إِنّي لَفي شُغلٍ عَنِ العاذِلينَ

بِالراحِ وَالرَيحانِ وَالياسَمين

I am occupied from the blamers

I am too occupied to heed the scoffers,

With basil, sweet basil, and jasmine,

With vintage wine, sweet basil, and jasmine.

أَشرَبُها صِرفاً فَإِن هِيَ قَسَت

زَوَّجتُها بِالماءِ حَتّى تَلين

I drink it pure; and if it is harsh

I drink it pure, but should it bite too hard,

I mix it with water till it turns gentle.

I wed it to the water till it yields,

لَدى شَريفٍ حَسَنٍ وَجهُهُ

أَحوَرَ قَلبي بِهَواهُ رَهين

With a noble and beautiful-faced one

Beside a noble youth of visage fair,

Who captivated my heart with his love held ransom,

Dark-eyed, holding my heart hostage to desire,

مِن وَلَدِ المَهدِيِّ في ذِروَةٍ

مُهَذَّبٍ يَخلِطُ حَزناً بِلين

From the sons of al-Mahdi in an exalted place

A scion of al-Mahdi, at the summit of his line,

Refined, mixing sorrow with gentleness,

Refined, he mingles gravity with grace.

فَهوَ مُغَنٍّ لي وَساقٍ مَعاً

ثُمَّ خَدينٌ بِأَبي مِن خَدين

He entertains me and walks with me

He is my singer and my cupbearer combined,

With cheeks like my father’s in their roundness

And intimate friend—by my father, what a friend!

سُبحانَ مَن سَخَّرَ هَذا لَنا

يَوماً وَما كُنّا لَهُ مُقرِنين

Glory to Him who subjugated this for us

Glory to Him who made this yield to us,

One day though we were not foreordaining it.

On a day we could not master on our own.