روّاه ساقي الحُسن من مائِه

روّاه ساقي الحُسن من مائِه

فبان في أَعلاه ما قد سَقى

فبان في أَعلاه ما قد سَقى

Beauty’s cupbearer gave him his fill of its water;

The one who served the beauty from his water

and what he had given him to drink appeared upon his upper part.

Made apparent in his upper face what he had given to drink

ومُنتهى الأحرُف من خَطِّه

ومُنتهى الأحرُف من خَطِّه

في جانبَي صُدغيه قد عُرِّقا

في جانبَي صُدغيه قد عُرِّقا

And the ends of the letters of his script

And the ends of the letters from his writing

were drawn with descending strokes on either side of his temples.

On both his cheeks had perspired

يا حُسنَه نوناً بماءٍ جرى

يا حُسنَه نوناً بماءٍ جرى

ودارَ كالعَقرب كي يُتَّقى

ودارَ كالعَقرب كي يُتَّقى

How lovely it is—a nūn that flowed with water,

Oh his beauty! A noon with flowing water

and curled like a scorpion, so one might beware of it.

And it turns like a scorpion to be avoided

فاغَتِنموا بدراً بدا كاملاً

فاغَتِنموا بدراً بدا كاملاً

في شَفَق من قَبل أن يُمحَقا

في شَفَق من قَبل أن يُمحَقا

So seize a full moon that has appeared in its fullness,

So take advantage of a full moon that has appeared

in a twilight glow, before it is blotted out.

In dusk before it is erased

لا أَبصرته مُقلةٌ ذاوياً

لا أَبصرته مُقلةٌ ذاوياً

ولا رَأَت زُخرفَه محرَقا

ولا رَأَت زُخرفَه محرَقا

May no eye behold him withered,

No eyelid saw it fading

nor see his splendor scorched.

Nor did any decoration see it burning