بزجاج خدك هل سقيت حميما

بزجاج خدك هل سقيت حميما

ام هل سقيت مصفقا تسنيما

ام هل سقيت مصفقا تسنيما

From the glass of your cheek, have you served scalding water,

Have you watered the flowers of your cheek with life's sweet drink

Or have you served Tasnim, decanted clear?

Or have you watered them with a gentle breeze's hymn?

اغناك عن كاس النديم مديرها

اغناك عن كاس النديم مديرها

عدّ المدام فقد شربت نديما

عدّ المدام فقد شربت نديما

Its cupbearer has freed you from needing the companion's cup;

Your laughing cup has made the wine-pourer neglect his task;

Leave wine aside, for you have drunk a boon companion.

For you have drunk deep of the wine of manhood and fame.

احبب بحاملها ودع محمولها

احبب بحاملها ودع محمولها

شمساً يتوجها الحباب نجوما

شمساً يتوجها الحباب نجوما

How dear is its bearer! Leave its contents—

Love the bearer but leave the borne behind,

A sun that bubbles crown with stars.

A sun wearing the mist as a crown.

قم عاطها بكراً يفضّ ختامها

قم عاطها بكراً يفضّ ختامها

او عاطها مختومة خرطوما

او عاطها مختومة خرطوما

Rise, share it as virgin wine, whose seal is broken open,

Give him the wine-cup when dawn spills its seal,

Or share it sealed, as the choicest wine.

Or give it to him sealed, like a locked antrum.

راحٌ وعت عاد الاولى ثم انتشت

راحٌ وعت عاد الاولى ثم انتشت

حببا فعادت في الاناء كروما

حببا فعادت في الاناء كروما

Wine that remembers the first ʿAd, then grew merry

The first went and roamed and returned to be poured again,

With bubbles, becoming grapevines again in the vessel.

As love, and returned to the bowl like a swarm of bees.

امحكمي بأناء خمر رضابه

امحكمي بأناء خمر رضابه

حكَّمت في نطف الخمور حكيما

حكَّمت في نطف الخمور حكيما

O you who appoint me judge over a vessel of his saliva's wine,

Judge me by the bowl of a pleasing wine -

You have appointed a sage to judge the drops of wine.

You judged the buds of grapes to be wise.

امطارح الطير الهزار لشدوه

امطارح الطير الهزار لشدوه

مهما يردّد صوته تنغيما

مهما يردّد صوته تنغيما

O you who rival the nightingale in its song,

Don't chase away the merry bird of rhyming -

However often it repeats its voice in melody;

No matter how much he repeats his song's tune.

ومرقص القرط المذبذب زاهياً

ومرقص القرط المذبذب زاهياً

ومُعقِّص الليل الاحمّ بهيما

ومُعقِّص الليل الاحمّ بهيما

And you who set the dangling earring dancing, radiant,

And the shaking, wavering, laughing, dancing anklet,

And you who braid the black night, utterly dark;

And the night, dark and sad, prowling, howling.

ومتيم الحرباء في دورانها

ومتيم الحرباء في دورانها

ومهيم الرشأ الاغن رخيما

ومهيم الرشأ الاغن رخيما

And you who enthrall the chameleon in its turning,

And the amorous, circling, moaning dove,

And you who enrapture the fawn, softly bleating and mellow-voiced;

And the complaining, weeping, wailing wind.

جئني بمثلك في الغزالة طلعة

جئني بمثلك في الغزالة طلعة

او في الغزال شمائلاً ورسوما

او في الغزال شمائلاً ورسوما

Find me your equal in the sun's splendor,

Meet me with your beautiful, delicate, graceful steps,

Or in the gazelle's graces and features.

Or meet me in the eyes and features of a deer.

في الظبي منك لواحظ شهدت بها

في الظبي منك لواحظ شهدت بها

حدق جرحن برامتين الريّما

حدق جرحن برامتين الريّما

The gazelle has glances of yours, attested by

In your gazelle's eyes I discern witnesses that wound me,

Eyes that wounded the white gazelle at Ramatayn.

Two piercing, sad, sleepy, dreamy eyes.

صاغ الهلال معوذاً طوقاً لهُ

صاغ الهلال معوذاً طوقاً لهُ

بالعين لاح بجيده مفصوما

بالعين لاح بجيده مفصوما

The crescent fashioned him a collar as a charm;

The crescent moon shaped a necklace for itself,

To the eye it gleamed upon his neck, broken open.

Piercing through the neck with its sharp horns.

حلو الفكاهة إن جرى بحديثه

حلو الفكاهة إن جرى بحديثه

اجرى بسمعك لؤلؤً منظوما

اجرى بسمعك لؤلؤً منظوما

Sweet in wit, when he lets his speech flow,

Sweet is the wit that flows through his talk

He pours strung pearls into your hearing.

And flows to your hearing like rhythmic pearls.

فلقد جنيت بوجنتيه منمنماً

فلقد جنيت بوجنتيه منمنماً

وقرأت في ديباجتيه رقوما

وقرأت في ديباجتيه رقوما

For I have harvested fine ornament from his cheeks,

So you have plucked from his cheeks a flowering,

And read inscriptions in his two brocades.

And read on his face something wonderful written.

أَلغى نسيم الورد غبّ مخيلةٍ

أَلغى نسيم الورد غبّ مخيلةٍ

من شمَّ من ورد الخدود نسيما

من شمَّ من ورد الخدود نسيما

The roses' breeze after a raincloud is set aside

The scent of roses has cleared the imagination of musk -

By one who has breathed a breeze from the roses of cheeks.

For I smelled the roses from his cheeks' breath.

كسر الجفون فهوَّمت بسنا الكرى

كسر الجفون فهوَّمت بسنا الكرى

ونفى الكرى عن مقلتي تهويما

ونفى الكرى عن مقلتي تهويما

He half-closed his lids; they drowsed in sleep's glow,

The eyelids captivate so I worry

And his drowsiness banished sleep from my eye.

About the eyes, and the eyes refuse my passionate confusion.

يا مالكي قلبي واقسم حلفة

يا مالكي قلبي واقسم حلفة

نصفين غودر بالنوى مقسوما

نصفين غودر بالنوى مقسوما

O my master, my heart—I swear an oath—

O you who own my heart, I swear sincerely,

Was left by separation divided into two halves.

Cut in half, split in two like a ripe date.

اردد عليَّ النصف منه ترّحماً

اردد عليَّ النصف منه ترّحماً

لو كنت ذا نصفٍ لكنتَ رحيما

لو كنت ذا نصفٍ لكنتَ رحيما

Return its half to me in compassion;

Return to me half of it out of mercy,

If you possessed fairness, you would be merciful.

If you are not totally merciful or kind.

إن الهوى نعم الرفيق فان يكن

إن الهوى نعم الرفيق فان يكن

ناراً أراه جنة ونعيما

ناراً أراه جنة ونعيما

Love is indeed an excellent companion; even if it be

Passion is a great friend, and if it becomes

Fire, I see it as Paradise and bliss.

A fire, I feel it is a paradise and pleasure.

قد لامني وهو الملوم بحبه

قد لامني وهو الملوم بحبه

ارأيت ذا لومٍ يكون ملوما

ارأيت ذا لومٍ يكون ملوما

He reproached me, though he himself is blamed for his love;

Blameworthy as it is, I blame it for its love,

Have you seen a reproacher who is himself reproached?

Did you ever see blame that is blameable?

معنى بعينك لم اطق تحديده

معنى بعينك لم اطق تحديده

بفمي فآثرن السكون وجوما

بفمي فآثرن السكون وجوما

A meaning in your eye I could not define

Your eyes mean more than my mouth can utter,

With my mouth; so silence was chosen in mute bewilderment.

So I chose silence, quietude, and stillness.

قم لابساً برد السعود مورّد ال

قم لابساً برد السعود مورّد ال

كمين رفّ مسهما تسهيما

كمين رفّ مسهما تسهيما

Rise, wearing good fortune's mantle, rose-tinted at the

Rise, wearing the coat of happiness, lined with

two sleeves, fluttering with arrow-like patterning,

The finest armament, armed from head to toe.

في ليلة قرنت بشمس نهارها

في ليلة قرنت بشمس نهارها

قمر الدجى الحسن بن ابراهيما

قمر الدجى الحسن بن ابراهيما

On a night that paired with the sun of its day

On a night paired with a day whose sun was

The moon of darkness, al-Hasan ibn Ibrahim,

The full moon of beauty, Judge Abu Ibrahim.

الكاسر الاصنام في البيت الذي

الكاسر الاصنام في البيت الذي

رفعت قواعده يداه قديما

رفعت قواعده يداه قديما

The breaker of idols in the house whose

The idol smasher in the house whose foundations

Foundations his hands raised long ago;

Were raised by hands long ago.

والمثقل النادي اذا عقد الحبا

والمثقل النادي اذا عقد الحبا

والمستخف من الجبال حلوما

والمستخف من الجبال حلوما

And he who lends weight to the assembly when he binds his knee-wraps,

He who loads generosity with gifts when passion

And he who finds the mountains' forbearance light.

Forms bonds of love, who makes mountains light as feathers.

إن لم يلد ندٌّ له فلعله

إن لم يلد ندٌّ له فلعله

جاء الزمان به وعاد عقيما

جاء الزمان به وعاد عقيما

If no equal of his has been born, then perhaps he

If an equal is not born for him, perhaps

Was brought forth by Time, which then became barren again.

Time will bring one, though now he has no match.