حيَّا الرَّبيعُ بِنَرجِسٍ وَبَهارِ

حيَّا الرَّبيعُ بِنَرجِسٍ وَبَهارِ

فارْدُدْ تَحيَّتَهُ بكأسِ عُقارِ

فارْدُدْ تَحيَّتَهُ بكأسِ عُقارِ

Spring has greeted us with narcissus and yellow daisies;

Spring greeted with narcissus and blossoms

so return its greeting with a cup of wine.

Reply to its greeting with a cup of wine

لا تَجْنِ زَهْرَتَهُ لِغَير سُلافَةٍ

لا تَجْنِ زَهْرَتَهُ لِغَير سُلافَةٍ

تصريفَكَ الدِّينارَ بالدِّينارِ

تصريفَكَ الدِّينارَ بالدِّينارِ

Do not pluck its blossom for anything but choice wine,

Don't be stingy with its flowers for other than revelry

as you exchange a dinar for a dinar.

Spending your dinars for dinars in return

وَأْنَفْ لأيَّامِ الرَّبيعِ وفَضْلِها

وَأْنَفْ لأيَّامِ الرَّبيعِ وفَضْلِها

فَضْلاً سِوى في الكاسِ والأوتارِ

فَضْلاً سِوى في الكاسِ والأوتارِ

And disdain, for spring's days and their bounty,

And give the days of spring and its excellence

any distinction save in the cup and strings.

A preference only in the cup and strings

أوَما تَرَى وَجْه الزَّمانِ قد اكْتَسى

أوَما تَرَى وَجْه الزَّمانِ قد اكْتَسى

كعِذارِ آسٍ أو كآسِ عِذارِ

كعِذارِ آسٍ أو كآسِ عِذارِ

And do you not see the face of time now clothed

Don't you see the face of time has worn

like myrtle's cheek-down, or cheek-down's myrtle?

Like the excuse of a staff or a cup of excuse?

والأرضُ قد لَبِسَتْ مَطارِفَ نَبْتِها

والأرضُ قد لَبِسَتْ مَطارِفَ نَبْتِها

وتَوشَّحتْ بِصَوارِمِ الأنْهارِ

وتَوشَّحتْ بِصَوارِمِ الأنْهارِ

And earth has donned the bordered cloaks of its vegetation,

The earth has worn her fine clothes of growth

and girded herself with the rivers' keen swords.

And adorned herself with swords of rivers

والدَّوْحُ أمْثال المَنابرِ فوقَها

والدَّوْحُ أمْثال المَنابرِ فوقَها

خُطباءُ بالإسْحارِ في الأسْحارِ

خُطباءُ بالإسْحارِ في الأسْحارِ

And the great trees are like pulpits; upon them

Dew like pulpits above her

are preachers working enchantment in the predawn hours.

Preachers at dawn during dawns

فاقْدَحْ زِنادَ الكأْسِ عن لَهَبِيَّةٍ

فاقْدَحْ زِنادَ الكأْسِ عن لَهَبِيَّةٍ

تُغْشي ظَلامَ اللَّيلِ ضَوْءَ نَهارِ

تُغْشي ظَلامَ اللَّيلِ ضَوْءَ نَهارِ

Then strike the cup's flint for a flame-bright wine

So ignite the flint of the cup with a flame

that cloaks the darkness of night in daylight.

That shades the darkness of night with daylight's glow

ولْتَجْلُها بَدراً عَلى بَدْرٍ لَدى

ولْتَجْلُها بَدراً عَلى بَدْرٍ لَدى

بَدْرٍ تَفُزْ بِثَلاثةٍ أقْمارِ

بَدْرٍ تَفُزْ بِثَلاثةٍ أقْمارِ

And unveil it, a full moon upon a full moon, beside

And sip it like a full moon next

a full moon, and you will gain three moons.

To a moon, outshining three orbiters

مِنْ كَفِّ بارِعَةِ الجَمال بَديعةٍ

مِنْ كَفِّ بارِعَةِ الجَمال بَديعةٍ

تُربي عَلى الأوْطار والأطْوارِ

تُربي عَلى الأوْطار والأطْوارِ

From the palm of a wondrous woman of surpassing beauty,

From the palm of a lovely beauty

who exceeds all desires and all bounds.

Raised on camping and traveling

في لَيْلةٍ كَسَتِ الشُّعورَ سَوادَها

في لَيْلةٍ كَسَتِ الشُّعورَ سَوادَها

وجَلَتْ من الوَجَناتِ ثَوْبَ شِعارِ

وجَلَتْ من الوَجَناتِ ثَوْبَ شِعارِ

In a night that clothed the hair in its blackness,

On a night that clad passions in its darkness

and stripped the cheeks of their close-worn garment.

And revealed from veils the dress of virtue

ما فاحَ نَدُّ اللَّيلِ عَن مِثْل الطِّلا

ما فاحَ نَدُّ اللَّيلِ عَن مِثْل الطِّلا

قُدِحَتْ شَرارَتُها بِصَوب قِطارِ

قُدِحَتْ شَرارَتُها بِصَوب قِطارِ

Never did night's incense waft from anything like this wine,

The sweet scent of night never exhaled the like

whose spark was struck by a downpour of raindrops.

Of perfume, sparked toward the Pleiades

أفْدِي الَّتي لَوْلا سوادُ خِضابِها

أفْدِي الَّتي لَوْلا سوادُ خِضابِها

مَحَتِ الدُّجا بأشِعَّةِ الأنْوارِ

مَحَتِ الدُّجا بأشِعَّةِ الأنْوارِ

I would ransom her who, but for the blackness of her dye,

I'd sacrifice her but for the darkness of her dye

would erase the darkness with rays of light.

That erased shadows with rays of light

هَيْفاءُ تُحْمى عن تَخالُسٍ ناظِرٍ

هَيْفاءُ تُحْمى عن تَخالُسٍ ناظِرٍ

بِشفارِ سُمْرٍ أو بسُمْرِ شِفارِ

بِشفارِ سُمْرٍ أو بسُمْرِ شِفارِ

A slender-waisted beauty, guarded from an onlooker's furtive glance

Haifa, protected from a watcher's slyness

by the blades of dusky lances, or dusky lances of blades.

By edge of sword or sword's edge

في ليلِ طُرَّتِها ولَيْلِ خِضابِها

في ليلِ طُرَّتِها ولَيْلِ خِضابِها

بَدْرانِ من وَجْهٍ وكأْسِ عُقارِ

بَدْرانِ من وَجْهٍ وكأْسِ عُقارِ

In the night of her forelock and the night of her dye

In the night of her cloak and the night of her dye

are two full moons: a face and a cup of wine.

Two moons from a face and cup of wine

أعْيَتْ عَلى العُشَّاقِ طُرْقُ وصالِها

أعْيَتْ عَلى العُشَّاقِ طُرْقُ وصالِها

فَمَنالُها بالوَهْمِ والتَّذكار

فَمَنالُها بالوَهْمِ والتَّذكار

The paths to union with her have defeated lovers;

The ways to meet her have wearied lovers

so she is attained through fancy and remembrance.

So she's attained through fantasy and recollection

عاطَيْتُها راحاً كأنَّ حَبابَها

عاطَيْتُها راحاً كأنَّ حَبابَها

تَحْتَ الدُّجا في الكأْسِ عِقْدُ دَراري

تَحْتَ الدُّجا في الكأْسِ عِقْدُ دَراري

I shared wine with her, as though its bubbles

I plied her with rest as if her love

beneath the darkness, in the cup, were a necklace of brilliant stars.

Under darkness were a string of pearls

صَفْراءُ عَتَّقها الزَّمانُ وراضَها

صَفْراءُ عَتَّقها الزَّمانُ وراضَها

طُوْلُ الثِّقافِ بِدَنِّها والغارِ

طُوْلُ الثِّقافِ بِدَنِّها والغارِ

Golden wine, aged by time and tamed

Yellow-skinned, aged by time and content

by long discipline in its wine-jar and cave.

With long refinement of her art and cave

فأتَتْ كَما الأُلهوبُ تَلْفَحُ نارُها

فأتَتْ كَما الأُلهوبُ تَلْفَحُ نارُها

حَرَّى ولا عَهْدٌ لَها بالنَّارِ

حَرَّى ولا عَهْدٌ لَها بالنَّارِ

So it came like a blaze, its fire scorching,

She came like flash kindling its fire

burning-hot, though it had never known fire.

Hot, though unfamiliar with fire

مازِلْتُ أسْقيها وأشْرَبُ رِيْقَها

مازِلْتُ أسْقيها وأشْرَبُ رِيْقَها

والسُّكْرُ يَعطِفُنا عَلى مِقدارِ

والسُّكْرُ يَعطِفُنا عَلى مِقدارِ

I kept giving her drink and sipping her saliva,

I continued to ply and make her drink my spittle

while intoxication swayed us in due measure.

Till drunkenness brought us closer together

حَتَّى ثَنَتْها الرَّاحُ طوعَ سَواعِدي

حَتَّى ثَنَتْها الرَّاحُ طوعَ سَواعِدي

والرَّاحُ تَعْلَمُ كَيفَ أخْذُ الثَّارِ

والرَّاحُ تَعْلَمُ كَيفَ أخْذُ الثَّارِ

Until the wine bent her, obedient to my arms;

Till the wind bent her to my shoulders' power

and wine knows how to take revenge.

And the wind knows well how to take revenge

فاسأل بِطيْبِ حَديثِ لَيْلَتِنا وَلا

فاسأل بِطيْبِ حَديثِ لَيْلَتِنا وَلا

تُغْفِلْ عَفافي عِنْدَها ووَقاري

تُغْفِلْ عَفافي عِنْدَها ووَقاري

Ask, then, about the sweet tale of our night, and do not

So ask about the sweetness of our night but do not

overlook my chastity in her presence and my dignity.

Neglect to mention my virtue and dignity with her