تصبَّح بِوجهِ الراحِ وَالطائِر السَعدِ

كميتاً وبعد المزجِ في صفةِ الوردِ

You woke up with the face of comfort and the happy bird

Greet the morning with the face of wine and the bird of good fortune,

A goblet full, and after mixing the description of a rose in it

A dark red wine that, once blended, takes on the hue of a rose.

تَضمَّنها زِقٌ أَزبُّ كَأَنَّهُ

صَريعٌ مِن السودانِ ذو شَعرٍ جَعدِ

It contained foam whiter as if it were

Contained within a hairy wineskin, as though it were

A slain man from Sudan with curly hair

A fallen man from the land of the Blacks, with tightly curled hair;

وَلَمّا حَلَلنا رأسَهُ مِن رباطِهِ

وَفاضَ دماً كالمِسكِ أَو عنبرِ الهندِ

And when we undid his head from its band

And when we loosened its head from its binding,

Blood flowed like musk or Indian ambergris

It poured forth blood like musk, or like the ambergris of India;

وَجَدناهُ في بعضِ الزَوايا كَأَنَّهُ

أَخو قِرَّةٍ يَهتَزُّ مِن شِدَّةِ البَردِ

And we found him in some corners as if he were

We found it resting in a corner, as though it were

A brother of happiness shaking from the severity of the cold

A man struck by the chill, shivering from the bitter cold.

أَخو قِرَّةٍ يُبدي لَنا وجهَ صفحةٍ

كَلَونِ رَقيقِ الجِلدِ مِن وَلَدِ السَندِ

A brother of happiness showing us the face of a delicate complexion

A man struck by the chill, revealing to us a wide surface

The color of smooth skin from a boy of India

Like the hue of the delicate skin of the children of Sindh.

سَيغني أَبا الهنديّ عَن وَطبِ سالِمٍ

أَباريقَ لَم يعلق بِها وَضرَ الزبدِ

It will make Abu Al-Hindi forget the medicine of Salim

It will suffice Abu al-Hindi, sparing him the need for Salim's milk-skin,

Jugs that curdled cream did not stick to

With pitchers unsoiled by the greasy remnants of churned butter.

مُفدَّمةً قَزّاً كأنَّ رِقابَها

رِقابَ بَناتِ الماءِ أُفزِعنَ بِالرَعدِ

Blood stained leather bags as if their necks

Covered with silk strainers, their necks looking as though they were

Were necks of the daughters of water startled by thunder

The necks of water-birds, startled by the roar of thunder.

جلتها الجَوالي حينَ طابَ مِزاجُها

وَطَيَّبنَها بالمسكِ وَالعَنبَرِ الوَردي

Their leather bags were emptied by the servants when their mood was good

The cupbearers unveiled it clearly when its blend grew perfect,

And they scented it with musk and pink ambergris

And perfumed it with musk and rosy ambergris.

إِذا أَنفَذوا ما فيهِ جاؤا بِمِثلِهِ

غَطارفةً أَهل السَماحَةِ وَالمَجدِ

When they finished what was in it, they came with the like of it

Whenever they exhaust its contents, they bring forth its equal,

Generous people of generosity and glory

Those noble lords, the people of generosity and glory.

تمجُّ سُلافاً مِن قَواريرَ صُفِّفَت

وَطاسات صفر كلّها حَسَنُ القَدِّ

Pouring smoothly from arranged pitchers

Pouring forth the finest wine from flasks arranged in rows,

And yellow cups, all of beautiful size

And golden bowls, every one of them beautifully shaped;

كميتاً ثوت في الدنِّ تِسعين حجَّةً

مُشعشعةً في شربِها واجِبُ الحَدِّ

A goblet settled firmly in the world ninety pilgrimages

A dark red wine that has lingered in the vat for ninety years,

Radiant in its drinking, necessary limit

Sparkling and radiant, the drinking of which makes the penal lash a duty.

عَقار إِذا ما ذاقَها الشَيخُ أَرعَشَت

مَفاصلُهُ وازدادَ وَجداً إِلى وَجدِ

A liquor, when the Sheikh tastes it, his joints tremble

A potent brew that, should an old man taste it, sends a tremble

And his passion increases to passion

Through his joints, and adds passion upon his passion,

وَيَبكي عَلى ما فاتَهُ مِن شَبابِهِ

بُكاءَ أَسيرٍ في الصِفادِ وَفي القيدِ

And he cries over what he missed of his youth

Making him weep for the youth that has slipped away from him,

The cry of a prisoner in shackles and chains

With the weeping of a captive bound in shackles and chains.

فَيَومانِ يَومٌ للأَميرِ أزورهُ

وَيَومٌ لقرعِ الصَنجِ وَالرّاحِ وَالنّردِ

So two days, one day for the prince I visit him

My days are but two: one day for the prince, whom I visit,

And a day for the beating of the tambourine, comfort, and backgammon

And another for the striking of cymbals, wine, and backgammon.

يَقولُ أَبو الهِنديِّ إِذ طابَ لَيلُهُ

وَحلَّقتِ الجَوزاءُ بِالكَوكَبِ الفَردِ

Abu Al-Hindi says when his night was good

Abu al-Hindi says, as his night grows sweet and pleasant,

And Al-Jawza circled the single planet

And the constellation of Gemini soars alongside the solitary star:

شَهِدتُ بِفِتيانٍ تَميمٌ أَبوهُم

حِسانُ وُجوهٍ مِن رَبابٍ وَمِن سَعدِ

I witnessed young men whose father was Tameem

"I sat in the company of youths whose forefather is Tamim,

Beautiful faces of lute and happiness

With handsome faces, hailing from the tribes of Rabab and Sa'd."