أَديري عَلى الراحِ ساقِيَةَ الخَمرِ
وَلا تَسأَليني وَاِسأَلي الكَأسَ عَن أَمري
Turn the cup of wine around,
And ask not of me, but ask the cup about my state,
كَأَنَّكِ بي قَد أَظهَرَت مُضمَرَ الحَشا
لَكِ الكَأسُ حَتّى أَطلَعَتكِ عَلى سِرّي
As though you had unveiled what lay hidden within me,
Yours is the cup until it made you privy to my secret.
وَقَد كُنتُ أَقلى الراحَ أَن يَستَفِزَّني
فَتَنطِقَ كَأسٌ عَن لِساني وَلا أَدري
I feared the wind would provoke me
And a cup would speak for my tongue without my knowing,
وَلَكِنَّني أَعطَيتُ مِقوَدِيَ الصِبى
فَقادَ بَناتِ اللَهوِ مَخلوعَةَ العُذرِ
But I gave control to a steersman still young,
Who led the ships of wantonness with lowered veils.
إِذا شِئتُ غاداني صُبوحٌ مِنَ الهَوى
وَإِن شِئتُ ماساني غُبوقٌ مِنَ الخَمرِ
When I wish, the morn of passion comes to meet me,
Or if I wish the eve of wine pays me a visit.
ذَهَبتُ وَلَم أُحَدِد بِعَينِيَ نَظرَةً
وَأَيقَنتُ أَنَّ العَينَ هاتِكَةٌ سِتري
I left not fixing my eyes for a single glance,
Convinced the eye is a betrayer of my secret.
جَعَلنا عَلاماتِ المَوَدَّةِ بَينَنا
مَصايِدَ لَحظٍ هُنَّ أَخفى مِنَ السِحرِ
We made glances of affection between us
Snares to catch a tender moment, subtler than sorcery,
فَأَعرِفُ مِنها الوَصلَ في لينِ طَرفِها
وَأَعرِفُ مِنها الهَجرَ بِالنَظَرِ الشَزرِ
So through them I recognise union in the softness of their look
And through them I recognise estrangement in their cold glance
وَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ خَشيَةٌ مِن صُدودِها
أَبيتُ عَلى ذَنبٍ وَأَغدو عَلى عُذرِ
Each day I dread their rejection
So I sleep a sinner and wake absolved,
وَمُلتَطِمُ الأَمواجِ يَرمي عُبابُهُ
بِجَرجَرَةِ الآذِيِّ لِلعِبرِ فَالعِبرِ
And like waves crashing, the high seas hurl their foam,
With the rattle that pains the prudent and the heedless,
مُطَعَّمَةٍ حِيتانُهُ ما يُغِبُّها
مَآكِلُ زادٍ مِن غَريقٍ وَمِن كَسرِ
Embedded in them are whales that vanish and emerge
To feast on provisions from a wreck or broken parts,
إِذا اِعتَنَقَت فيهِ الجَنوبُ تَكَفَّأَت
جَواريهِ أَو قامَت مَعَ الريحِ لا تَجري
When the south wind embraces them, their maidens assemble,
Or they stand with the wind, ceasing their flow,
كَأَنَّ مَدَبَّ المَوجِ في جَنَباتِها
مَدَبُّ الصَبا بَينَ الوِعاثِ مِنَ العُفرِ
As though the swell traversing their sides
Were a youth wandering among the reddish sand dunes
كَشَفتُ أَهاويلَ الدُجى عَن مَهولِهِ
بِجارِيَةٍ مَحمولَةٍ حامِلٍ بِكرِ
I unveiled the dark horrors and saw the unknown
In a carried maiden, pregnant, never wed,
لَطَمتُ بِخَدَّيها الحَبابُ فَأَصبَحَت
مُوَقَّفَةَ الداياتِ مَرتومَةَ النَحرِ
The billows have lashed her cheeks until
Her lips stood still and her throat was slit
إِذا أَقبَلَت راعَت بِقُنَّةِ قَرهَبٍ
وَإِن أَدبَرَت راقَت بِقادِمَتَي نَسرِ
When she comes, she is watched by a gazelle's neck
And when she leaves by a pair of eagles' tails
تَجافى بِها النوتيُّ حَتّى كَأَنَّما
يَسيرُ مِنَ الإِشفاقِ في جَبَلٍ وَعرِ
The captain keeps away from her as though
He walks cautiously down a rough mountain
تَجَلَّجُ عَن وَجهِ الحَبابِ كَما اِنثَنَت
مُخَبَّأَةٌ مِن كِسرِ سِترٍ إِلى سِترِ
She disappears behind the waves' face
Hidden by a veil behind a veil,
أَطَلَّت بِمِجذافينِ يَعتوِرانِها
وَقَوَّمَها كَبحُ اللِجامِ مِنَ الدُبرِ
She emerged with two oars flanking her
As the bridle's curb checked her from behind
فَحامَت قَليلاً ثُمَّ مَرَّت كَأَنَّها
عُقابٌ تَدَلَّت مِن هَواءٍ عَلى وَكرِ
She hovered briefly then passed as though
An eagle that swooped down from the sky to its nest
أَنافَ بِهاديها وَمَدَّ زِمامَها
شَديدُ عِلاجِ الكَفِّ مُعتَمِلُ الظَهرِ
Her guide managed her, pulling her reins taut,
His grip firm, his back sturdy,
إِذا ما عَصَت أَرخى الجَريرُ لِرَأسِها
فَمَلَّكَها عِصيانَها وَهيَ لا تَدري
If she disobeyed, her stallion eased for her
Making her his, though she knew it not,
كَأَنَّ الصَبا تَحكي بِها حينَ واجَهَت
نَسيمَ الصَبا مَشيَ العَروسِ إِلى الخِدرِ
As though when the breeze met her
It told tales of a bride's walk to the bridal chamber
يَمَمنا بِها لَيلَ التِمامِ لِأَربَعٍ
فَجاءَت لِسِتٍّ قَد بَقينَ مِنَ الشَهرِ
We rode the night for four parts of the night
And she arrived at the sixth with little time before dawn
فَما بَلَغَت حَتّى اِطِّلاحِ خَفيرِها
وَحَتّى أَتَت لَونَ اللِحا مِنَ القِشرِ
She had barely reached land before her scout gave tidings
And she attained the colour of parched wood
وَحَتّى عَلاها المَوجُ في جَنَباتِها
بِأَردِيَةٍ مِن نَسجِ طُحلُبِهِ خُضرِ
Until the waves cloaked her sides
In a gown of green seaweed weave
رَمَت بِالكَرى أَهوالُها عَن عُيونِهِم
فَباتَت أَهاويلُ السُرى بِهِمُ تَسري
She frightened away their horrors from their eyes
So they spent the mysterious night haunted by ghosts
تَوُمُّ مَحَلَّ الراغِبينَ وَحَيثُ لا
تُذادُ إِذا حَلَّت بِهِ أَرجُلُ السَفرِ
She heads for the place of longing where none can
Repel her when her feet tread the soils of travel
رَكِبنا إِلَيهِ البَحرَ في مُؤخِراتِهِ
فَأَوفَت بِنا مِن بَعدِ بَحرٍ إِلى بَحرِ
We rode the sea from the rear
Taking us from sea to sea after the sea
