Sol 5.6

  1. Ah, is there a way to the pools, with the sun rising—

    a way, while the bloom of goodness is gathered all together?

  2. And to a high lookout, open to the eye, whose gazelles go forth

    capturing men’s hearts without arrows?

  3. To the bank of al-Qāṭūl, along its western side,

    where the palace stands between al-Qādisiyya and the date palms;

  4. to a gathering place for birds, filled with strange cries,

    around which hunters circle, mounted and on foot.

  5. Then word came to him from the Jewish wine merchant that it was

    famed for wine and beloved by all.

  6. How many a rider upon the back of darkness has set out before dawn,

    seeking a golden wine without peer!

  7. When the vintner pierces a great wine jar with an auger,

    the face of drunkenness reveals itself in that opening.

  8. How many a man lies felled, unable to move his tongue,

    and how many speaks foolishly though he is no fool!

  9. We see the surly-tempered man, after drinking it,

    ready to lavish wealth, easy and gentle in disposition.

  10. Through it, for a while, I gathered the whole company of revelry

    and squandered wealth, heedless of every reproach.

  11. For an age I lived richly, with Nafīsa near me;

    how do you think she fares now that a man like me has left her?

Sol 5.6