كيف صبري عن الكؤوس اذا ما

كيف صبري عن الكؤوس اذا ما

عثر الروض في ذيول النسيم

عثر الروض في ذيول النسيم

How can I remain patient, parted from the wine-cups, whenever

How can I endure without the cups, when

The garden stumbles in the trailing skirts of the breeze,

The garden stumbles in the breeze's trailing skirts,

ورنا نرجس الربا بعيون

ورنا نرجس الربا بعيون

وجلى الورد عن محيا وسيم

وجلى الورد عن محيا وسيم

and the upland narcissus gazes with its eyes,

And the hills' narcissi gaze with eyes,

and the rose unveils a lovely face,

And the rose unveils a handsome face,

وبدا معصم الخليج فخطت

وبدا معصم الخليج فخطت

فوقه الريح أسطرا من وشوم

فوقه الريح أسطرا من وشوم

and the stream’s wrist appears, whereupon

And the channel's wrist appears; then are inscribed

the wind traces lines of tattoos upon it?

Upon it, by the wind, lines of tattoos?

سوف تدري الهموم أية راح

سوف تدري الهموم أية راح

أخذت من أرواحنا والجسوم

أخذت من أرواحنا والجسوم

Soon sorrows will learn which wine

Sorrows will learn what kind of wine

has swept them from our souls and bodies.

Has taken hold of our souls and bodies.

بنت دن رعت ببيداء نفسي

بنت دن رعت ببيداء نفسي

فهي تعدو بها كعدو الظليم

فهي تعدو بها كعدو الظليم

A wine-jar’s daughter grazed in the wilderness of my soul;

A daughter of the wine-jar grazed in my soul's wilderness;

there she races through it like a male ostrich at full run.

So she races through it as a male ostrich races.

كرمت في حدائق غروسها

كرمت في حدائق غروسها

لكرام فسميت بالكروم

لكرام فسميت بالكروم

She ripened nobly in gardens whose planting

She grew noble in gardens whose plantings

was the work of noble men; hence she took her name from the vineyards.

Were for noble men; hence they were called vineyards.

طفت بالايك فاستهلت دموعي

طفت بالايك فاستهلت دموعي

لحمام تبكي فراق حميم

لحمام تبكي فراق حميم

I roamed among the groves; then my tears streamed forth

I wandered among the groves, and my tears poured forth

for doves weeping over parting from a dear companion—

For doves weeping over a dear friend's parting.

عجمة أعربت بوجه دقيق

عجمة أعربت بوجه دقيق

وكلام مقطع من كلام

وكلام مقطع من كلام

their inarticulate tongue speaking plainly in a subtle way,

An inarticulate tongue speaking clearly in a subtle way,

speech pieced together from fragments of speech.

And speech broken off from speech.

أوضعت بي اليه وجناء حرف

أوضعت بي اليه وجناء حرف

أكلتها السفار أكل القضيم

أكلتها السفار أكل القضيم

Toward him a broad-cheeked, lean she-camel sped me,

A stout-cheeked, lean she-camel sped me to him;

journeys consuming her as chopped fodder is consumed.

Journeys had eaten her away as dry fodder is eaten.

فترى الريح خلفها وهي حيرى

فترى الريح خلفها وهي حيرى

بين ايضاعها وبين الرسيم

بين ايضاعها وبين الرسيم

You could see the wind behind her, bewildered,

So you see the wind behind her, bewildered

caught between her headlong gallop and her measured trot.

Between her swift pace and her trot.

ظلت أطوي القفار منها بلام

ظلت أطوي القفار منها بلام

طبعتها بالميم أثر الميم

طبعتها بالميم أثر الميم

All day I folded up the wastes with a lām-shaped limb of hers,

I kept folding up the wastes with a lām of hers,

stamping them with mīm after mīm.

Which I stamped with mīm after mīm.

فأتته والرقّ قد نال منها

فأتته والرقّ قد نال منها

فهي تخطو على وظيف رتيم

فهي تخطو على وظيف رتيم

Thus she reached him, emaciation having taken its toll;

So she reached him, leanness having taken its toll on her;

she now steps upon a battered, broken shank.

So she steps on a fractured shank.

وقليلا تمتعت في الفيافي

وقليلا تمتعت في الفيافي

بسنام كالعارض المركوم

بسنام كالعارض المركوم

And only briefly, in the trackless wastes, did I enjoy

And only briefly did I enjoy, amid the wastes,

a hump like a massed bank of cloud.

A hump like a heaped-up raincloud.