

    The doves of the branches sang

    in a wondrous tongue,

  9. واسْتَهلّتْ مَدامِعُ السُّحْبِ

    فوْقَ وشْيِ الرّبيعْ

    and the clouds' tear ducts began to flow

    over spring's embroidery.

  10. ثم أدِرْها كَماءَةِ الشُّهْبِ

    واسْقِني بالقَطيعْ

    Then pass it round, like the water of the shooting stars,

    and give me drink from the goblet,

  11. حيثُ يسْعَى بكأسِها بدْرُ

    خدُّهُ مُذْهَبْ

    where a full moon hastens with its cup,

    his cheek gilded.

  12. قد حَكَى فوْقَ صُدْغِهِ الشّعْرُ

    كاتِباً يكْتُبْ

    The hair above his temple has imitated

    a scribe writing.

  13. بأبي مَنْ صِرْتُ منْ حُبِّهِ

    وهْوَ هاءٌ وميمْ

    May my father ransom him whose love has transformed me;

    and he is hāʾ and mīm.

  14. أنا مِنْ حُبِّه كشَطْرِ اسْمِهِ

    وهْوَ باقِي سَليمْ

    Through loving him, I am like half his name,

    while he remains unharmed.

  15. كوْكَبٌ يسْتَمدُّ منْ وجْهِهِ

    كلُّ قلْبٍ سَليمْ

    A star from whose face sustenance is drawn

    by every sound heart.

  16. يا طِرازَ الجَمالِ ما السِّرُّ

    هَكذا يُنْسَبْ

    O adornment of beauty, the secret is not

    ascribed like this.

  17. نحْنُ أهْلُ الهَوى لنا سِتْرٌ

    هتْكُهُ يَصْعُبْ

    We are the people of love; we have a veil

    that is hard to rend.

  18. قمَرٌ للهَوَى بسُلْطانِه

    عِزّةٌ وانْتِصارْ

    A moon—through his power, love has

    glory and victory.

  19. وتَرَى للسِّحْرِ سِحْرِ أجْفانِهِ

    بيْنَ تِلْك الشِّفارْ

    And you see magic—the magic of his eyelids—

    among those blades.

  20. أنا مِنْ صَدِّه وهِجْرانِهِ

    بيْنَ ماءٍ ونارْ

    Because of his rejection and abandonment, I am

    between water and fire.

  21. عسَى أنْ يُغالِبَ الأثَرُ

    والهَوَى أغْلَبْ

    Perhaps the trace may struggle for mastery,

    but love is stronger.

  22. لو ردَّ العِذارُ إنّما العُذْرُ

    فيهِ لمْ يُعْتِبْ

    If his cheek-down repelled me, the excuse alone

    found in it would not appease me.

  23. أيُّ قدٍّ بَدا منَ الغُصْنِ

    في الرِّياضِ النّزيهْ

    What a figure has emerged from the bough

    in the pleasant gardens!

  24. قُلْتُ يا غايَةَ المُنَى صِلْني

    بالذِي نرْتَجيهْ

    I said: O utmost of my desires, grant me union,

    by the One in whom we place our hope.

  25. فانثَنى وهْوَ مُعْرِضٌ عنّي

    فتغنّيْتُ فيهْ

    Then he turned, averting himself from me,

    so I sang of him:

  26. آشْ يكُنْ ممّنْ مَعْنَى بدْرُ

    وخَفِي كوْكَبْ

    What becomes of one whose meaning is a full moon,

    while a star has vanished?

  27. ربّ قوِّي على الصّدودِ صبْرُ

    وذَا الفِراقِ ما أصْعَبْ

    Lord, strengthen patience in the face of rejection;

    and how hard this parting is!