بَادِرْ إِلَى رَاعِي الصَّبُوحِ صَبَاحَا

واجْعَلِ زَمَانَكَ كُلَّهُ أَفْرَاحَا

Hasten in the morn to the keeper of dawn with joy,

And make your time entirely one of bliss.

وَأجِلِ التَّي تَجْلو هُمُومَكَ في الدُّجَى

حَتّى تَرَى لِظَلاَمِهِ إِصْبَاحَا

Put off the cares that cloud your spirit in the gloaming,

Until you see that for its darkness there’s a radiance.

يَا طَالبَ الرَّاحَاتِ لَيْسَ يَنَالُهَا

إِلاَّ الَّذِي فِي الرَّاحِ يَجْلُو الرَّاحَا

O seeker of comforts, none attains them

Save he who finds in comfort surcease of care,

أَوْ مُغْرَمٌ أَعْطَى الصَّبَابَةَ حَقَّهَا

تَدْعُوهُ صَبْوَتُهُ إِليْهِ كِفَاحَا

Or a love-sick soul who gave youth its due,

And his passion calls him to the fray.

نَشْوَانُ مِنْ طَرَبِ الصِّبَا فَكَأَنَّهُ

غُصْنٌ يَميلُ مَعَ الصَّبَا مُرتَاحَا

The exuberance of one made drunk with joyousness is like

A branch that sways gently in the breeze at peace,

أَوْ مَا تَرَى عُجْمَ الحَمَائِمِ لَحْنُهَا

قَدْ رَاحَ يُفْصِحُ فِي الهَوىَ إِفْصَاحَا

Or like the murmurings of the doves - their song

Has begun to speak eloquently of love's travail.

والرُّوضُ فِي حُلَلِ الجَدَاوِلِ مُشْبِةٌ

حُلَلاَ تُجِرِّدُ فَوْقَهُنَّ صِفْاحَا

The meadow in its brocade of streamlets resembles

Raiment that is stripped off to reveal a nakedness.

وَالرُّيحُ بِالأَنْفَاسِ تَقْصُدُ أَنْفُساً

مَوْتَى فَتَبْعَثُ فَيْهِمُ الأَرْوَاحَا

The wind with its breaths seeks out languid souls

And deadened spirits to revive them into life anew.

فَإِذَا لَحَاكَ عَلَى البُرُوقِ وَشَمِّهَا

لاَحٍ وَخِلْتَ الكَأْسَ بَرْقاً لاَحَا

When the lightning flashes upon you, inhale its fragrance,

And quaff the cup till it flashes like lightning unveiled.

فَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلمُدِيرِ وَغِبْ عَنِ

الَّلاحِي تَرَى منْ حَالَتَيْكَ نَجَاحا

Then fold your wings in the presence of fate and absent yourself

From sobriety - you will see success in your two states.

لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ في السُّكْرِ إِلاَّ فُرْقَةُ

اللاَّحيِ فَوَصْلُكَ قَهْوَةً وَمِلاَحَا

Were it not for the anguish of sobriety, your union with the cup

Would be coffee and pastime, nothing more.

أَوَلَيْسَ صَحْوَكَ دَأْبُهُ مِنْ شَأْنِهِ

أَنْ يَجْمَعَ العُذَّالَ وَالنُّصَّاحَا

Does not your habit in sobriety consist in

Bringing together the censorious and admonishers?

فَاجْعَلْ مَكَانَ الصَّحْوِ سُكْراً تَجْتَلِي

مِنْ خَمْرِكَ الأَحْدَاقَ والأقداحا

So make intoxication your state of wakefulness, and draw

From your wine both eyes and cups in abundance.

أَنَا مَنْ تَجِرْتُ مَعَ الغَرَامِ مُجَرِّباً

فَوَجَدْتُ كُلَّ تِجَارَتِي أَرْبَاحَا

I am one who has trafficked long with passion

And found all my commerce to be profit.

وَرَأَيْتَني غَنَّيتُ مِنْ طَرَبِ الهَوَى

وَأَخُو التَّسَلِّي بِالتَّشَكِّي بَاحَا

You have seen me sing out in the rapture of love,

And take delight in anguish and complaining.

وَرَأَيْتُ لَيْلَى أَسْفَرَتْ فَكَحَلْتُ مِنْ

أَلْحَاظِهَا مُقَلاً مُلِئْنَ جِرَاحَا

I have seen Layla dawn and so I lined

My eyes with the arrows of her glances full of wounds.

وجَلاَ ظَلاَمِيَ نُورُهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا

أَهْدَتْ إِلىَ ظُلُمَاتِهَا مِصْبَاحَا

The light of her being dispelled my darkness, as though

She had brought a lamp to its gloom.

فَرَأَيْتُ إِذْ شَاهدْتُ مِنْ أَجْفَانِهَا

المَرْضَى مَعَانٍ في الجَمَالِ صِحَاحَا

Then when I saw in her eyes the sickness

Of languid looks, I saw in her beauty only health.

فَغَدَوْتُ نَشْوانَ المَعَاطِفَ أمْلأُ

الأَكْوَانَ مِنْ طَرَبِ الوِصَالِ مِرَاحاً

So I went out exultant, filled with the intoxication of union,

The vessels with the rapture of attaining, of comfort.