هذه يا صاحِ أوقاتُ الهنا

وبلوغ النفس أقصى الأَملِ

These are, O companion, the times of bliss,

And the soul reaching the utmost of hopes.

جَمَعَتْ من كلِّ شيءٍ أحسنا

لذَّةً في غيرها لم تكمُلِ

It has gathered from everything the best,

A pleasure not complete in other things.

فخذا من عيشنا صفوَتَهُ

بكؤوسِ الرَّاح والسَّاقي مليح

So take from our life its finest sips,

With cups of comfort and a graceful pourer.

بين روضٍ آخذٍ زينَته

ولسانِ البَمِّ والزِّير فصيحْ

In a garden taking its adornments,

And the bamboos' whisper and the palm’s rustle clear.

ضَرَّجَ الوَردُ بها وجنَتَه

والشَّقيقُ الغضّ إذ ذاك جريحْ

The roses drenched it with their hue and nest,

While the pale anemones then were torn.

تحسبُ النرجسَ فيها أعيُنا

شاخصات نحونا بالمقَلِ

You’d think the narcissi in it were eyes

Staring at us with the gaze of love.

مال غصنُ البان تيهاً وانثنى

في هواها مَيَلانَ الثمِلِ

The banana branch bent in its passion,

In its love leaning like the bending drunk.

مرْبَعٌ للَّهْو منْذُ انتظما

أطْرَبَ الأَنْفُسَ في رَوْح وراحْ

A square for joy since it was composed

That delighted souls in spirit and comfort.

ما بكاه القطر إلاَّ ابتسما

لبكاهُ بثغور من أقاحْ

Only the rain drops smiled when they wept,

For their weeping came from laughing cheeks.

وَشَدَتْ في الدَّوح وَرقاء الحمى

ما على الوَرقاء في الشَّدو جناحْ

The tent stakes tightened the fever’s leaves

In the whirling; the leaves have no wings in passion.

مغرمٌ ليس له عنه غنى

حين يُملي رجزاً في زَجَل

An infatuated one has no substitute for it

When he composes folk ballads and versified prose.

وَلَقد أصغى إليها أذناً

فشَجَتْ قلبَ الخلي دونَ المَلي

And indeed the ear listened to it

For it stirred the heart of the boon companions and the intimate friends.

زادَنا لحن الأَغاني طَرَباً

خبراً يطرِبُنا عَنْ وَتَرِ

The tunes of songs increased our rapture

With news that delights us from the musical strings.

والأَماني بلغَتْنا أرَباً

فَقَضَيْناها إذَنْ بالوطرِ

And hopes took us to the highest place,

So we fulfilled them by plucking the strings.

ونَظَرنا فقَضَيْنا عجباً

تطلع الشَّمس بكفّ القمرِ

And we looked and so we marveled

At the sun rising in the palm of the moon.

في ليالٍ أظْفَرتنا بالمنى

وكؤوسِ الرَّاح فيها تنجلي

On nights that granted us what we wished,

And cups of wine wherein clarity is seen.

تُذْهِب الهمَّ وتنفي الحزنا

بنشاطٍ مُطْلَقٍ من كَسَلِ

They dispel worries and banish sorrow

With complete vitality without laziness.

بحياة الطاس والكاس عليكْ

نَزِّه المجلسَ من كلِّ ثقيلْ

With the life of merriment and the cup it’s upon you

To delight the gathering from all that is burdensome.

وتحكَّم إنَّما الأَمرُ إليك

ولكَ الحكمُ ومن هذا القبيلْ

For the command is only up to you,

And the judgement is yours and the like.

كيف لا والكأس تسقى من يديكْ

ما على المحسن فيها من سبيلْ

How not when the cup is sipped by your hand

No blame is upon the benevolent regarding it.

ولكَ الله حفيظاً ولنا

حيثما كنتَ وما شئتَ افعلِ

And may God protect you and for us,

Wherever you are and do what you wish!

واجرِ حكمَ الحبّ فينا وبنا

أنْتَ مرضيٌّ وإنْ لم تَعْدِلِ

And pass the ruling of love among us and on us,

You are pleasing even if you do not equate.

حبذا مجلِسُنا من مجلسِ

جامعٌ كلَّ غريبٍ وعجيب

How excellent is our gathering over a gathering

That gathers every stranger and wondrous thing!

نغمُ العودِ وشعر الأخرس

ومحبٌ مستهامٌ وحبيب

The lute’s melody and the mute man’s poetry

And an impassioned lover and a beloved one.

يتعاطون حياةَ الأنفسِ

في بديع اللفظ والمعنى الغريب

They experience the life of souls

In the outstanding wording and the strange meaning.

بابليّ السحر معسول الجنى

أين هذا مشتيارِ العسَلِ

My confidant of sorcery and ripened love,

Where is he who extracts this honey?

وإذا مرَّ نسيمٌ بيننا

قلتُ هذا ويحكم من غَزَلي

And if a breeze passed between us,

I would say this, and woe to you from my writhing love!

آهُ ممَّن ساءني في نُسْكِهِ

ويَراني حاملاً عِبءَ الذُّنوب

Oh from the one who was unfaithful in his devotion,

And sees me bearing the burden of sins.

قد عَرَفنا زَيْفَه في سبكه

فإذا كلُّ مزاياه عيوبْ

We recognized the falsity in his pouring,

For then all his qualities were but flaws.

قال لي تُبْتُ وذا من إفكه

أنا لا والله لا أرضى أتوبْ

He said to me: Repent! And that is from his slander,

I do not, by God, accept to repent

عن مليحٍ صَرَّحَتْ عنه الكنى

توبة في حبّه لم تُقْبَلِ

From a graceful one whose hints were uncovered.

Repentance of his love was not accepted.

وإذا ساءَ غيورٌ أحْسَنا

بحميّا رشفاتِ القبلِ

And if an envious one acted well

With kisses of union from the lips.

أتْرُكِ المغبَقَ والمصطَبحا

زَمنَ الوردِ وأيَّامَ الرَّبيعْ

Should I leave the immersed and the vigilant

The time of roses and the days of spring?

بعدَ أنْ أغدو بها منشرحاً

كيف أصغي لعذولي وأطيعْ

After I start it illuminated and serene

How can I comply to the chaste and virtuous?

إنْ أطع في تركها من نصحا

فلقَدْ جئت لعمري بشنيعْ

If I obey who advised to leave it

I would have come for my life with disgrace!

فأدِرْها وانتَهب لي زمناً

بحلول الشمسِ برج الحملِ

So entertain it and seize for me a time

At the sun's entry into Aries.

وأرخني إنَّما ألقى العنا

من خليلٍ مغرم بالعذلِ

And set me free, I only cast off

From a beloved immersed in flirtation.

أجْتلي الكاساتِ تَهوي أنجما

ولها فينا طلوعٌ ومغيبْ

Bring forth the cups appearing like stars

Which have for us a rising and setting.

وأرى أوقاتها مغتنماً

وإليها رحتُ ألهو وأطيبْ

And I see its times as opportunities

And to it I went to amuse myself and feel at ease.

لم أُضِعْها فرصةً لا سيما

في ختانِ الغُرِّ أبناءِ النقيبْ

I did not miss it, especially

During the circumcision of the elite sons of the chief.

عَلَويّ الأصلِ عُلويّ الثنا

سيّد السادات مولانا علي

The highest in origin, highest in glory,

Our master Ali, the master of masters.

الرفيعُ القدرِ والعالي البنا

مستهلّ الوبل عذب المنهلِ

The eminent and the highest edifice,

The pure spring and sweet place to drink.

ابنُ بازِ الله عبد القادر

عَلَم الشرقِ وسلطانُ الرّجالْ

Son of the miracle of God, Abd al-Qadir,

The symbol of the East and the sultan of men.

لم يزالوا طاهراً من طاهرِ

فَهُمُ الطهْرُ على أحسنِ حال

They have always been pure from the pure,

For they are the purity in the best state.

وهُمُ في كلّ وقت حاضر

في جمالٍ مستفاضٍ وجلالْ

And they are, at all times, present

With perfect beauty and majesty.

يلْحظونَ السَّعد يَغْشون السَّنا

يَلْبَسون الفخرَ أسنى الحُلَلِ

They perceive good fortune and it covers them,

They wear pride - the finest of garments.

لهم التشبيهُ في هذي الدُّنا

ملَّةُ الإسلام بينَ المللِ

For them is the comparison in this life

To the nation of Islam among religions.

لأُوَيقاتِ زمانٍ الاعتدال

قدْ تَحَرَّيْتُم وما أحراكُمُ

For the times of an equitable era

You were inspired, so what inspired you?

لختان النُّجبِ البيضِ الفعال

الميامينِ وما أدراكُمُ

For the elite’s circumcision, the righteous whites,

The auspicious stars – and what do you know of them?

فلَقَد أرَّخه العَبدُ فقال

آلَ بيت المصطفى بشراكمُ

Indeed the servant dated it and said:

O Family of the Chosen One I give you good tidings!

بختانٍ في سرورٍ وهَنا

دائمٍ بالوصلِ لَمْ يَنْفَصل

With a circumcision in joy and bliss

Everlasting in union that did not separate.

وبحمدِ الله قد نلنا المنى

وظفرنا منكُم بالأَملِ

And by God’s praise we attained what we wished

And were granted our hopes through you.