ما مشروبي غير سكر القوم

في المحبوب نور العين

My drink is nothing but the company’s intoxication

in the Beloved, the light of the eye,

لا في الكوب لا ولا في

كأسه المسكوب صافي العين

not in the cup—no, nor in

his poured-out goblet, pure in essence.

وجه محجوبي بالحسن لي قد لاح

فلاح جمالُهْ

The face of my veiled beloved has appeared to me in beauty;

and his beauty shone

لعين العين

فلا مرآه

to the eye of the eye,

so no sight of him.

أماط الأستار مذ لاح لي يجلي

بجنح الأسحار زال البين

He drew aside the veils when he appeared to me, illumining;

in the darkness before dawn, separation vanished.

فاخلع فلا عارٌ بكاسٍ خلع عذار

الأعذار وقل يا عين

So cast off: with a cup, there is no shame in shedding the bridle

of excuses; and say, O eye:

من ستار الصون ساقينا الخمار

يسلسل الراح لي صفا سلسالُهْ

From behind the veil of modesty, our wine-selling cupbearer

pours wine in a stream for me; its flowing draught has become clear.

ولي كاسين

والورد صفاه

And I have two cups,

and the rose is its pure essence.

بخمر الحان ونغمة الأوتار

والألحان لي سمعين

With the tavern’s wine and the melody of strings

and tunes, I have two ears;

وفي مجالي بها جمال الغيد

والغزلان ذو عينين

and in displays that hold the beauty of graceful maidens

and gazelles, I am endowed with two eyes,

بالعيون والقدّ المرّان

إذ تثنّى راحٌ يسبي ميالُهْ

with the eyes and the supple, spear-like stature,

when wine swayed, its swaying captivated

بذاك الميل

أحشا معنّاه

with that sway

the heart of its tormented lover.

شمس الراح بدرٌ بدا يجلي

صافي أقداحي من نورين

The sun of wine is a full moon that appeared, illuminating

the pure contents of my goblets with two lights:

نور الضاحي وجه ساقينا

وشمس الراح ولا اثنين

the light of our cupbearer’s radiant face,

and the sun of wine—yet they are not two.

حيث فرد العين مجلاه الماحي

عنّا السوى إذ لاح لم يبق جمالُهْ

For the Essence is one; His manifestation effaces

otherness from us: when it shone, His beauty left nothing

غير العين

والغير أفناه

but the Essence,

and He annihilated all otherness.

ما ثمّ إلّا الله في قول لا إله

إلّا الله بمحو العين

There is nothing there but God in the saying, ‘There is no deity

but God,’ through the effacement of the self.

وما سواه من ليلي ذات الحسن

أو أسماه وأحوى العين

And whatever is other than Him—Layla, possessed of beauty,

or Asma, and the dark-eyed one—

وكلّ حسنٍ زين شجاك مرآه

فهو ظهورٌ لاح به استظلالُهْ

and every fair beauty whose sight stirred your longing:

it is a manifestation; through Him its sheltering in shade appeared

على أين

والكلّ الله

in some place;

and all is God.

فاذكر صاحي وكن بحال السكر فيه صاحي

ليمحي الدَّين

So remember, sober one, and in drunkenness remain sober in Him,

that He may erase the debt.

لا تسمع لاحي وكن هذار الروض في الأدواح

قرير العين

Do not heed a reproacher; be the garden’s chatterer amid the spreading trees,

contented of eye.

وهم بمعنى الحسن الباهي الوضّاح من فالق الإصباح

جلّ جلاله

And be enraptured by the meaning of splendid, radiant beauty from the Cleaver of daybreak—

exalted is His majesty—

في الكونين

تبارك الله

in the two worlds.

Blessed is God.

من نسيم كأس صلاة الله بالتسليم

لطه الزين

From the breeze of a cup of God’s blessing, with salutation,

upon Taha the fair,

وكلّ نديمٌ من آله والصحب بالتكريم

في الدارين

and every boon companion among his family and companions, with honor,

in the two abodes,

ما رمى من عين ألحاظ الريم صبٌّ غدا ملتاح

فعزّ وصاله

as long as a passionate lover, struck by glances from the gazelle’s eye, grows parched,

so union with him grows hard to attain

في الحالين

والحمد الله

in both states;

and praise be to God.