Claude 2

  1. رُع بِجَيشِ اللَذاتِ سِربَ الشُجونِ

    وَخُذِ الكَأسَ رايَةً بِاليَمينِ

    Roam with the army of delights, O flock of passions,

    And grasp the cup as a banner in your right hand.

  2. لا تَرُدَّنَّ بِالتَنَصُّلِ نَصلَ اللَو

    مِ وَاِقلِب لَهُ مِجَنَّ المُجونِ

    Sheath not the blades of your resolve; unsheathe for them

    The scabbards of rapture turned inside out.

  3. طَلَعَت أَنجُمُ الكُؤوسِ سُعوداً

    مُنذُ قابَلنَ أَنجُمَ الياسَمينِ

    The stars of the goblets have risen in glory

    Since they encountered the stars of jasmine.

  4. وَظِلالُ القُضبِ اللِطافِ عَلى النَر

    جِسِ تَحكي مَراوِداً في عُيونِ

    The shadows of slender wine glasses on the cheek

    Tell tales of dalliance in languid eyes.

  5. آنِساني وَكَفكِفا دَمعَ عَينَي

    بِسِلافٍ كَدَمعَةِ المَحزونِ

    Solace me, and wipe away the tears in my eyes

    With a draft as soothing as tears of sorrow.

  6. أَلِّفا جَوهَرَ الأَزاهِرِ وَالقَط

    رِ إِلى جَوهَرِ الحَبابِ المَصونِ

    String together the essences of flowers and hidden

    Wine to the essence of treasured love.

  7. وَاِنظِماها في لَيلَةِ الأُنسِ عِقداً

    مُلكُ كِسرى لَدَيهِ غَيرُ ثَمينِ

    And on the eve of intimacy shape them into a necklace—

    The king of Persia has none finer.

  8. كَيفَ أَمَّنتُما عَلى الشَربِ شَخصاً

    لَحظُهُ في القُلوبِ غَيرُ أَمينِ

    How could you allow one into our drinking party

    Whose glances pierce hearts that guard no secret?

  9. قامَ يَسقي فَصَبَّ في الكَأسِ نَزراً

    ثِقَةً مِنهُ بِالَّذي في الجُفونِ

    He rose to pour the wine but only let fall

    A sprinkle, so smug in his power to intoxicate.

  10. وَأَتى نُطقُهُ بِلَحنٍ فَأَغنى

    عَن سَماعِ الغِناءِ وَالتَلحينِ

    His talk took on a melody, making song itself

    Superfluous, together with musical scales.

  11. إِنَّ نارَ الحَياءِ في خَدِّ موسى

    جَنَّةٌ تُثمِرُ المُنى كُلَّ حينِ

    Lo, the fire of shame in Moses’ cheek

    Is an eternal garden, fruitful at all times.

  12. قَسَماً لا أُحِبُّهُ وَأَنا أُق

    سِمُ أَنّي حَنَثتُ في ذي اليَمينِ

    By my oath, though I swear I do not love him,

    I am forsworn, having lied on the book.

  13. بَدرُ تَمٍّ لَهُ تَمائِمُ كانَت

    وَهيَ بُرءُ الجُنونِ أَصلَ الجُنونِ

    A full moon that bears the charms of spells—

    He is madness yet the source of madness.

  14. لَو رَقاني بِريقِهِ لَشَفى مَك

    نونَ هَمّي بِلُؤلُؤٍ مَكنونِ

    Had his saliva graced me it would have cured

    My heart’s grief with a guarded pearl.

  15. أَنا في ظُلمَةِ العَجاجِ شُجاعٌ

    وَجَبانٌ في نورِ ذاكَ الجَبينِ

    In pitch darkness I am bold,

    Yet a coward in the light of that fair brow.

  16. كَتَبَ الشَعرُ فيهِ سيناً فَعَوَّذ

    تُ بِياسينِ حُسنَ تِلكَ السينِ

    Poetry has inscribed upon it the letter ‘s’, but I have

    Warded it with the ‘y’ of that gorgeous ‘s’.

  17. أَتَّقي أَعيُنَ الظِباءِ وَلَكِ

    نَّ قُلوبَ الآسادِ قَد تَتَّقيني

    I fear the eyes of gazelles, and yet

    It may be lions’ hearts I ought to fear.

  18. فَكَأَنّي النُوّارُ يُجنيهِ ظَبيٌ

    حينَ لا يَجتَنيهِ لَيثُ العَرينِ

    So here am I—the leopard who falls prey to deer

    When no lion carries him off to his lair.

  19. كَم نَهاني عَن حُبِّ موسى أُناسٌ

    عَذَلوني فَإِن بَدا عَذَروني

    How they’ve forbidden me to love Moses! Those who rebuke me—

    Should I make excuses, they excuse me;

  20. أَكبَروهُ وَلَم تُقَطَّع أَكُفٌّ

    بِمُدىً بَل قُلوبُهُم بِجُفونِ

    They exalt him, yet no palms are chopped off

    As punishment—only their own hearts through envy.

  21. لَيتَني نِلتُ مِنهُ حَظّاً وَأَجلَت

    لَيلَةُ الوَصلِ عَن صَباحِ المَنونِ

    Would that I had gained from him small favor and delayed

    The night of consummation till after the death of longing!

  22. وَقَرَأنا بابَ المُضافِ عِناقاً

    وَحَذَفنا الرَقيبَ كَالتَنوينِ

    Would that we might read—and closely—the chapter “His Embrace,”

    Omitting the critic within like the vowel sign.