أَدِرْ أيّها السّاقي الكؤوسَ على صَحْبِي

وَدعنيَ ظمآناً ففي غيرها نَخْبِي

O cupbearer, pass around the wine to my companions,

And leave me thirsty, for in other than it is our pride.

وإنْ كنتَ تبغي بالمدامةِ نشوةً

فعندِيَ ما يُوفِي على نشوةِ الضَّربِ

And if you wish to achieve ecstasy with wine,

I have what suffices over the ecstasy of beating.

أَبَيْتُ الهوى دهراً ولمَّا عرفتُهُ

عرفتُ مطاعَ الأمر مُغتَفَر الذّنبِ

I refused passion for ages, but when I knew it,

I knew the obeyed command, the forgiven sin.

وهيّمَ إطرابَ الفؤادِ أوانِسٌ

خَلَصْنَ إلى ذاك الممنَّعِ من حبّي

And the confusion of my heart are companions,

Who have reached that which is forbidden of my love.

عَلَوْن النَّقا يوماً بأوفى من النّقا

ولُثْنَ على أبهى من العَصْبِ بِالعصبِ

They transcended virtue one day with the most loyal of virtues,

And they bent over the most beautiful spine with a spine.

ونادَمْننَا وهْناً بمنعرج اللّوى

فَضوَّأْنَ للسّارين داجِيةَ السَّهْبِ

And we reproached delirium in the twist of passion,

So they illuminated for the walking the sparkling of the plain.

وعانقْنَ قُضباناً من الرّنْدِ مرّةً

بأيدٍ سِباطٍ هنّ أندى من القضْبِ

And we embraced spears of the lance once,

With smooth hands more delicate than the spear.

وناعمةِ الأطراف حلّ ودادُها

مَكانَ شغافِ القلبِ مِن حبّةِ القلبِ

And the gentleness of her limbs, her love took the place,

Of the core of my heart from the seed of the heart.

دَعاني قبولٌ خَلَّفَتْهُ إلى الصّبا

وما كلُّ من تمّتْ محاسنُهُ يُصبْي

I was called by acceptance which my youth left behind,

And not all whose perfections are complete are youthful.

خُلِقتُ كما شاءَ الصّديق مُحكّماً

عليَّ خليلي نازلاً في هوى صَحْبي

I was created as the Friend desired, determining for me,

descending upon my love for my companions.

وذمّ رجالٌ أنّني غيرُ مُعْجَبٍ

فيا عَجَباً ماذا يفيدهُمُ عُجْبي

And men blamed that I am not impressed,

So how strange! What does their impression benefit them?

ولو أنّني أزهى بشيءٍ مُنِحْتُه

زهيتُ بفخرِ الملكِ في العُجْم والعُرْبِ

And if I take pride in something I was given,

I would pride myself on the pride of kings among non-Arabs and Arabs.

حياتِيَ منه بِالمحلّ الَّذي بهِ

يُحَسِّدُني قومي ويَغبطني شَعْبي

My life from it in the position in which

My people envy me and my nation congratulates me.

وأرْكَبني أثباجَ كلّ فضيلةٍ

مُمَنَّعَة الأرجاءِ محميّةِ الغَرْبِ

And it made me ride the impregnable summits of every glory,

Inaccessible in expanse, protected from the west.

ففي خُلقِهِ ذاك المُفَسَّحِ مرتعِي

ومِنْ لفظهِ ذاك المشرّف لِي عُشبي

So in its manners is that spacious pasture,

And from its words that which ennobles my prairie for me.

وَكَم جهدَ الأعداءُ فيما يسوؤُني

فما خوّفوا أَمْني ولا ذَعْذَعوا سِرْبي

And how the enemies struggled in what harms me,

But they did not frighten my safety nor shake my flock.

رَضينا عَنِ الدُّنيا وَأَنتَ تركتَنا

بلا سَخَطٍ في ذا الزّمان ولا عَتْبِ

We were content with the world and you left us

Without resentment in this time and without blame.

وجُدْتَ ولم تُسْأل بكلِّ نفيسةٍ

وَقَبلكَ قَومٌ لا يدرّون بالعَصْبِ

You came and were not asked for any high price,

While before you were people who do not know gallantry.

شَرِبنا أُجاجاً مِنْهُمُ وَتَنازحوا

عَنِ المَوردِ المَورودِ والمنهلِ العّذْبِ

We drank bitterness from them and they shunned

The frequented spring and the fresh drinking place.

وَما نِلتَه إِلّا بِحَقٍّ أتيتَهُ

وكم نيلَتْ العظمى من الأمر بالغصبِ

And you did not attain it except by a right you came to,

While many attain greatness by usurpation.

حَلفت بِمن ضحّت مِنى يوم نحرِهمْ

وما عقروا من أُمِّ سَقْبٍ ومن سَقْبِ

I swear by the One for whom those who slaughtered on the day of their slaughter made a sacrifice,

And they did not hamstring the she-camels or their young,

وبالنّفرِ الثّانين عُقْلَ رِكابِهمْ

على عَرَفاتٍ يبتغون رضا الربِّ

And by the second twenty whose mount ties

Were at Arafat, seeking the pleasure of the Lord.

لقد نال فخرُ الملك ما شاءَ من عُلاً

حَلَلْنَ على أعلى محلٍّ من السُّحْبِ

Indeed the pride of kingship attained what it desired of might,

Our garments reached the highest position from the clouds.

فتىً لم يزلْ يغدو بِعرْضٍ مُمَنَّعٍ

ومالٍ مُذالٍ لا يفيق من النّهْبِ

A young man who never ceased charging with impregnable honor

And wealth debased by nothing of plunder.

ولم يرضَ سهلَ الأمرِ يرطب مسُّه

وَلَم تلْقَهُ إلّا على مركبٍ صَعْبِ

And easy affairs did not suit him to be dampened by its touch,

And it did not meet him except on a difficult mount.

وَرامَ مداهُ المُترفون وإنّما

يَرومونَ ما رامَ الوِهادُ من الهَضْبِ

The wealthy coveted his extent, but they

Only covet what the hyena covets from prey.

فللّهِ أيّامٌ مضين قطعتَها

بلا سَأمٍ منها على ضُمَّرٍ قُبِّ

So by Allah are bygone days he traversed

Without boredom from them on top of rubble.

وَلا ظِلَّ إلّا ما تُفيءُ لك القَنا

وَلا زادَ إلّا نُجعةُ الطّعنِ والضّربِ

And no shade but what the spears shade you

And no provision but the wounding and striking.

تَصولُ بِعَضْبٍ في يديك وَخلفَه

مِنَ الرأْي ما أَمضى وأقضى من العَضْبِ

You attack with a cane in your hand and behind it

Is the understanding that accomplished and judged more than the cane.

فَصفْوُكَ لا يُبلى بِشيءٍ منَ القذى

وخِصْبكَ لا يُمنى بشيءٍ من الجَدْبِ

So your blade is not worn down by anything of grit,

And your fertility is not prevented by anything of barrenness.

وَطاولتَ أعماراً طِوالاً فطُلتَها

وأربيتَ حتى نِلتَ ما لم ينْل مُربِ

And you sought long lifespans and attained them,

And nurtured until you attained what no nurturer attained.

وَلا زالَ هَذا العيدُ يَتلوهُ مثلُهُ

تعاقُبَ أنواءِ السّحاب على التُّربِ

And this feast continues to be followed by its like,

The alternation of different types of clouds over the soil.

أَلا مَنْ معينِي مِن خليلٍ أَعدُّه

عَلى شُكر نعماءِ أتتني بلا كسبِ

Verily, who will help me of a friend I count

Upon thanking the blessings that came to me without earning?

تَجشّم خير الناس طُرّاً عيادَتي

فَجاءَ بِما حسبي به شرفاً حسبي

The best of people undertook goodness by visiting me,

So he came with what in my view is an honor for my status.

وَلَم يَعرِفوا شُكراً لها ولربّها

فلم يعْلمونا كيف نشكر في الكُتْبِ

And they did not know thankfulness for it and for its Lord,

So they did not teach us how to give thanks in books.

فإنْ أَعْيَ عن شكرٍ لها من صنيعةٍ

فَذلك مِن ذنبِ البلاغةِ لا ذَنبي

So if I fall short of thanking it with any work,

Then that is from the sin of eloquence, not my sin.