هزَّت الزورآء اعطاف الصَفا

هزَّت الزورآء اعطاف الصَفا

فصفت لي رغدةُ العيش الهَني

فصفت لي رغدةُ العيش الهَني

Al-Zawra set the limbs of bliss swaying,

The breeze shook the branches of Al-Safa

So the ease of pleasant living grew unclouded for me.

And the ease of a blissful life was described to me

فارعَ مِن عهدك ما قد سَلفا 

فارعَ مِن عهدك ما قد سَلفا

وأعِدْ يافتنة َ المُفتَتِن

وأعِدْ يافتنة َ المُفتَتِن

So honor the pledge you gave before,

So renew what has passed of your era

And renew it, O enchantment of the enthralled.

And return, O the one who allures the infatuated

عارض الشمسَ جبيناً بجبين 

عارض الشمسَ جبيناً بجبين

لنرى أيكما أسنى سَنا

لنرى أيكما أسنى سَنا

Vie with the sun, brow against brow,

Match the sun with your forehead, forehead to forehead

So we may see which of you has the brighter radiance.

To see which of us is more radiant

وآسب في عطفك عطفَ الياسمين 

وآسب في عطفك عطفَ الياسمين

وآنثن غصناً إذا الغصنُ انثنى

وآنثن غصناً إذا الغصنُ انثنى

And with your supple form, enthrall the jasmine bough;

And emulate in your charm the charm of jasmine

And bend like a bough when the bough bends.

And bend like a branch when the branch bends

حبَّذا لو قلبُك القاسي يلِين 

حبَّذا لو قلبُك القاسي يلِين

انما عطفك كان الأليَنا

انما عطفك كان الأليَنا

How lovely if your hard heart would soften!

I wish your harsh heart would soften

Only your form has been so supple.

For your charm used to be most tender

فانعطفْ أنت اذا ما انعطفا 

فانعطفْ أنت اذا ما انعطفا

قدُّك المهزوز هزَّ الغُصنا

قدُّك المهزوز هزَّ الغُصنا

So bend in kindness when it bends;

So turn when they turn

Your swaying figure has set the bough swaying.

Your tottering form made the branch tremble

انّ في خدّك روضاً شغفا 

انّ في خدّك روضاً شغفا

مقلة الرآئي وكفَّ المجتنى

مقلة الرآئي وكفَّ المجتنى

Indeed, in your cheek is a garden that has enthralled

Indeed, in your cheek lies a garden of passion

The beholder's eye and the gatherer's hand.

Delighting the onlooker and stopping the tempted

ياغزال الكرخ واوجدي عليك 

ياغزال الكرخ واوجدي عليك

كاد سري فيك أن يُنتَهكا

كاد سري فيك أن يُنتَهكا

O gazelle of al-Karkh, how I yearn for you!

O gazelle of Karkh, be kind to me

My secret love for you has almost been laid bare.

My secret in you almost got violated

هذه الصهبآء والكأسُ لديك 

هذه الصهبآء والكأسُ لديك

وغرامي في هواك إحتَنكا

وغرامي في هواك إحتَنكا

Here is the tawny wine, and the cup is with you;

This blond woman, and the cup is with you

And my passion in loving you has grown overwhelming.

And my passion for your love made me shrink

فآسقني كأساً وخُذْ كأساً اليك 

فآسقني كأساً وخُذْ كأساً اليك

فلذيذ ُ العيش أن نشتركا

فلذيذ ُ العيش أن نشتركا

So give me a cup to drink, and take a cup yourself;

So serve me a cup, and take a cup for yourself

For the joy of living is that we share.

For the sweetness of life is when we share

إترع الأقداح راحاً قرقفاً 

إترع الأقداح راحاً قرقفاً

وآسقني وآشرب او آشرب واسقني

وآسقني وآشرب او آشرب واسقني

Fill the goblets to the brim with potent wine,

Drink up the cups cheerfully bubbling

And give me drink and drink—or drink and give me drink.

Serve me and drink or drink and serve me

فلمُاك العذبُ أحلى مرشفا 

فلمُاك العذبُ أحلى مرشفا

من دم الكرم ومآء المُزن

من دم الكرم ومآء المُزن

For your sweet, dusky lips are sweeter to sip

For your sweetest wine is smoother

Than the vine's blood and the rain clouds' water.

Than the blood of generosity and the water of vines

مِن طُلا فيها الندىُّ ابتسما 

مِن طُلا فيها الندىُّ ابتسما

إذ سرتْ تأرجُ في نشر العبير

إذ سرتْ تأرجُ في نشر العبير

From wine in which the dew has smiled,

The dew in it smiled

As it flowed, fragrant amid wafts of perfume.

As it flowed spreading fragrance

أطلعتْ شمس سناها أنجما 

أطلعتْ شمس سناها أنجما

مِن حباب ولها البدرُ مُدير

مِن حباب ولها البدرُ مُدير

The sun of its radiance brought forth stars

It brought out a sun whose radiance brought out stars

From bubbles, with the full moon as its cupbearer.

Of bubbles, and the full moon orbits it

والسما أرضٌ أو الأرض السما 

والسما أرضٌ أو الأرض السما

إذ غدتْ تلك كهذي تستنير

إذ غدتْ تلك كهذي تستنير

And the sky was earth, or earth was sky,

The sky is earth or the earth is sky

As the one came to shine like the other.

When one becomes illuminated like the other

في ربوع ألبستها مطرفا 

في ربوع ألبستها مطرفا

أنملُ الزهر من الوشي السنى

أنملُ الزهر من الوشي السنى

In grounds clothed in a mantle

In meadows it dressed with a cloak

Of radiant brocade by the flowers' fingers.

Wherein jasmine flowers rain from golden trinkets

وحمامُ البُشر فيها هَتَفا 

وحمامُ البُشر فيها هَتَفا

مُعربا في لحنه ِ لم يلحنِ

مُعربا في لحنه ِ لم يلحنِ

And the doves of gladness called out there,

And the doves of good tidings chirped in it

Eloquent in their song, without a false note.

Articulating in their rhythm without missing a note

وُحميا الكاس لما صفقَتْ 

وُحميا الكاس لما صفقَتْ

أخذتْ تجلى عروساً بيدَيه

أخذتْ تجلى عروساً بيدَيه

And when the cup's fiery wine was poured,

As for the cheeks of the cup when they clapped

It began to be unveiled, a bride in his hands.

They began to shine like a bride with her hands

خلتها في ثغره قَد عُتقتْ 

خلتها في ثغره قَد عُتقتْ

زمناً واعتُصرتْ من وجنتيه

زمناً واعتُصرتْ من وجنتيه

I imagined it had been aged within his mouth

It let them out from its mouth after freeing them

For an age, and pressed from his cheeks,

For a time, and they were squeezed out of its two cheeks

مِن بروق بالثنايا ائتلَقَتْ 

مِن بروق بالثنايا ائتلَقَتْ

في عقيق الجزع أعنى شفتيه

في عقيق الجزع أعنى شفتيه

From flashes of lightning that gleamed among his front teeth,

With lightning in its folds it gathered them

Within banded carnelian—I mean his lips.

In carnelian treasure, meaning its two lips

كشف سترَ الدجى فانكشفا 

كشف سترَ الدجى فانكشفا

وانجلى الأفق بصبح بينّ

وانجلى الأفق بصبح بينّ

He drew back night's veil, and it fell away;

It uncovered the veil of darkness and so they appeared

And the horizon cleared with a radiant dawn.

And the horizon was illuminated with a clear dawn

اكسبتنا إذ سقتنا نطفا 

اكسبتنا إذ سقتنا نطفا

خفة الطبع وثقل الألسن

خفة الطبع وثقل الألسن

It granted us, as it gave us drops to drink,

When you served us a drink you made us gain

Lightness of spirit and heaviness of tongue.

Lightheartedness and heaviness of tongue

أيها العذال كفّوا عَذلَكُم 

أيها العذال كفّوا عَذلَكُم

بالهوى العذري عذري اتضحا

بالهوى العذري عذري اتضحا

O reproachers, cease your reproaches;

O you whose blame is justified, restrain your blame

Through chaste love, my excuse is clear.

With innocent passion, clearly justified

وامنحوا يا اهل نجد وصلكم 

وامنحوا يا اهل نجد وصلكم

مستهاما يتشكى البرحا

مستهاما يتشكى البرحا

And grant, O people of Najd, your companionship

And bestow, O people of Nejd, your connection

To one distraught with love, lamenting bitter pain.

Yearningly complaining of separation

واذكروني مثل ذكراي لكم 

واذكروني مثل ذكراي لكم

ربّ ذكرى قرّبتْ من نزحا

ربّ ذكرى قرّبتْ من نزحا

And remember me as I remember you;

And remember me as I remember you

Many a remembrance has brought near one far away.

For some memories brought us near to crying

الوفا ياعرب يا اهل الوفا 

الوفا ياعرب يا اهل الوفا

لا تخونوا عهد مَن لم يَخُنِ

لا تخونوا عهد مَن لم يَخُنِ

Be faithful, O Arabs, O people of fidelity!

Loyalty, O Arabs, O people of loyalty

Do not betray the pledge of one who has not betrayed.

Do not betray the pact of one who did not betray

لا تقولوا صدّ عنا وجفا 

لا تقولوا صدّ عنا وجفا

عندكم روحي وعندي بدَني

عندكم روحي وعندي بدَني

Do not say, 'He turned from us and grew cold.'

Do not say you barred and abandoned me

My soul is with you; my body is with me.

For my soul is with you and my body is with me