مَوْلاتُنا يا غُلامُ مُبْتَكِرَهْ

فَباكِرِ الكَأْسَ لِيْ بِلاَ نَظِرَهْ

Our lord, O early rising lad

Serve the wine cup to me without delay

غَدَتْ على اللّهوِ والمُجونِ على

أَنَّ الفَتاةَ الحَيِيّةَ الخَفِرَهْ

The next day, to entertainment and fun

As if the modest, lively, young girl

لِحُبِّها لا عَدِمْتُها حُرَقٌ

مَطْوِيّةٌ في الحَشَا ومُنْتَشِرَهْ

For love of her, I felt no loss

Folded, in the night, widespread

ما ذُقْتُ منها سِوى مُقبَّلِها

وَضَمِّ تلكَ الفُروعِ مُنْحَدِرَهْ

I have not tasted of her except her kisses

And the embrace of her cascading branches

وانْتَهَرَتْني فَمِتُّ مِنْ فَرَقٍ

يا حُسْنَها في الرِّضَا ومُنْتَهِرَهْ

She rebuked me, so I died of separation

Oh her beauty in consent and refusal

ثُمَّ انْثَنَتْ سَوْرَةُ الخُمارِ بنا

خِلالَ تلكَ الغَدائرِ الخَمِرَهْ

Then the veil of her veil inclined toward us

Through that intoxicating, redolent hair

ولَيْلَةٍ أَشْرَفَتْ بِكَلْكَلِها

عَلَيَّ كالطّيْلَسَانِ مُعْتَجِرَهْ

On a night that leaned toward me

Like a new moon, turbanned

فَتّقْتُ دَيْجُورَهَا إلى قَمَرٍ

أَثْوابُهُ بالعَفَافِ مُسْتَتِرَهْ

So I steered her planet to a moon

Whose clothes are veiled in chastity

عُجْ عَبَراتِ المُدامِ نَحوِيَ مِنْ

عَشْرٍ وعِشْرينَ واثْنَتَيْ عَشَرَهْ

Urge the steps of the wine bearer toward me

Twelve, twenty-two, thirty-two

قَدْ ذكرَ الناسُ عن قِيامِهِمُ

ذِكْرَى بِعَقْلي أَصْبَحتْ نَكرَهْ

Though people mention their rising

My mind has forgotten

مَعْرِفَتي بالصَّوابِ مَعْرِفَةٌ

غَرَّاءُ إِمّا عَرَفْتُمُ النّكرهْ

My knowledge of right - exalted knowledge

Praiseworthy, whether you know the unknown

يا عَجَباً مِنْ أَبي الخَبيثِ ومِنْ

سُروحِهِ في البَقَائرِ الدَّثِرَهْ

Oh, the wonder of my wicked father and his

Putrid brain inside a rubbish heap

يَحملُ رَأْساً تَنْبُو المعاوِلُ عنْ

صَفْحَتِهِ والجَلامِدُ الوَعِرَهْ

Bearing a head which tools recoil from

And solid rocks avoid

لَوِ البِغَالُ الكُمْتُ ارْتَقَتْ سَنَداً

فيهِ لَمدَّتْ قَوائِماً خَدِرَهْ

If plodding mules ascended his body

They would stretch out paralyzed legs

ومَا المَجانيقُ فيه مُغْنِيَةٌ

أَلْفٌ تَسَامَى وأَلْفُ مُنْكَدِرَهْ

A thousand catapults could not help him

Rising and falling again without effect

أُنْظُرْ إلى مَوْضعِ المَقَصِّ مِنَ الهَا

مَةِ تلكَ الصَّفيحةِ العَجِرَهْ

Look at the place of his skull blade

That rough, coarse plate

فَلَوْ أَخَذْتُمْ لها المَطَارِقَ حَرَّا

نِيّةً صَنْعَةَ اليَدِ الخَبِرَهْ

If you took the hammers to it intensely

With the skilled hand's artistry

إذاً لَرَاحَتْ أَكُفُّ جُلّتِهِمْ

كَلِيلَةً والأَداةُ مُنْكَسِرَهْ

Then the fists of his skull would go

Shattered, and the tools smashed

كَمْ طَرَباتٍ أَفْسَدْتَهُنَّ وكَمْ

صَفْوَةِ عَيْشٍ غَادَرْتَها كَدرَهْ

How many happy times you have ruined

And how much good living you have embittered

وكَمْ إذا ما رَأَوْكَ يا مَلَكَ الم

وتِ لهمْ مِنْ أَنامِلٍ خَصِرَهْ

And how many, when they see you death's angel

Clench their fingers in lament

وكَمْ لَهُمْ دَعْوَةٌ عليكَ وكَمْ

قَذْفَةِ أَمٍّ شَنْعاءَ مُشْتَهِرَهْ

And how many curses upon you, and how many

Vile, notorious mothers' stones are cast

كَرِيمَةٍ لُؤْمُكَ اسْتَخَفَّ بها

ونالَها بالمَثَالِبِ الأَشِرَهْ

Noble woman, whom you toyed with

And gained through the most evil treacheries

قِفُوا على رَحْلِهِ تَرَوْا عَجَباً

في الجَهْلِ يَحْكي طَرائِفَ البَصَرَهْ

Stop at his luggage, you will see wonders

Describing the curiosities of Basra

يا كُلَّ مَنْيٍ وكُلَّ طالِعَةٍ

نَحْسٍ ويا كُلَّ سَاعةٍ عَسِرَهْ

O every loathsome star and every

Hour of ill luck and hardship

سُبْحانَ مَنْ يُمْسِكُ السّماءَ على ال

أرْض وفيها أَخْلاقُكَ القَذرَهْ

Glory to Him who holds up the sky over

The earth in which your foul morals exist