وَسَيّارَةٍ ضَلَّت عَنِ القَصدِ بَعدَما

تَرادَفَهُم أُفقٌ مِنَ اللَيلِ مُظلِمُ

A car went astray after

And many a caravan strayed from its intended course

A dark night overwhelmed them.

After a dark horizon of night had overwhelmed them.

فَأَصغَوا إِلى صَوتٍ وَنَحنُ عِصابَةٌ

وَفينا فَتىً مِن سُكرِهِ يَتَرَنَّمُ

They listened to a sound while we were a gang,

They strained their ears toward a voice—while we were a gathered band,

With a lad singing drunkenly among us.

And among us was a youth, chanting softly in his intoxication.

فَلاحَت لَهُم مِنّا عَلى النَأيِ قَهوَةٌ

كَأَنَّ سَناها ضَوءُ نارٍ تُضَرَّمُ

They saw from afar a coffeehouse of ours

Then our wine gleamed out to them across the distance,

As if its light were a flaming fire.

As if its radiance were the light of a kindled fire.

إِذا ما حَسَوناها أَقاموا مَكانَهُم

وَإِن مُزِجَت حَثّوا الرِكابَ وَيَمَّموا

When they felt us near, they stopped in their place,

When we quaffed it pure, they halted where they stood,

And if we got mixed up, they spurred on their ride and went forth.

But when mixed, they spurred their mounts and made straight for us.