حيَّ عَلى الأُنسِ حَيّا

حيَّ عَلى الأُنسِ حَيّا

وابْتِدارْ العُقَارْ مِنْ راحَتَيْ بَدْرِ

وابْتِدارْ العُقَارْ مِنْ راحَتَيْ بَدْرِ

Come to convivial delight—come alive!

Come to convivial delight—come!

And hasten to wine from the two palms of a full moon;

And hasten to the wine from a full moon's two palms.

ولْتَرْتَشِفْها حُمَيّا

ولْتَرْتَشِفْها حُمَيّا

كالشِّهابْ في التِهابْ عِطْريَّة النَّشرِ

كالشِّهابْ في التِهابْ عِطْريَّة النَّشرِ

and sip its intoxicating fire,

And sip it, fiery wine,

meteor-like in its blaze, fragrant as its scent unfurls.

Like a meteor ablaze, fragrant in scent.

أما تَرى اللَّيْلَ حائِرْ

أما تَرى اللَّيْلَ حائِرْ

قد تاهَ خوفَ افْتِضاحِ

قد تاهَ خوفَ افْتِضاحِ

Do you not see the night bewildered,

Do you not see the night bewildered,

gone astray for fear of exposure?

Lost in fear of being exposed?

وطالِعُ الشُّهبِ غائِرْ

وطالِعُ الشُّهبِ غائِرْ

والنَّسْرُ خَفْقُ الجَناحِ

والنَّسْرُ خَفْقُ الجَناحِ

The ascendant among the bright stars is sinking,

And the rising stars are sinking,

and the Eagle beats its wing;

And the Eagle flutters its wing.

وعَنْبَرُ الدَّجْنِ عاطِرْ

وعَنْبَرُ الدَّجْنِ عاطِرْ

تُذْكِيهِ نارُ الصَّباحِ

تُذْكِيهِ نارُ الصَّباحِ

the ambergris of darkness is fragrant,

And the gloom's ambergris is fragrant;

its perfume kindled by morning’s fire.

The fire of morning kindles it.

ومالَ سِرْبُ الثُّرَيّا

ومالَ سِرْبُ الثُّرَيّا

إذْ أنارْ للنَّهارْ طليعَةَ الفَجْرِ

إذْ أنارْ للنَّهارْ طليعَةَ الفَجْرِ

The Pleiades’ flock has dipped low

And the Pleiades' flock has inclined,

as dawn’s vanguard lights the way for day.

As dawn's vanguard shone to herald day.

والأرضُ تعبَقُ رَيّا

والأرضُ تعبَقُ رَيّا

والسَّحابْ في انْسِكابْ عَلى رُبا الزَّهرِ

والسَّحابْ في انْسِكابْ عَلى رُبا الزَّهرِ

The earth breathes perfume,

And the earth exhales sweet fragrance,

and clouds pour down upon the flowered hills.

And the clouds pour over flower-covered hills.

هذا زَمانُ الرَّبيعِ

هذا زَمانُ الرَّبيعِ

قَدْ مَلأَ الأفقَ نورُهُ

قَدْ مَلأَ الأفقَ نورُهُ

This is the season of spring;

This is the season of spring;

its radiance has filled the horizon.

Its light has filled the horizon.

تَرنَّمتْ بالبَدِيْعِ

تَرنَّمتْ بالبَدِيْعِ

عَلى الغُصونِ طُيورُهُ

عَلى الغُصونِ طُيورُهُ

Exquisite song has trilled

Wondrous songs have been warbled

from its birds upon the boughs.

By its birds upon the boughs.

ونَمَّ عِنْدَ الهجُوعِ

ونَمَّ عِنْدَ الهجُوعِ

للنَّاشقينَ عَبيرُهْ

للنَّاشقينَ عَبيرُهْ

And at the hour of slumber, it whispered

And at the hour of slumber, it was revealed

to the sleepers—its perfume.

To those who breathe it in, by its perfume.

والرَّوضُ طَلْقُ المُحَيّا

والرَّوضُ طَلْقُ المُحَيّا

والبَهارْ كالنُّضارْ قدْ حُفَّ بالدُّرِّ

والبَهارْ كالنُّضارْ قدْ حُفَّ بالدُّرِّ

The garden is bright of face,

And the garden is bright of face,

and the daisies, pure gold, are rimmed with pearls.

And the narcissus, like pure gold, is ringed with pearls.

والوَرْدُ كالخَوْدِ حَيَّا

والوَرْدُ كالخَوْدِ حَيَّا

الصِّحابْ عَنْ نِقابْ بُرودِهِ الخُضْرِ

الصِّحابْ عَنْ نِقابْ بُرودِهِ الخُضْرِ

The rose, like a maiden, greeted

And the rose, like a lovely maiden, greeted

the companions from behind the veil of its green robes.

The companions from behind the veil of its green robes.

وافْتَرَّ ثَغْرُ الأزاهِرْ

وافْتَرَّ ثَغْرُ الأزاهِرْ

للطَّلِّ عن صِرْفِ راحِ

للطَّلِّ عن صِرْفِ راحِ

The blossoms’ mouths opened in smiles,

And the blossoms' mouth opened in a smile

at the dew disclosing pure, unmixed wine.

To the dew, revealing unmixed wine.

وناظِرُ النَّوْرِ ناظِرْ

وناظِرُ النَّوْرِ ناظِرْ

إلى ابْتسامِ الأقاحِ

إلى ابْتسامِ الأقاحِ

The little flowers’ gaze gazes

And the blossoms' eye gazes

toward the chamomile’s smile.

At the smile of the daisies.

ومَعْطِفُ القُضْبِ ناضِرْ

ومَعْطِفُ القُضْبِ ناضِرْ

تَثْنِيْهِ أيْدِي الرِّياحِ

تَثْنِيْهِ أيْدِي الرِّياحِ

The boughs’ supple waist is fresh,

And the boughs' bending form is verdant;

bent by the hands of the winds.

The hands of the winds bend it.

فاجْلُ المُدامَ عَلَيّا

فاجْلُ المُدامَ عَلَيّا

بالكِبارْ لا تُدارْ في العِشْقِ والخَمرِ

بالكِبارْ لا تُدارْ في العِشْقِ والخَمرِ

So pass the wine around to me

So unveil the wine before me,

in great cups; show no reserve in love or wine.

In large cups—make no compromises in love and wine.

هَيْهاتَ يا عاذِليَّا

هَيْهاتَ يا عاذِليَّا

لا مَتابْ فالصَّوابْ سُكري مع العُمْرِ

لا مَتابْ فالصَّوابْ سُكري مع العُمْرِ

Far be that from me, my two reproachers!

Far from it, O my reprover!

No repentance—the right course is my drunkenness throughout life.

No repentance: the right course is my lifelong drunkenness.

قُمْ هاتِها سِرَّ تيّاهْ

قُمْ هاتِها سِرَّ تيّاهْ

كالغُصْنِ في لينِ قدِّهْ

كالغُصْنِ في لينِ قدِّهْ

Rise and bring her—the secret of her proud allure.

Rise, bring it—the secret of a proud beauty,

Her figure is bough-like in its suppleness;

Like a bough in the suppleness of his stature,

والصُّبحُ في نُورِ مرآهْ

والصُّبحُ في نُورِ مرآهْ

والرَّوْض في وَرْدِ خَدِّهْ

والرَّوْض في وَرْدِ خَدِّهْ

dawn dwells in the radiance of her face,

And like morning in the brightness of his appearance,

and the garden in the rose of her cheek.

And like a garden in the roses of his cheek.

الشَّمْسُ تَعْشَقُ لُقياهْ

الشَّمْسُ تَعْشَقُ لُقياهْ

والبَدْرُ صَبٌّ بِوُدِّهْ

والبَدْرُ صَبٌّ بِوُدِّهْ

The sun yearns to meet her,

The sun loves to meet him,

and the full moon is enamored of her love.

And the full moon is lovesick for his affection.

يا لائِمي فِيهِ غِيّا

يا لائِمي فِيهِ غِيّا

لا اعْتِذارْ فالعِذارْ قَدْ قامَ بالعُذْرِ

لا اعْتِذارْ فالعِذارْ قَدْ قامَ بالعُذْرِ

O you who blame me, calling this love folly,

O you who wrongly reproach me for him,

no apology—the down along her cheek itself supplies the excuse.

No apology: his cheek-down has served as the excuse.

قَدْ جئْتَ شَيْئاً فَرِيّا

قَدْ جئْتَ شَيْئاً فَرِيّا

في عِتابْ ذِي اكْتِئابْ مُتَيَّمٍ عُذرِي

في عِتابْ ذِي اكْتِئابْ مُتَيَّمٍ عُذرِي

You have indeed done a monstrous thing

You have done an outrageous thing

in reproaching a grief-stricken, love-enslaved ʿUdhrī lover.

In reproaching a sorrowful, lovesick, chaste ʿUdhri lover.

هذي دُمُوعي هَوامِرْ

هذي دُمُوعي هَوامِرْ

قد عِيلَ بالوَجدْ صَبرِي

قد عِيلَ بالوَجدْ صَبرِي

Here are my tears, streaming down;

These tears of mine pour down;

passion has exhausted my patience.

My patience has been exhausted by longing.

فالقَلْبُ هَيْمانُ طائِرْ

فالقَلْبُ هَيْمانُ طائِرْ

ما بَيْنَ بَيْنٍ وهَجْرِ

ما بَيْنَ بَيْنٍ وهَجْرِ

So the heart, distraught with love, takes flight

So the heart is lovesick, fluttering,

between separation and abandonment.

Between parting and estrangement.

يا قَلْبُ ما لَكَ حائِرْ

يا قَلْبُ ما لَكَ حائِرْ

تَهْوَى لِمَنْ ليسَ تَدْري

تَهْوَى لِمَنْ ليسَ تَدْري

O my heart, why are you bewildered?

O heart, why are you bewildered,

You yearn for one you do not know.

Loving one you do not know?

ذِبْ نَدْرِ مَنْ صال عَليّا

ذِبْ نَدْرِ مَنْ صال عَليّا

بِشِفارْ اِحورارْ جُفُونُ ذِبْ نَدْرِي

بِشِفارْ اِحورارْ جُفُونُ ذِبْ نَدْرِي

Melt away, that we may learn who assailed me

Now I know who assailed me

with the blade-edges of his eyelids’ deep blackness—melt, that we may know:

With the blades of his darkly beautiful eyelids—now I know:

صَحْبَ الصِّفاتَ البَهِيّا

صَحْبَ الصِّفاتَ البَهِيّا

والثِّيابْ العِجابْ الكَوْكب الدُّرِّي

والثِّيابْ العِجابْ الكَوْكب الدُّرِّي

those endowed with radiant qualities,

The one with beautiful qualities

and wondrous incisors, each a lustrous star.

And wondrous robes—the radiant star.