للنهر نهرُ قُوَيْقٍ

للنهر نهرُ قُوَيْقٍ

عِنْدي يَدٌ لَيْسَ تُجْحَدْ

عِنْدي يَدٌ لَيْسَ تُجْحَدْ

The river—the river Quwayq—

The river has a strong current

has done me a favor that cannot be denied.

I have a hand that cannot be denied

عشيّة اصْطَدَتُ فِيْهِ

عشيّة اصْطَدَتُ فِيْهِ

رَشاً من المُرّدِ أَغْيَدْ

رَشاً من المُرّدِ أَغْيَدْ

One evening I caught there

In the evening I caught in it

a supple fawn among the beardless youths.

A spray of pearls that poured forth abundantly

فراحَ يَسْعَى بكأسٍ

فراحَ يَسْعَى بكأسٍ

مُدامُها لا يُصَرَّدْ

مُدامُها لا يُصَرَّدْ

So he hurried along with a cup

Then it began to flow with a cup

whose wine was not chilled.

Whose wine cannot be restrained

محفوفَةٌ بِحَبَابٍ

محفوفَةٌ بِحَبَابٍ

مؤلَّفٍ يَتَصَعَّدْ

مؤلَّفٍ يَتَصَعَّدْ

Encircled by bubbles,

Surrounded by bubbles

clustered together, rising,

Arranged in ascending order

كأنّما نظمُ دُرٍّ

كأنّما نظمُ دُرٍّ

من ثَغْرِهِ يتولّدْ

من ثَغْرِهِ يتولّدْ

as though a string of pearls

As if it were stringing pearls

were born from his lips.

Generated from its mouth

والأرضُ تُكسَى بزهر الرِ

والأرضُ تُكسَى بزهر الرِ

يَاضِ وشْياً مُعَمّدْ

يَاضِ وشْياً مُعَمّدْ

And the earth is clothed in the flowers of the

And the ground was covered in flowers

meadows—a striped brocade—

White and jet black

كأنَّ خُرّدَ عَيْنٍ

كأنَّ خُرّدَ عَيْنٍ

بها يُضاحِكْنَ خُرّدْ

بها يُضاحِكْنَ خُرّدْ

as though bashful, wide-eyed maidens

As if the eyes of a loved one

were laughing there with other maidens.

Were smiling flirtatiously with eyes just as dark

وأبيضِ اللّوْنِ ضاحٍ

وأبيضِ اللّوْنِ ضاحٍ

وحالِكِ اللَّوْنِ أسْوَدْ

وحالِكِ اللَّوْنِ أسْوَدْ

And radiant white in hue,

And redness from carnelian

and pitch-dark, black in hue,

And greenness from emerald

وحُمْرةٍ من عَقيقٍ

وحُمْرةٍ من عَقيقٍ

وخُضْرَةٍ من زَبَرْجَدْ

وخُضْرَةٍ من زَبَرْجَدْ

and a redness of carnelian,

And red and white intertwined

and a greenness of chrysolite,

As pearls scattered and dispersed

وأُقْحُوَانٍ كما ارْفَضْ

وأُقْحُوَانٍ كما ارْفَضْ

ضَ لُؤْلُؤٌ وَتَبَدَّدْ

ضَ لُؤْلُؤٌ وَتَبَدَّدْ

and daisies, as though

And the soft narcissus bends

pearls had scattered and dispersed.

Toward the well-arranged garden

والنّرْجِسُ الغَضُّ يَرْنُو

والنّرْجِسُ الغَضُّ يَرْنُو

إلى البَهَارِ المُنَضّدْ

إلى البَهَارِ المُنَضّدْ

And the fresh narcissus gazes

As a lover gestures

toward the tiered oxeye blossoms,

To a lover at an appointed time

كما أشار مُحِبٌّ

كما أشار مُحِبٌّ

إلى حبيبٍ بموعِدْ

إلى حبيبٍ بموعِدْ

as a lover gives a sign

And the river in its alternating calm or affection

to his beloved of a rendezvous.

Is like snakes twisting

والنهر بينَ اعتدالٍ من سَيْرِهِ أَوْ تَأوُّدْ

والنهر بينَ اعتدالٍ من سَيْرِهِ أَوْ تَأوُّدْ

كأَفْعُوانَ تلوّى

كأَفْعُوانَ تلوّى

And the river, now straight in its course, now bending,

Then straightening and extending

is like a serpent that twisted,

As if it contained unsheathed swords

ثمّ اسْتَوَى وتَمدّدْ

ثمّ اسْتَوَى وتَمدّدْ

كأنّ فيهِ سُيوفاً

كأنّ فيهِ سُيوفاً

then straightened and stretched out.

That are at times drawn

As though within it were swords

And other times sheathed

مُهنَّدات تُجرَّدْ

مُهنَّدات تُجرَّدْ

فتارةً هي تُنْضي

فتارةً هي تُنْضي

of Indian steel, drawn bare:

As if the river’s flowers

at times they are unsheathed,

Were a torch that blazed

وتارةً هي تُغْمَدْ

وتارةً هي تُغْمَدْ

كأنّ ليْنُوفَرَ الزَّهْ

كأنّ ليْنُوفَرَ الزَّهْ

and at times they are sheathed.

Illuminating at times and at others

As though the water-lily blossoms

Extinguished by the force of the wind

رِ فِيْهِ سُرْجٌ تَوَقّدْ

رِ فِيْهِ سُرْجٌ تَوَقّدْ

طَوْراً تُضِيءُ وطَوْراً

طَوْراً تُضِيءُ وطَوْراً

in it were lamps ablaze,

As if its green leaves between paired and solitary

at times shining, and at times

Were the footsteps of camels

لشدةِ الرّيحِ تَخْمد

لشدةِ الرّيحِ تَخْمد

كأنّ أوراقَهُ الخُضْ

كأنّ أوراقَهُ الخُضْ

going out in the force of the wind.

In sand of pale red

As though its green leaves,

When the breeze disturbs it

رَ بينَ مَثْنَى ومَوْحَدْ

رَ بينَ مَثْنَى ومَوْحَدْ

آثارُ أخْفَافِ إِبِلٍ

آثارُ أخْفَافِ إِبِلٍ

in pairs and singly,

It looks like disheveled hair

were the prints of camels' padded feet

And when it shimmers in the sun

في تُرْبّةٍ من زُمُرَّدْ

في تُرْبّةٍ من زُمُرَّدْ

إذا الصَّبا درَّجَتْهُ

إذا الصَّبا درَّجَتْهُ

in soil of emerald.

A soft light radiates in it

When the east wind ripples it,

You would think it a basin

أرتْكَ شَعْراً مُجَعّدْ

أرتْكَ شَعْراً مُجَعّدْ

وإنْ تَأَلَّقَ للشّم

وإنْ تَأَلَّقَ للشّم

it shows you curly hair.

In which a horse frolics

And if there sparkles from the sun

And the gentle rhythm reveals

سِ فِيْهِ ضَوْءٌ مُوَرَّدْ

سِ فِيْهِ ضَوْءٌ مُوَرَّدْ

حسِبَتْ أنَِّ لُجَيناً

حسِبَتْ أنَِّ لُجَيناً

a rose-tinted light within it,

A hidden splendor

you would think that silver

As if the soul of an Arab

يُذَافُ فيه بِعَسْجَدْ

يُذَافُ فيه بِعَسْجَدْ

وَمُطْرِبُ اللّفْظِ يُبْدي

وَمُطْرِبُ اللّفْظِ يُبْدي

was mingled there with gold.

Wandered through its body

And one whose voice enchants lays bare

As if the son of Siraj

صبابةً المتجلِّدْ

صبابةً المتجلِّدْ

كأنَّ رُوحَ عَرِيْبٍ

كأنَّ رُوحَ عَرِيْبٍ

the yearning of the stoic.

Conversed with it

As though the spirit of ʿArīb

Whenever I proposed to it

في جِسْمِهِ تَتَرَدَّدْ

في جِسْمِهِ تَتَرَدَّدْ

كأنّما ابنُ سُرَيْجٍ

كأنّما ابنُ سُرَيْجٍ

were moving to and fro within his body,

With a rosy cheek

as though Ibn Surayj

It answered me with an eloquence

فيهِ يُجَاوِبُ مَعْبَدْ

فيهِ يُجَاوِبُ مَعْبَدْ

إذا اقترحتُ عَلَيْهِ

إذا اقترحتُ عَلَيْهِ

were answering Maʿbad within him.

Of matchless rhetoric

Whenever I made requests of him,

I made my palm its collar

وَذَاتُ خَدٍّ مُوَرَّدْ

وَذَاتُ خَدٍّ مُوَرَّدْ

أجابَني ببنانٍ

أجابَني ببنانٍ

along with a rosy-cheeked woman,

And my lap its seat

he answered me with fingers

And remained distracted while the one I observed

فوهِيّةِ المتَجَرْدْ

فوهِيّةِ المتَجَرْدْ

جعلتُ كَفيّ طَوْقاً

جعلتُ كَفيّ طَوْقاً

madder-red where the flesh was bare.

Stayed far from me

I made my two hands a collar

Until the night distracted

لَهُ وحِجْري مَقْعَدْ

لَهُ وحِجْري مَقْعَدْ

وظَلْتُ أَلْهو وشخصُ الرْ

وظَلْتُ أَلْهو وشخصُ الرْ

for him, and my lap a seat,

The times and darkness enveloped

and I kept reveling, while the

And the lion embraced the deer

قِيْبِ عنِّيَ مُبْعَدُ

قِيْبِ عنِّيَ مُبْعَدُ

حَتّى إذا الليلُ ألْهَى

حَتّى إذا الليلُ ألْهَى

watcher himself was kept far from me,

On a carpeted plain covered in plants

until, when night distracted us

I set out from the slopes of youth

عَنِ الزّمانِ فأَلْبَدْ

عَنِ الزّمانِ فأَلْبَدْ

وعانَقَ الليْثُ ظَبْيَ ال

وعانَقَ الليْثُ ظَبْيَ ال

from time and grew dense,

To the best destination

and the lion embraced the gazelle of the

And made my life freer

كِنَاسِ في مَيْسِ مُجْسَدْ

كِنَاسِ في مَيْسِ مُجْسَدْ

صَدَرْتُ مِنْ نَهَلاَتِ الشْ

صَدَرْتُ مِنْ نَهَلاَتِ الشْ

covert, amid the sway of a saffron-dyed robe,

Than the life of a carefree caliph

I came away after drinking the draughts of

For pleasures are only

بَابِ عَنْ خَيْرِ مَوْرِدْ

بَابِ عَنْ خَيْرِ مَوْرِدْ

وَخِلْتُ عَيْشِيَ مِنْ عِيْ

وَخِلْتُ عَيْشِيَ مِنْ عِيْ

youth, from the finest watering place.

For one who rebels and breaks free

And I thought my life, beside the life

شَةِ الخَلِيْفَةِ أَرْغدْ

شَةِ الخَلِيْفَةِ أَرْغدْ

وَمَا اللّذَاذَاتُ إلا

وَمَا اللّذَاذَاتُ إلا

of the caliph, richer in ease.

And pleasures belong only

لِمَنْ صَبَا وَتَمَرَّدْ

لِمَنْ صَبَا وَتَمَرَّدْ

to one who follows desire and rebels.