مُحَيَّاكَ تَهْوَاهُ الحُمَيَّا أَمَا تَرىَ

حَشَا الكَأْسِ فِيهِ جُذْوَةٌ تَتَوَقَّدُ

I greet you, whose passion is desire, don't you see

The cup brims over with embers kindling

وَلَوْلاَ بُكَاهَا مَا بَدَا فَوْقَ خَدِّهَا

دُمُوعٌ حَكَاهَا اللُّؤلُؤُ المُتَبَدِّدُ

Were it not for her tears, nothing would show over her cheek

Except pearls telling the tale of her weeping eyes

وَمَا كُنْتُ أَدْرِي فِتْنَةَ العِشْقِ قَبْلَهَا

إِلى أَنْ رَأَتْ عَيْنِي جَمَالَكَ يُعْبَدُ

I did not know the temptation of love before her

Until my eyes saw your beauty being worshipped

إِذَا مَا ارْتَشَفْتَ الرَّاحَ مِنْ ثَغْرِ كَأْسِهَا

أَلَستَ تَرَاهَا نَحْوَ وَجْهِكَ تَسْجُدُ

When you sip the wine from the lip of her cup

Do you not see it bowing down towards your face?

وَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مَعْنَاكَ في الكَوْنِ مُطْلَقاً

يَدُّلُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْكَ حُسْنٌ مُقَيَّدُ

If your being was not free in the universe

Beauty confined in you would point to it

لَمَا شَهِدَتْ عَيْنِي جَمَالَكَ جَهْرَةً

وَمَنْ لَمْ تُشَاهِدْ عَيْنُهُ كَيْفَ يَشْهَدُ

My eyes would not have witnessed your beauty unveiled

And who has not seen cannot bear witness

عَجِبْتُ لِكَأسٍ قَدْ صَحَوْتُ بِشُرْبِهَا

بِهَا أَبَداً صَحْوى عَلىَّ يُعَرْبِدُ

I'm amazed by a cup whose drinking

Has perpetually awakened me to ever wakefulness

أَقَامَتْ عَليِّ الحَدَّ أَسْمَاءُ ذَاتِهَا

فَهَلاَّ أُقِيمَ الحَدُّ فيمَنْ يُحَدِّدُ

The names of her essence have fixed the limit on me

Why not fix the limit on the one who imposes limits?

رَأُوا عِطْفَ لَيْلَى قَدْ تَثَنَّى فَأَشْرَكُوا

وَقَدْ يَتَثَنَّى وَهْوَ في الحُسْنِ مُفْرَدُ

They saw Laila's charm incline so they shared her

Though she in beauty remains peerless

فَإِنْ حاولوُا مِنيِّ الحُجُودُ أَوْ الرَّدَى

فَهَذَا دَمِي حِلٌّ لَهُمْ لَسْتُ أَحْجَدُ

If they try to spurn or reject me