وَنابِهٍ في الهَوى لَنا ناسِ

قَطَّعَ لي بِالهِجرانِ أَنفاسي

My love is fickle though I pine for her,

And one of noble standing in love, yet forgetful of us,

She severed my breath with her disdain,

Has severed my very breath through abandonment.

لَستُ لَها واصِفاً مَخافَةَ أَن

يَعرِفَ ما بي جَماعَةُ الناسِ

I'm loathe to describe her for fear the folk

I will not describe her, for fear that

Should learn what ails me—no cure they contain.

The gathering of people might discover what ails me.

أَكثَرُ وَصفي لَها شِكايَةُ ما

فيها قَضى اللَهُ لي عَلى راسي

My greatest depiction of her is to speak

The bulk of my description regarding her is a complaint

Of the fate God decreed for me, set in stone.

Of what God has decreed upon my head regarding her.

يُطمِعُني لَحظُها وَيُؤنِسُني

بِاللَفظِ مِنها فُؤادُها القاسي

Her glance kindles hope, her harsh heart consoles

Her glance tempts me with hope, while I am comforted

With the sound of her voice my own.

By the words spoken from her cruel heart.

فَصِرتُ بِاللَحظِ مِن مُعَذِّبَتي

وَاللَفظِ بَينَ الرَجاءِ وَالياسِ

Thus by her gaze and voice oscillate

Thus I have become, between the glance of my tormentor

Twixt hope and despair my days;

And her spoken words, suspended between hope and despair.

أَسعَدُ يَومٍ لَها حَظيتُ بِهِ

مَقالُها لي وَلَستُ بِالناسي

The happiest day was when I heard her speak,

The happiest day I ever enjoyed in her company

Her words made all else fade.

Was when she spoke to me—and I shall never forget

لِذَلِكَ اليَومِ ما حَيِيتُ وَما

تَرجَمَ قَولي سَوادُ أَنفاسي

For that day, as long as I draw breath

That day, for as long as I live, and as long as

My words cannot thank enough.

The darkness of my breath gives voice to my speech.

تَقولُ لي وَالمُدامُ مُرسَلَةٌ

تُفيضُ حَولي نُفوسَ جُلّاسي

She said, and the wine flowed free in our midst,

She speaks to me while the wine flows freely,

My drinking companions in revels lost,

Flooding the souls of my drinking companions around me:

هَل لَكَ أَن تَطرُدَ النُعاسَ فَقَد

طابَ اِنضِواعُ المُدامِ وَالآسِ

"Can you banish sleep? For the night invites

"Would you care to banish drowsiness? For indeed,

To the wine and companionship we have crossed."

The fragrance of the wine and myrtle has grown sweet."

قُلتُ لَها فَاِبتَدي وَهاتي فَما

حَسَوتِ مِنها فَإِنَّني حاسِ

I said "Start pouring and keep it coming,

I said to her, "Then begin, and pass it to me; for whatever

For I've tasted nothing yet of your draft."

You sip from it, I too shall sip."

وَغايَتي أَن أَنالَ فَضلَتَها

في الكَأسِ مِن شُربِها أَوِ الطاسِ

My only aim is to gain her leftovers,

My sole intent being to obtain her leftovers

Be it the cup or the spill on her shaft.

Remaining in the cup or goblet from her draught.

ثُمَّ أَظُنُّ الحِذارَ نَبَّهَها

وَما بِها قَد أَرَدتُ مِن باسِ

But propriety, I guess, gave her pause

Then, I believe, caution alerted her,

As that was not my intent in this farce.

Though I intended no harm towards her.

قالَت فَدَع عَنكَ الاِحتِيالَ لِما

أَرَدتَ سُكري لَهُ وَإِنعاسي

She said "Cease your tricks to get what you wish—

She said, "Cast aside this trickery regarding

My drunkenness and my sleep take their course."

That for which you sought my intoxication and slumber."

أَعرَضتُ عَنها وَقَد فَهِمتُ لِكَي

تَحسَبَ أَنّي لِقَولِها ناسِ

I shrugged as though her words meant nothing,

I turned away from her—having understood—so that

So she'd think them no barb in my side.

She might suppose I was oblivious to her remark.

ثُمَّ دَعَتها المُدامُ مِن كَثَبٍ

وَاللَيلُ ذو سُدفَةٍ وَإِدماسِ

Then the wine beckoned with mischievous glint

Then the wine called out to her from close at hand,

In the deep of the liquored night.

While the night was veiled in darkness and shadow.

فَاِحتَلَبَت زِقَّنا فَمَجَّ بِها

في الكَأسِ راحاً كَضَوءِ مِقباسِ

She milked the wineskin, and in the cup poured

She milked our wineskin, and it poured forth for her

A drink like the gleam of an oil lamp emblazed.

Into the cup, a wine luminous as a torch's flame.

ثُمَّ تَحَسَّت حَتّى إِذا شَرِبَت

نِصفاً كَما قيسَ لي بِمِقياسِ

She sipped, till halfway she stopped, just the portion

Then she sipped, and when she had drunk

Allotted me, in my presence appraised.

Exactly half, as if measured out for me by gauge,

نازَعتُها الكَأسَ فيهِ فُضلَتُها

فَفُزتُ بِالكَأسِ بَعدَ إِمراسِ

I grabbed at the cup for what remained inside,

I wrestled the cup from her, containing her dregs,

And won it after a tussle, wine flying wide!

And I won the prize of the cup after a struggle.

فَكادَتِ النَفسُ لِلسُرورِ بِها

تَخرُجُ بَينَ المُدامِ وَالكاسِ

From the contest and the wine my soul sprouted wings

So that my soul, for the sheer joy of it, almost

Poised between cup and mistress beside.

Departed my body between the wine and the cup.