قامرَ بِالنَّفْسِ في هَوى قَمَرٍ

ونالَ وَصْلَ البُدُورِ بِالبِدْرِ

He gambled with his soul desiring a moon,

And obtained the union of full moons.

وافْتَضَّ أَبْكارَ لَهْوِهِ طَرَباً

إِلى عَشايا المُدام والبُكُرِ

He plucked the fruits of his amusements as pleasures,

To the evenings of wine and first draughts.

لا يَوْمَ كَاليَوْمِ أَبْرَزَتْهُ لَنا

رِياضُه في مُشْهَرِ الحِبَرِ

No day like this day has displayed for us

Its meadows in the month of loves.

يَوْمَ بَهيمُ الزَّمانُ يَخْطُرُ مِنْ

جَمالِهِ في الحُجولِ والغُرَرِ

A day when the elegant time emerges from

Its beauty among the gazelles and fawns.

مَسَرَّةٌ كَيْلُها بِلا حَشَفٍ

ولَذَّةٌ صَفْوُها بِلا كَدَرِ

A joy whose measure is without restraint,

And a pleasure whose purity is without turbidity.

قَدْ ضُرِبَتْ خَيْمَةُ الغَمامِ لَنا

ورُشَّ جَيْشُ النَّسيمِ بِالمَطَرِ

The tent of clouds has been pitched for us,

And the army of the breeze has been perfumed with rain.

وعِنْدَنا عاتِقانِ حَمْراءَ كَالشَّمْ

سِ وأُخْرى صَفْراءَ كَالقَمَرِ

With us are two red-cheeked ones like the sun,

And another yellowish like the moon.

بِكْرانِ هَذي تُعابُ بِالْكِبَرِ الْ

بادي وهَذي تُعابُ بِالصِّغَرِ

The elder is blamed for obvious maturity,

And the younger is blamed for obvious youth.

مُدامَةٌ كَأَنَّ مِنْ تَقادُمِها

عاصِرَها آَدَمُ أَبو البَشَرِ

An aged wine whose antiquity,

Its coeval witnessed Adam, father of mankind.

وبِنْتُ خِدْرٍ تُريكَ صُورَتُها

بَدْرَ الدُّجى في رِدائِها العَطِرِ

And a girl of Khidr who shows you her image,

Like the full moon in her perfumed gown.

حَنَّتْ على عودِها وقد بَزَلَتْ

مُدامَنا جَمْرَةً بِلا شَرَرِ

She bent over her lute and let loose for us,

Ambers without sparks.

يَسْعى عَلَيْنا بِها الوَصَائِفُ قُلْ

لدْنَ مجوناً قَلائِدَ الزَّهَرِ

The cupbearers hasten to us with her,

The necklaces of pearls from her soft mouth.

قُرّطْنَ قِرْطَيْنِ إِذْ جَلَبْنَ لَنا

مُعَقْرِباتِ الأَصْداغِ والطُّرَرِ

They adorned two ear-rings when they brought to us,

The temples' knobs and fresh pearls.

يا تارِكاً طيبَ يَوْمِهِ لِغَدٍ

تَبيعُ عَيْنَ السُّرورِ بِالأَثَرِ

O you who forsake the scent of his day for tomorrow,

Selling the eye of happiness for a trace!

إِنْ وَتَرَتْ قَلْبَكَ الهُمومُ فَما

مِثْلَ انْتِصارٍ بِالنّايِ والوَتَرِ

If worries have corrupted your heart,

There is no gain like winning through the flute and strings,

وشادِنٍ حَيَّرَتْ لَواحِظُهُ

أَلحاظَ عَيْنِ الغَزَالِ بِالحَوَرِ

And loving companions who confuse their admirers,

With the glances of the gazelle's eyes.

أُجْبِرْتُ في حُبِّهِ لأَعْذُرَهُ

فَإِنْ جَفاني احْتَجَجْتُ بِالقَدَرِ

I am compelled in his love to forgive him,

So if he is unfaithful to me, I will argue destiny.

سَأَلْتُهُ زَوْرَةً فَجادَ بِها

وكُلُّ هَذا بِأَلسُنِ النَّظَرِ

I asked him for a false gift, and he gave generously,

And all this with tongues of glance.

فَنِلْتُ سُؤلِيَ مِنْ رَشْفِ ريقِتهِ

ومُنْيَتي مِنْ مَآَرِبٍ أُخَرِ

So I attained my request from the wine of his saliva,

And my pleasure from other sources.