بِدَيرِ بَهرَذانَ لي مَجلِسٌ

وَمَلعَبٌ وَسطَ بَساتينِهِ

In the monastery of Bahram there is for me a sitting place,

In the monastery of Bahradhan, I hold my court,

And a playground amidst its gardens.

A playground nestled deep amidst its gardens.

رُحتُ إِلَيهِ وَمَعي فِتيَةٌ

نَزورُهُ يَومَ سَعانينِهِ

I went there with some youths,

I journeyed there with a company of youths,

To visit it on a day of cheerfulness.

To visit on the feast of Palm Sunday.

بِكُلِّ طَلّابِ الهَوى فاتِكٍ

قَد آثَرَ الدُنيا عَلى دينِهِ

With every debauched lover,

With every reckless seeker of desire,

Who preferred the world over his religion.

Who favored this world over his faith.

حَتّى تَوافَينا إِلى مَجلِسٍ

تَضحَكُ أَلوانُ رَياحينِهِ

Until we arrived at a sitting place,

Until we settled in a gathering place

Where the colors of its flowers smile.

Where colors of the basil laugh in bloom.

وَالنَرجِسُ الغَضُّ لَدى وَردَهُ

وَالوَردُ قَد حُفَّ بِنِسرينِهِ

The pale narcissus next to its rose,

The fresh narcissus lies beside the rose,

While the rose is wrapped in myrtle.

And the rose is hemmed by wild eglantine.

وَجيءَ بِالدَنِّ عَلى مَرفَعٍ

وَخاتَمُ العِلجِ عَلى طينِهِ

The wine-filled flask was brought on high,

The cask was brought forth, set upon a stand,

With the seal-ring upon its clay.

The foreigner's seal still intact upon its clay.

وَافتُصِدَ الأَكحَلُ مِن دَنِّنا

فَانصاعَ في حُمرَةِ تَلوينِهِ

The kohl was extracted from our wine,

We lanced the central vein of our wine-jar,

So it yielded to the redness of its dye.

And out it rushed in crimson coloring.

وَطافَ بِالكَأسِ لَنا شادِنٌ

يُدميهِ مَسُّ الكَفِّ مِن لينِهِ

A saqi passed the cup amongst us,

A young gazelle passed round the cup to us,

Caressing it by his soft palm.

So soft, a hand’s mere touch might wound his skin.

يَكادُ مِن إِشراقِ خَدَّيهِ أَن

تُختَطَفَ الأَبصارُ مِن دونِهِ

The radiance of his cheeks is such,

From the sheer radiance of his glowing cheeks,

That sights are stolen away through it.

The gaze is nearly snatched away in awe.

فَلَم نَزَل نُسقى وَنَلهو بِهِ

وَنَأخُذُ القَصفَ بِآيِينِهِ

We did not stop drinking and amusing ourselves with it,

We ceased not being served and revelling,

And taking sips between its verses.

Pursuing pleasure by its ancient rites,

حَتّى غَدا السَكرانُ مِن سُكرِهِ

كَالمَيتِ في بَعضِ أَحايِينِهِ

Until the drunkard from his tipsiness,

Until the drunkard, heavy in his cups,

Became like a corpse during parts of it.

Lay like a corpse in moments of his swoon.