شَعشِعِ الخَمرَ وهاتِ
الكأسَ من نارٍ ونور
Mingle the wine till it gleams, and bring
the cup of fire and light.
علَّني أعلَمُ بعضَ
العِلمِ ما مَعنى السُرور
Teach me, from your store of knowledge, something
of knowledge: what does joy mean?
يا ندِيمي وانسَ ما
كان وما سوفَ يَصِير
O my companion, forget what
has been and what shall be.
ودَعِ العَتبَ على الدَهرِ
فلا تَدري الدُهور
Leave off reproaching Time,
for you cannot fathom the ages.
قُم بنا نطلُبُ لَهواً
غيرَ عُودٍ وزُمُور
Rise—let us seek amusement
without lute or pipes.
نَتَأمل مَسرَحَ الدُنيا
بِطَرفٍ لا يَحُور
Let us contemplate the stage of the world
with a gaze that never strays.
تُبصِرُ الناسَ عليه
كألاعِيبٍ تَدور
You will see the people upon it
whirling like playthings.
كلُّهُم يَلعَبُ دَوراً
غيرَ ما يَخفِي الضَمير
Each of them plays a role
that belies what conscience hides.
إِنَّ ما لاحَ هو غيرُ
الذي خَلفَ السُتور
What appears is something other than
what lies behind the curtains.
يا نديمي إِنَّ بعضَ الناس
إِن جُستَ الأمور
O companion, among some people,
if you probe affairs,
عالِمٌ يَبحَثُ طُولَ
العُمرِ ما بينَ السُطور
is a scholar who spends all
his life searching between the lines,
جامعٌ في صَدرِهِ ما
ليسَ تَحويه الصُدور
gathering within his breast what
other breasts cannot contain.
ما تُراه حازَ من
فَهمِ الأحاجي والجُذور
What do you think he has gained
from fathoming riddles and roots?
آه هل يَحترِمُ الأعلامَ
دُودٌ في القُبور
Ah, are the eminent respected by
worms in the graves?
دَعكَ منه واقلِبِ
الصَفحةَ في سِفرِ الدُهور
Leave him, and turn
the page in the chronicle of the ages.
يا نديمي إِنَّ بعضَ الناسِ
إِن جُستَ الأمور
O companion, among some people,
if you probe affairs,
ذو ثَراءٍ يَحسِبُ المالَ
غِنىً وَهو غُرور
is a man of wealth who counts money
as riches—though that is delusion.
يَملِكُ المالَ ولكن
هو للمالِ أجِير
He owns the money, yet
he is money’s hired hand.
دَعكَ منه واقلِبِ
الصَفحةَ في سِفرِ الدُهور
Leave him, and turn
the page in the chronicle of the ages.
يا نديمي إِنَّ بعض الناسِ
إِن جُستَ الأمور
O companion, among some people,
if you probe affairs,
تاجرٌ يطلُبُ رِبحا
من بِضاعاتٍ ودُور
is a merchant seeking profit
from wares and houses.
يَضرِبُ الخَمسَ بسُدسٍ
وصحيحاً بكُسور
He multiplies five by a sixth
and whole numbers by fractions.
يَسهَدُ الليلَ لِخَوفٍ
مِن مَتاعٍ أَن يَبُور
He lies awake at night, fearing
lest his wares go unsold.
ثُم يَنسى المَتجرَ الأسمى
لدى حَسبِ الأجور
Then he forgets the nobler commerce
at the reckoning of rewards.
دَعكَ منه واقلِبِ
الصَفحةَ في سِفرِ الدُهور
Leave him, and turn
the page in the chronicle of the ages.
يا نديمي إِن بعضَ الناس
إِن جُستَ الأمور
O companion, among some people,
if you probe affairs,
عاشقٌ يرقُبُ في
الظَلماءِ أنوارَ الخُدور
is a lover watching, in
the darkness, ladies behind their curtains.
همُّهُ أن يتَلهَّى
بِنحُورٍ وثُغور
His whole concern is to sport
with bosoms and smiling mouths.
يقبلُ النفسَ على
مرأى قُدودٍ وخُصور
He turns his soul toward
the sight of shapely forms and waists.
ما تُراه يَرتجي من
وَصلِ غاداتٍ وحُور
What does he hope to gain
from union with belles and houris?
واذا ما شَبِعَ الجِسمُ
وأضناهُ الفُتور
And once the body has had its fill
and languor has exhausted him,
أنزِلَ الحُبُّ عن العَرشِ
إلى سُوقِ الفُجور
love is brought down from the throne
to the marketplace of vice.
دَعكَ منه واقلِبِ
الصَفحةَ في سِفرِ الدُهور
Leave him, and turn
the page in the chronicle of the ages.
يا نديمي إِنَّ بعضَ الناسِ
إِن جُستَ الأمور
O companion, among some people,
if you probe affairs,
شاعرٌ مهنتهُ صَوغُ
القَوافي من شُعور
is a poet whose craft is casting
rhymes out of feeling.
يَعشَقُ الحُسنَ وَيبني
في عُلى الجَوِّ القُصور
He adores beauty and builds
castles in the heights of air.
يَمتطي الشمسَ وَيَسعى
فوقَ هامات البُدور
He mounts the sun and strides
above the heads of full moons,
وهوَ في الأرضِ يَجُرُّ
الرِجلَ تُدميها الصُخور
while upon the earth he drags
a foot the rocks have bloodied.
يأمُرُ الدَهرَ وَيَنهاهُ
بِبُهتانٍ وزُور
He commands Time and forbids it
with calumny and lies.
دَعكَ منه واقلِبِ
الصَفحةَ في سِفرِ الدُهور
Leave him, and turn
the page in the chronicle of the ages.
يا نديمي إِنني أُبصِرُ
هل أنتَ بَصِير
O companion, I can see—
do you have sight?
ولَعَمري قد يَرى
السكرانُ ما يُخفي الضَمير
By my life, the drunkard may see
what conscience hides.
إِنَّ كلَّ الناس أشباهٌ
إذا زِحتَ السُتور
All people are alike
once the curtains are drawn aside.
ليسَ في الدُنيا غنيّ
ليسَ في الدنيا فَقِير
There is no rich man in the world,
nor is there any poor man.
لا عليمٌ لا جَهولٌ
لا عظِيمٌ لا حقِير
Neither learned nor ignorant,
neither great nor lowly.
كلُّها حالاتُ وقتٍ
كَغبوقٍ وبُكور
They are all conditions of an hour,
like sunset and early morn.
كلُّها تَمثيلُ أدوارِ
على مَلهى العُصور
They are all the acting of roles
on the stage of the ages.
فالغِنى والفَقرُ إِن
كنتَ غَنياً في الشُعور
Wealth and poverty are one, if
you are rich in feeling;
والنُهى والجَهلُ إِن
كنتَ عليماً في الصُدور
and knowledge and ignorance are one, if
you are learned in what hearts contain.
يا نديمي نحنُ مثل الناس
إِن جُستَ الأمور
O my companion, we are like all people,
if you probe affairs.
كلُّنا أسرى حياةٍ
أذهلتنا عن نُشور
We are all captives of a life
that has distracted us from resurrection.
نُضرِمُ النارَ ولا
نَعلَمُ ما تَحوي القُدور
We kindle the fire, yet do not
know what the pots contain.
فاعطني الكأسَ وهاتِ
الخَمرَ من نارٍ ونُور
So give me the cup, and bring
wine of fire and light.
ثم أيقظني فإِن لم
أَصحُ من سُكرِ الغُرور
Then awaken me—and if I do not
come to from the drunkenness of delusion,
دَعكَ مني واقلِبِ
الصَفحةَ في سِفرِ الدُهور
leave me, and turn
the page in the chronicle of the ages.
