أصبحتُ جذلانَ طيّبَ العَرَبَهْ

أصبحتُ جذلانَ طيّبَ العَرَبَهْ

والكأسُ تهدي إلى الفتى طربَهْ

والكأسُ تهدي إلى الفتى طربَهْ

I awoke joyful, cheerful in spirit,

I have become gentle, with a pure Arabian steed,

and the cup brings the young man his rapture.

And the cup gives delight to the young man,

وذي دلالٍ كأنّ وَجْنَتَهُ

وذي دلالٍ كأنّ وَجْنَتَهُ

من خَجَلٍ بالشّقيقِِ مُنْتَقِبَهْ

من خَجَلٍ بالشّقيقِِ مُنْتَقِبَهْ

And a coy charmer, as though his cheek

With a guide as if his cheeks

were veiled in red anemones from bashfulness.

Were picked with anemones out of shyness,

في حِجْرِهِ أجوفٌ له عُنُقٌ

في حِجْرِهِ أجوفٌ له عُنُقٌ

نِيطَتْ بظهرٍ تخالُهُ حَدَبَه

نِيطَتْ بظهرٍ تخالُهُ حَدَبَه

In his lap is a hollow instrument with a neck

In his lap an empty hollow flute

fastened to a back you would take for a hump.

That is tied on a back vying with it in hump,

يمُدّ كفّاً إليه ضاربةً

يمُدّ كفّاً إليه ضاربةً

أعناقَ أحزانِنا إذا ضرَبَه

أعناقَ أحزانِنا إذا ضرَبَه

He reaches toward it with a hand that strikes

He extends a palm to it hitting

the necks of our sorrows whenever he strikes it.

The necks of our sorrows when it hits them.

تحسبُ لفظاً بأختها نغَماً

تحسبُ لفظاً بأختها نغَماً

ويودعُ المسمعينَ ما حسبَه

ويودعُ المسمعينَ ما حسبَه

You take the melodies from its sister hand for speech,

You think its pronunciation with its sister is a tune

and he imparts to listeners what he has reckoned.

And it bids farewell to the listeners whatever it deemed,

قلتُ ألا فانظروا إلى عجبٍ

قلتُ ألا فانظروا إلى عجبٍ

جاءَ بِسِحرٍ فأَنْطقَ الخَشَبَه

جاءَ بِسِحرٍ فأَنْطقَ الخَشَبَه

I said, 'Behold, look at a marvel:

I said look at this wonder

he came with magic and made the wood speak!'

That came with magic so it gave speech to wood

وقهوَةٍ في الزّجاجِ تحسبُها

وقهوَةٍ في الزّجاجِ تحسبُها

شُعْلَةَ برقٍ في الغيم ملتهبَه

شُعْلَةَ برقٍ في الغيم ملتهبَه

And wine in the glass, which you would take for

And coffee in a bottle you think it

a flame of lightning blazing in the clouds.

A flame of lightning in the laden cloud,

كأنّما الدهرُ من تَقادمِها

كأنّما الدهرُ من تَقادمِها

أوْدَعَ في طول عمرها حِقبَه

أوْدَعَ في طول عمرها حِقبَه

As though Time, because of the wine's antiquity,

As if time from its elapse

had stored his ages in its long life.

Deposited in the length of its age epochs,

ماءُ عقيقٍ إذا ارتدى زبداً

ماءُ عقيقٍ إذا ارتدى زبداً

حَسِبتَ دُرّاً مجُوّفاً حَبَبَه

حَسِبتَ دُرّاً مجُوّفاً حَبَبَه

Liquid agate—when it clothes itself in foam,

Carnelian water when it wears foam

you take its bubbles for hollow pearls.

You think it a hollow pearl it gathered,

يُسْكِرُ من شَمّهُ بسَوْرَتِهِ

يُسْكِرُ من شَمّهُ بسَوْرَتِهِ

فكيف بالمنتشي إذا شربَه

فكيف بالمنتشي إذا شربَه

Its potency intoxicates whoever smells it;

It intoxicates whoever smells it with its nectar

what, then, of the tipsy man when he drinks it?

So what about the one who drinks it being saturated

وذي حنينٍ تحنّ أنفُسُنا

وذي حنينٍ تحنّ أنفُسُنا

إليه مُنقادةً ومنجذبَه

إليه مُنقادةً ومنجذبَه

And a plaintive instrument—our souls yearn

With a musical yearning our souls

toward it, yielding and drawn.

Crave, docilely drawn to it,

يُفْشِيهِ ذو حكمةٍ أناملُهُ

يُفْشِيهِ ذو حكمةٍ أناملُهُ

منَغّماتٌ بِزَمْرِهِ ثُقَبَه

منَغّماتٌ بِزَمْرِهِ ثُقَبَه

A man of wisdom brings forth its plaint; his fingertips

Made tuneful by its player’s touch

give melody to its holes as he pipes.

With its pierced zither,

يرسلُ عن منخريه من فمِهِ

يرسلُ عن منخريه من فمِهِ

ريحاً لها نغمةٌ من القصَبَه

ريحاً لها نغمةٌ من القصَبَه

Bypassing his nostrils, he sends from his mouth

It sends from its mouth through its nostrils

a breath whose melody comes from the reed.

A breeze that has a tune like a reed flute

كأنّ ألحانَهُ الفصيحةَ منْ

كأنّ ألحانَهُ الفصيحةَ منْ

صريرِ بابِ الجنانِ مُكْتَسَبَه

صريرِ بابِ الجنانِ مُكْتَسَبَه

As though its eloquent melodies were drawn from

As if its eloquent melodies were

the creaking of the gate of Paradise.

From the creaking of the gate of paradise acquired,