وشادنٍ شَرْطِ الصِّبا مُرْهَفٍ
قُرَّةِ عينيْ من تمنّاهُ
With a slender, youthful figure
The delight of my eye, he who I desire
كأنما الحسنُ رأى وجهَه
إِليه محتاجاً فأغناه
As if beauty itself saw his face
Needy of him, so he enriched me
فانتثرت بالغُنْجِ ألفاظُه
وانكسرت باللّحظ جفناه
His words then scattered through his smile
His eyelids broke from the glance
ولاح برقُ الثغر من مَبْسِمٍ
المسك والقهوةُ مَجْناه
The lightning of his mouth flashed from a smile
Musk and coffee his smell
وبتَّل الأردافَ فاستثقلت
وأَرْهف الخصر وأَضْناه
His buttocks rounded, grew heavy
His waist thinned, drew in
زُرْنا به منزلَ خَمّارةٍ
واللّيلُ في صِبْغ بريَّاهُ
We visited a tavern at night
While the dark dawn soaked in its dye
وقد علا الأُفْقَ هلالٌ بدا
كعَطْفة الحاجب مَحْناه
A crescent moon rose over the horizon
Like the arch of his frowned eyebrow
حتى إذا الخمّارُ أصغت إلى
صِحابنا في المشي أُذْناه
Until when the tavern keeper listened
To our company walking, lent us his ear
قام إلينا عَجِلاً شاغلاً
بالرّاح يُمناه ويسراه
He came to us hurriedly, busying
Himself with the wind, beckoning left and right
فاستلّ من إبريقه قهوةً
أشرق منها ليلُ مَغْناه
So he brought us coffee from his flask
From which shone the night of his singing
حتى إذا سُمْنَاه في بيعها
قَطَّب غيظاً حين سُمْناه
When we fattened him from selling it
He bubbled with anger when we fattened him
وقال ما استام بها ماجِدٌ
قَبلَكمُ فيما علِمناه
And said no noble like Majid
Had sought it, from what we knew
دَونَكُموها وزِنُوا مثلَها
دُرًّا وتِبْراً ووَزَنّاه
Give it back and weigh the like of it
In pearls and gold and weigh it
فغاب عن ألحاظنا ساعةً
ثُمَّتَ وافانا ودَنَّاه
He disappeared from our sights for a while
Then returned to us and drew nearer
فقام بالكأس هَضِيمُ الحشا
لولا قَبَاه لشَرِبناه
The thick-lipped one stood with the cup
If not for his cheek we'd have drunk it
كأنّها في كفّه خدُّه
لكنّها في السّكر عيناه
As if it were his cheek in his palm
But it was the sugar that was his eyes
إذا سقى نَدْمانَه كأسَه
أَلثَمَه فاه وغنّاه
When he gave his boon companion his cup
He kissed its lip and sang
ما استكمل اللَّذاتِ إلاّ فتىً
يشرَب والمُرْدُ نَداماه
Perfecting pleasures is only for a lad
Who drinks while the tambourine plays
ولم تَنِكُه غيرُ ألحاظنا
يا كاشحاً قد زاد معناه
And none tired us but his glances
Oh rusher! His meaning has increased
فإن تُدَاخِلْكَ بنا ظِنّةٌ
فقد عَلى رغْمِك نِكْناه
If you suspect us, though against your will
We harbour it
ولم نَزَلْ في بيتِ خمّارها
نشرَبُها شهراً ومَثْنَاه
And we never left her tavern
Drinking for a month or two
إذا أشاب الصبحُ رأْسَ الدُّجى
وهزّنا الساقي أجَبْناه
When the dawn silvers the darkness
And the cupbearer rouses us, we answer him
نحبو إذا نادى إليه كما
يَحْبو إلى الوالد أَبناهُ
We scramble when he calls to us, as
A son scrambles to his father
وإنْ بَدَا من صاحبٍ بعضُ ما
يأتي به السُّكْرُ عَذَرْناه
And if some of what drink brings appears
From a friend, we excuse him
تَعَاشُرٌ مُشْتَبِهٌ بيننا
أقصاه في البِرّ كَأدْناه
An ambiguous friendship between us
Its furthest in righteousness as its nearest
سَقْياً ورَعْياً لزمانٍ مَضَى
به مَعدٌّ فَعدِمْناه
A legacy of a time passed
In which purpose is lost to us
ما كان أبْهَى حُسْنَ أيَّامِه
فينا وأحلاَه وأهناه
The days of its prime were not
More beautiful to us, sweeter or gentler
إذ لم يكن في عَيْن شمسٍ لنا
مُخَيَّمٌ نَكْرَهُ سُكْناه
As no speck in a sun for us
Settled that we disliked its settlement
ولم نكن ننزلُ فيه على
حُكْم من الأَيام نَشْناه
Nor did we alight in it by
The judgement of days we impugned
لكنّنا نغدو على ماجدٍ
تُمْطِرنُا بالجُود يُمْنَاه
But we come upon Majid
Who rains generosity on us, his right hand
