وَلَيلة بتُّ بها مُنادماً

أَهيفَ ما الَبدرُ سوَى طَلعتهِ

And a night in which I sat companioned,

Is the full moon naught but its rising?

يُديرُها صفراءَ عَسجديَّةً

أَغنى الوَرى من هيَ في قَبضتهِ

She whirls it yellow like an old brocade,

None in the world richer than she in her grasp,

كأَنَّها سَبيكةٌ من ذَهبٍ

أضافَها الكأس إلى فضَّتهِ

As if it were an ingot of gold

Added by the goblet to its silver,

جاءَ بها يَكسرُ جَفنا مُودِعاً

نِشاطَهُ الزَّائدَ في فَترته

She brought it to break my eyelid bidding farewell,

Its surplus liveliness in its slackening,

قَد كَفلَت منهُ لهُ كَسرتُهُ

بِكُلِّ ما يطلُبُ من نُصرتهِ

She shouldered for him his tipsiness

With all he seeks of her help,

فَبتُّ حتَّى ذَبُلت سَوسنةُ ال

لَّيلِ وَوَلَّى الفجرُ عن وَردتهِ

So I sat till the lily of night wilted

And dawn turned away from its rose,

أَشربُ صَهباوَين مَخمورُهُما

ليسَ يُفيقُ الدَّهرَ من سَكرَتهِ

I drink two intoxicated goblets

The ages never awaken from their drunkenness,

من نَرجسينِ نَرجِسٍ في يَدهِ

وَنَرجسٍ آخرَ في مُقلَتهِ

Of two narcissus flowers in his hand

And another narcissus in his eyelid,

فيالَها من لَيلَةٍ ما شانَها

إلاَّ انقضاءُ الوَقتِ في سُرعَتهِ

What a night it was, its affair being

Only the passing of time in its fleetness,

أَسفرَ من قَبلِ غُروبِ الشَّمسِ لي

فيها ضِياءُ الصُّبحِ عن غُرّتهِ

It dawned before sunset

Its morning lightness relieving its darkness for me.