باكِرْ شَرابَك أَحلى الشّرب باكِرُهُ
وَقَد تَغنّى بِأَعلى الدّوْحِ طائِرُهُ
Drink your wine early, for the early drink is sweetest.
The birds have sung in melodious notes at dawn,
وَالرَّوضُ تَنمو بِهِ الأزهارُ زاهِيةً
وَالرّوضُ مُثنٍ عَلَيهِ الطيبُ شاكِرُهُ
As the meadow blooms with radiant flowers,
Giving thanks, the meadow smiles at its fragrance.
تَموجُ فيهِ إِلى أَن خِلتَه بَحراً
ماجَت بِهِ وَهيَ تَعلوهُ جَواهِرُهُ
It surges until its waves become an ocean,
With jewels dancing over it, rising high.
والرّوضُ فيها بِساطٌ حيكَ مِن دُرَرٍ
هَل مِثلُهُ الدّهرُ نالَتهُ أَكاسِرُهُ
The meadow has a carpet woven with pearls.
Has time ever attained the likes of it and its wonders?
وَالنّهرُ فيهِ بِثَغرِ الأُنسِ مُبتَسِمٌ
مِن حيثُ قَد رَقَصَت أَزاهِرُهُ
The stream in it smiles with the charm of intimacy
Where its flowers have frolicked.
وَاللّيلُ تَرقُصُ بِالأَنوارِ أَنجمُهُ
فَلا ظَلامَ تُلاقينا عَساكِرُهُ
At night, its stars dance with lights
So we encounter no darkness or its regiments.
كَأَنّما الفَجرُ سَيّافٌ عَلى يَدِهِ
سَيفٌ مِنَ النورِ في الظّلماءِ شاهرُهُ
It's as if dawn were a sword in hand
A sword of light unsheathed in the dark.
فَقُم إِلى ذَوبِ ياقوتٍ يَصبّ عَلى
لُجَينِ كوبٍ يُباهي الفَجرَ باهِرُهُ
So rise to melted ruby poured
Into the chalice's smooth surface, outpacing the brilliant dawn.
كَأَنّها الشّمسُ فيهِ وَهْيَ ظاهِرةٌ
نِصفَ النّهارِ وَإِن البدرَ ظاهرُهُ
It is as if the sun were in it, glowing,
Though it is only midday and the moon is glowing.
حَمراء ناوَلَها ساقٍ لَه شنَبٌ
كَالبرقِ يَلمَعُ لَيلاً وَهوَ سائِرُهُ
A red wine a leg has proffered me, whose moustache
Gleams like lightning traveling at night.
في ثَغرِهِ مِثلها بَل لا تُماثِلُهُ
في طَرْفِهِ خِدْنُها بَل لا تُناظِرُهُ
In its lip is its likeness—no, it has no equal,
Its eyelash cannot be compared to it.
طَوراً يُناوِل مِن هَذي وَآونةً
مِن تي وَتاراً تُعاطينا نَواظِرُهُ
It hands me a sip of this and a taste of that,
Bewitching me with its glances.
فَلَست أَدري الّتي مِنها سَكِرت بِها
إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ ضائِعٌ عَقلاً وَحائِرُهُ
I know not which of them has intoxicated me.
I’m a man lost of mind, confused of senses.
ساقٍ تَكَوَّنَ في ظَلماءِ مَبدَرةٍ
فَاِبيَضَّ خَدّاهُ وَاِسودَّت غَدائِرُهُ
A leg formed in the darkness of wine skins
Has whitened its cheek and blackened its ringlets.
فَهالةُ الشّمسِ كانَت في معاصِمِهِ
أَساوِراً غَيرَ أَنْ خُرسٌ أَساوِرُهُ
The sun’s halo was like bracelets on its wrists
Though dumb are the bracelets.
وَالشَّمسُ في قُرصِها إِذْ صيغَ خاتَمُه
تَخَتَّمَت فيه لا يبلى خناصِرُهُ
And the sun in its disk when its ring was forged
Sealed itself in it, its beauty never fading.
وَقَد تَمَنطَقَ في خَصرٍ بِلُؤلؤةٍ
كَذرّةٍ فَوقَ طَودٍ سُرَّ ناظِرُهُ
It girded its waist in a pearl,
Like a fleck above a bosom, delightful to behold.
مُكَحَّلُ العَينِ في غُنْجٍ وَفي حَوَرٍ
مُؤنّثُ الجَفنِ ساجي الطّرفِ فاتِرُهُ
Kohl-lined of eye, in a swoon, in passion,
Feminine of lid, languorous of glance.
كَم لامَني في هَواهُ العَذبِ عاذِلُهُ
يا وَيْحَهُ وَأَنا بِالجهلِ عاذِرُهُ
How it blamed me for my sweet love of it!
Woe to me, while I excuse it in ignorance.
لَو ذاقَهُ لَم يَلُمني الدّهر فيهِ ولا
قَد كانَ في لَومِهِ يَبدو تظاهرُهُ
Had it but tasted it, time would not blame me for it
Nor pretend to oppose it.
يا لَيتَ لاحِيَّ قَد خلّى لنا وله
محلَّ صُلحٍ كلانا قد يبادِرُهُ
Would that this dear one had left for us
A place of peace—both of us could approach it!
فَالصّلحُ خَيرٌ وَخَيرُ النّاس صالَحَهم
أَخو الفَضائِلِ مَن جلَّت مآثرُهُ
For peace is best, and best of all people
Are those who make peace, of high repute.
اللّوذَعِيُّ الأَديبُ الألمعيّ وَمَن
قَد كُحِّلت بالتّقى نوراً بصائِرُهُ
The brilliant scholar, the shining Lumʿi,
Whose eyes are adorned with the kohl of piety!
بِطيبِ سِيرتِه طابت سريرتُه
وَأَطيَبُ النّاسِ مَن طابَت سرائِرُهُ
His manner refined, so his path became refined.
The best of people are those of virtuous souls.
مَنْ فِعلُهُ صينَ عَن كَسرٍ وَعَن عِللٍ
مَنْ صِينَ فِعلاً فَقَد طابَت مَصادِرُهُ
One whose deeds reject fracture and defect—
Deeds of integrity have upright sources.
قِسُّ البلاغَةِ سَحبانُ الفَصاحَةِ مَن
بِهِ البَيانُ بَديعُ الشّكلِ فاخِرُهُ
Arbiter of rhetoric, essence of eloquence,
By whom diction is graced, its form excellent!
أَكرِمْ بِهِ مِن خَطيبٍ مِصْقَعٍ لَسِنٍ
عَلى البَراعَةِ قَد تُبْنى منابِرُهُ
Reward through him the able speakers,
For skill is built upon their pulpits.
الجَوهرُ الفردُ بَدرُ الوقتِ واحدُهُ
بِالخَيرِ حامِدُهُ مِثلي وشاكرُهُ
Unique pearl, full moon of the age, unique in oneness,
I thank, like me, the Good in gratitude.
رَبُّ القَوافي بِحُسْنِ السّبك في غَزلٍ
يَحلو وَمَن هوَ في ذا الوَقتِ شاعِرُهُ
Lord of rhyme, excellent in subtle composition
Who composes sweetly in these times as poet?
يا ذا الكَمالِ الّذي تَعلو مَراتبُهُ
وَذا الجَمالِ الّذي تَغلو مَفاخِرُهُ
O you whose perfection has the highest ranks,
And beauty the most glorious treasures!
في كَفِّك الدرُّ طَوراً أَنتَ ناظِمُهُ
إِن شِئتَ نَظماً وَطَوراً أَنتَ ناثِرُهُ
In your hand, you arrange the pearls into a necklace,
Or scatter them about, as you so please.
أَهدَيتَني مِن بَديعِ الشّعرِ جَوهَرةً
وَأَحسَنُ الشّعرِ ما تُهدى جَواهِرُهُ
You have gifted me a pearl of wondrous poetry,
And the best poetry has jewels gifted.
يَتَيمَةً بِنت فِكرٍ لا مِثالَ لها
وَأَحسَنُ الشّيء في الدّنيا نَوادِرُهُ
An orphaned daughter of matchless thought,
For the best of things in life are rare.
لا فُضَّ فوكَ ولا خانَتكَ في زَمَنٍ
أَفكارُك الغرُّ فيما أَنتَ فاكرُهُ
You have never failed me in a time
When your ideas were precious as I recalled them.
وَاِسلَمْ ودُمْ ما اِبنُ فتحِ اللَّهِ أَنشدَكم
باكِرْ شَرابك أَحلى الشّرب بِاكِرُهُ
And do hear what the son of Fathallah has sung to you:
“Drink your wine early, for the early drink is sweetest.”
