إِذا ما الكَأسُ أَرعَشَتِ اليَدَينِ

إِذا ما الكَأسُ أَرعَشَتِ اليَدَينِ

صَحَوتُ فَلَم تَحُل بَيني وَبَيني

صَحَوتُ فَلَم تَحُل بَيني وَبَيني

When the cup makes both hands tremble,

When the cup makes my hands tremble,

When the goblet made my hands begin to tremble,

I sober up, so it does not come between me and myself.

I awake, and nothing comes between myself and I.

I sobered, lest it stand between me and myself.

هَجَرتُ الخَمرَ كَالذَهَبِ المُصَفّى

هَجَرتُ الخَمرَ كَالذَهَبِ المُصَفّى

فَخَمري ماءُ مُزنٍ كَاللُجَينِ

فَخَمري ماءُ مُزنٍ كَاللُجَينِ

I forsook wine like refined gold;

I abandoned wine like purified gold,

I abandoned wine that gleamed like refined gold,

so my wine is rain-cloud water, like silver.

So my wine is clear water like melted pearls.

And now my vintage is cloud-water, clear as silver.

أَغارُ مِنَ الزُجاجَةِ وَهيَ تَجري

أَغارُ مِنَ الزُجاجَةِ وَهيَ تَجري

عَلى شَفَةِ الأَميرِ أَبي الحُسَينِ

عَلى شَفَةِ الأَميرِ أَبي الحُسَينِ

I am jealous of the glass as it glides

I am jealous of the bottle as it flows

I am jealous of the glass as it flows freely

over the lip of the emir Abu al-Husayn.

On the lips of Prince Abul Hussein.

Upon the lips of the Prince, Abu al-Husayn;

كَأَنَّ بَياضَها وَالراحُ فيها

كَأَنَّ بَياضَها وَالراحُ فيها

بَياضٌ مُحدِقٌ بِسَوادِ عَينِ

بَياضٌ مُحدِقٌ بِسَوادِ عَينِ

It is as though its whiteness, with the wine within,

As if its whiteness and the spirit within,

As if its crystal whiteness and the wine within

were whiteness encircling the black of an eye.

Are a shining whiteness staring into the blackness of an eye.

Were the white of an eye encircling the dark pupil.

أَتَيناهُ نُطالِبُهُ بِرِفدٍ

أَتَيناهُ نُطالِبُهُ بِرِفدٍ

يُطالِبُ نَفسَهُ مِنهُ بِدَينِ

يُطالِبُ نَفسَهُ مِنهُ بِدَينِ

We came to him asking him for a gift;

We came to him seeking aid,

We came to him to ask a boon of grace,

he demands it of himself as a debt.

While he seeks from himself a debt.

And he demands it of himself as one repays a debt.