نَمَّwhispered الصَّبَاthe east wind وَانْتَبَهَand awoke الطَّائِرُthe bird
نَمَّ الصَّبَا وَانْتَبَهَ الطَّائِرُ
وَاسْتَحَرَand stirred before dawn الصَّاهِلُthe neighing horse وَالْهَادِرُand the bellowing camel
وَاسْتَحَرَ الصَّاهِلُ وَالْهَادِرُ
The east wind whispered, and the bird awoke.
And the neighing horse and bellowing camel stirred before dawn.
وَأَضْحَتِand became الأَرْضُthe earth لِفَيْضِthrough the abundance of الْحَيَاrain
وَأَضْحَتِ الأَرْضُ لِفَيْضِ الْحَيَا
مَصْقُولَةًpolished يَلْهُوtakes delight بِهَاin it النَّاظِرُthe beholder
مَصْقُولَةً يَلْهُو بِهَا النَّاظِرُ
And the earth, through the abundance of rain, became
polished, delighting the beholder.
تَبْدُوappear بِهَاupon it أَنْجُمُstars of زَهْرٍblossoms لَهَاthey have
تَبْدُو بِهَا أَنْجُمُ زَهْرٍ لَهَا
مَنَازِلٌstations يَجْهَلُهَاdoes not know them الْخَابِرُthe expert
مَنَازِلٌ يَجْهَلُهَا الْخَابِرُ
Flower-stars appear upon it; they have
stations unknown to the expert.
كَأَنَّمَاas though أَلْبَسَهَاclothed it نَثْرَةًa coat of mail
كَأَنَّمَا أَلْبَسَهَا نَثْرَةً
مِنَof النُّجُومِthe stars الْفَلَكُthe firmament الدَّائِرِrevolving
مِنَ النُّجُومِ الْفَلَكُ الدَّائِرِ
As though it had been clothed in a coat of mail
of stars by the revolving firmament.
فَقُمْso rise بِنَاwith us نَلْهُlet us revel بِلَذَّاتِنَاin our pleasures
فَقُمْ بِنَا نَلْهُ بِلَذَّاتِنَا
فَإِنَّمَاfor, after all الْعَيْشُlife لَهُit has آخِرُan end
فَإِنَّمَا الْعَيْشُ لَهُ آخِرُ
So rise with us; let us revel in our pleasures,
for life, after all, has an end.
وَلاand do not تَقُلْsay نَنْظُرُwe shall see مَاwhat فِيin غَدٍtomorrow
وَلا تَقُلْ نَنْظُرُ مَا فِي غَدٍ
رُبَّmany a غَدٍtomorrow آمِلُهُthe one hoping for it خَاسِرُa loser
رُبَّ غَدٍ آمِلُهُ خَاسِرُ
And do not say, "We shall see what tomorrow holds."
Many a tomorrow finds the one who hopes for it a loser.
فَإِنَّمَاfor only الْعَيْشُlife وَلَذَّاتُهُand its pleasures
فَإِنَّمَا الْعَيْشُ وَلَذَّاتُهُ
فِيin سَاعَةٍan hour أَنْتَyou بِهَاin it سَادِرُcarefree
فِي سَاعَةٍ أَنْتَ بِهَا سَادِرُ
For life and its pleasures lie only
in an hour when you are carefree.
لاnot يَغْنَمُwins اللَّذَّةَpleasure غَيْرُother than امْرِئٍa man
لا يَغْنَمُ اللَّذَّةَ غَيْرُ امْرِئٍ
لَيْسَthere is no لَهُfor him عَنْfrom لَهْوِهِhis revelry زَاجِرُrestrainer
لَيْسَ لَهُ عَنْ لَهْوِهِ زَاجِرُ
None wins pleasure save a man
with no one to restrain him from his revelry.
قَدْindeed خَبَرَhas experienced الدَّهْرَtime فَمَاso there is no غَائِبٌabsent thing
قَدْ خَبَرَ الدَّهْرَ فَمَا غَائِبٌ
يَجْهَلُهُhe does not know it مِنْهُof it وَلاnor حَاضِرُpresent thing
يَجْهَلُهُ مِنْهُ وَلا حَاضِرُ
He has experienced time, so nothing absent
in it is unknown to him, nor anything present.
يَاO سَاقِيَيَّmy two cupbearers اعْتَوِرَاtake turns كَأْسَهَاits cup
يَا سَاقِيَيَّ اعْتَوِرَا كَأْسَهَا
فَلِيfor I have بِهَاin it عَنْaway from غَيْرِهَاanything other than it عَاذِرُan excuse
فَلِي بِهَا عَنْ غَيْرِهَا عَاذِرُ
O my two cupbearers, take turns serving its cup;
for in it I find an excuse to turn from all else.
حَمْرَاءُred تُلْقِيcasts بِلَحَاظِinto the eyes of الْفَتَىthe young man
حَمْرَاءُ تُلْقِي بِلَحَاظِ الْفَتَى
صِبْغَاًa tint بِهِthrough it يَعْتَرِفُconfesses النَّاكِرُthe denier
صِبْغَاً بِهِ يَعْتَرِفُ النَّاكِرُ
Red, it casts into the young man's eyes
a tint that makes even the denier confess.
تَفْعَلُdoes بِالشَّارِبِto the drinker أَضْعَافَmany times مَاwhat
تَفْعَلُ بِالشَّارِبِ أَضْعَافَ مَا
جَرَّinflicted عَلَىupon عُنْقُودِهَاits grape-cluster الْعَاصِرُthe presser
جَرَّ عَلَى عُنْقُودِهَا الْعَاصِرُ
It does to the drinker many times what
the presser inflicted upon its grape-cluster.
عَتَّقَهَاaged it الدُّهْقَانُthe landowner فِيin دَيْرِهِhis monastery
عَتَّقَهَا الدُّهْقَانُ فِي دَيْرِهِ
حِيناًfor a while وَلَمْand did not يَشْعُرْbecome aware بِهَاof it شَاعِرُone who perceives
حِيناً وَلَمْ يَشْعُرْ بِهَا شَاعِرُ
The landowner aged it in his monastery
for a while, with no one aware of it.
شَجٍlovesick بِهَاfor it يَكْتُمُهَاhe conceals it نَفْسَهُfrom himself
شَجٍ بِهَا يَكْتُمُهَا نَفْسَهُ
وَهْوَand he لِيَرْضَاهَاto be pleased with it غَدَاًtomorrow صَابِرُpatient
وَهْوَ لِيَرْضَاهَا غَدَاً صَابِرُ
Lovesick for it, he hides it even from himself,
and is patient, to be pleased with it tomorrow.
حَتَّىuntil إِذَاwhen تَمَّتْwere completed مَوَاقِيتُهَاits appointed periods
حَتَّى إِذَا تَمَّتْ مَوَاقِيتُهَا
وَزَالَand disappeared عَنْهَاfrom it الزَّبَدُthe foam الْمَائِرُchurning
وَزَالَ عَنْهَا الزَّبَدُ الْمَائِرُ
Until, when its appointed periods were complete
and the churning foam had cleared from it,
جَاءَتْit came وَقَدْand already شَاكَلَهَاresembled it كَأْسُهَاits cup
جَاءَتْ وَقَدْ شَاكَلَهَا كَأْسُهَا
فَاشْتَبَهَso became indistinguishable الْبَاطِنُthe inside وَالظَّاهِرُand the outside
فَاشْتَبَهَ الْبَاطِنُ وَالظَّاهِرُ
it came forth, its cup resembling it,
so the inner and outer became indistinguishable.
بِمِثْلِهَاwith the like of it تُعْجِبُنِيdelights me صَبْوَتِيmy youthful passion
بِمِثْلِهَا تُعْجِبُنِي صَبْوَتِي
وَيَزْدَهِينِيand enchants me اللَّيْلُthe night وَالسَّامِرُand the evening company
وَيَزْدَهِينِي اللَّيْلُ وَالسَّامِرُ
With wine like this, my youthful passion delights me,
and the night and the evening company enchant me.
فَمَاso what is wrong لِهَذِيwith these النَّاسِpeople فِيin غَفْلَةٍheedlessness
فَمَا لِهَذِي النَّاسِ فِي غَفْلَةٍ
عَمَّاof what إِلَيْهِtoward it يَنْتَهِيreaches the end السَّائِرُthe traveler
عَمَّا إِلَيْهِ يَنْتَهِي السَّائِرُ
Why, then, are these people heedless
of the end toward which the traveler goes?
أَلَمْdid ... not? يَرَوْاthey see كَيْفَhow مَضَتْpassed away قَبْلَهُمْbefore them
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَيْفَ مَضَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ
مِنْof أُمَمٍnations لَيْسَthere is no لَهَاfor them ذَاكِرُone who remembers
مِنْ أُمَمٍ لَيْسَ لَهَا ذَاكِرُ
Have they not seen how there passed before them
nations with no one to remember them?
إِنْif لَمْnot يَكُنْthere is فِيin الأَمْرِthe matter مِنْany حِكْمَةٍwisdom
إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الأَمْرِ مِنْ حِكْمَةٍ
فَفِيمَthen why هَذَاthis الشَّغَبُthe tumult الثَّائِرُraging
فَفِيمَ هَذَا الشَّغَبُ الثَّائِرُ
If there is no wisdom in the matter,
then why this raging tumult?
كُلُّevery امْرِئٍman أَسْلَمَهُhas abandoned him عَقْلُهُhis reason
كُلُّ امْرِئٍ أَسْلَمَهُ عَقْلُهُ
فَمَاso there is no لَهُfor him مِنْfrom بَعْدِهِafter it نَاصِرُhelper
فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ نَاصِرُ
Any man whose reason has deserted him
has no helper once it is gone.
Sol 6.1