وَنَدمانِ صِدقٍ مِن خُزاعَةَ في الذُرا

أَغَرَّ كَضَوءِ الصُبحِ حُلوِ الشَمائِلِ

Two repentant ones from Khuza'ah in the sands,

And a loyal drinking companion from Khuza'a, high in station,

Whose beauty shone like the dawn's gentle light,

Radiant as the morning light, sweet in character.

يُهينُ رِقابَ المالِ في كُلِّ لِذَّةٍ

وَلَيسَ بِسَمّاعٍ لِقَولِ العَواذِلِ

Mocking the necks of wealth in every pleasure,

He humbles the necks of wealth in pursuit of every pleasure,

Not heeding the words of chiding maidens.

And lends no ear to the words of those who scold.

كَريمٍ مَتيرِ الكَفِّ يَهتَزُّ لِلنَدى

كَما اهتَزَّ سَيفٌ في أَكُفِّ الصَياقِلِ

A noble man quick of hand that trembles with dew

Generous, of lavish hand, trembling to bestow,

As a sword trembled in the palms of polishings.

Just as a sword trembles in the hands of the polishers.

ظَلَلتُ أُعاطيهِ سُلافَةَ قَرقَفٍ

مُخَدَّرَةٍ عَذراءَ مِن سَبيِ بابِلِ

I gave her the shade of a furled Syrian cloak

I spent the day passing him the purest, shivering wine,

A chaste maiden taken captive from Babylon.

A secluded virgin vintage taken from the spoils of Babylon;

سَليلَةَ كَرمٍ لَم يُفَضُّ خِتامُها

وَلَم يَلتَذِعها في بُطونِ المَراجِلِ

Of a generous stock whose seal was unbroken,

A daughter of the vine whose seal was never broken,

And not defiled in the bellies of grindings.

Nor was she ever scorched within the bellies of cauldrons.

يَكُرُّ عَلَيها صَيفُها وَشِتائُها

وَيَأتي عَلَيها قابِلٌ بَعدَ قابِلِ

Her summers and winters come upon her,

Summers and winters have passed over her repeatedly,

And a midwife succeeds a midwife for her.

And year after year comes upon her.

تَرى الكَأسَ تَسعى بَينَنا فَكَأَنَّما

تَرَدَّدَ فيما بَينَنا بِالأَصائِلِ

You see the cup passing between us as though

You see the cup hastening between us as if

It shuttled between us with the most noble.

It were moving back and forth in the twilight hours.

فَما بَرِحَت حَتّى الصَباحِ يُديرُها

وَيَجري بِنا في كُلِّ حَقٍّ وَباطِلِ

It did not stop until the dawn brought it around

It ceased not until morning; he kept circulating it,

And it carried us into every right and wrong.

Carrying us through every topic, truth and vanity,

فَبَينَ صَريعٍ قَد تَجَدَّلَ طافِحاً

إِلى ذي وِسادٍ مائِلِ الرَأسِ زائِلِ

Between one laid out overflowing in death

Amidst those struck down, thrown flat by drink,

And one leaning his head to the side in decline.

And those on cushions, heads tilting, fading away.

فَلَمّا رَأَيتُ الصُبحَ أَسفَرَ وَجهُهُ

وَحَنَّت نَواقيسُ الدُجى في الهَياكِلِ

When I saw the dawn bare its face,

But when I saw the morning unveil its face,

And the bells of darkness toll in the temples,

And the bells of darkness rang out in the monasteries,

طَفِقتُ أُفَدّيهِ وَأَدعوهُ بِاسمِهِ

فَقالَ مُجيباً ما تَشا بِتَثاقُلِ

I started to rouse him, calling him by name,

I began to offer my life for his and call him by name,

And he answered sluggishly and heavily:

And he answered, "What do you want?" with a heavy tongue.

فَقُلتُ لَهُ تَفديكَ نَفسي وَأُسرَتي

وَيَفديكَ طُرّاً كُلُّ حافٍ وَناعِلِ

"May my soul ransom you, and my family,

I said to him, "May my soul and my family be your ransom,"

And every singing cricket and sand grouse ransom you.

"And may all, barefoot and shod, be your ransom too."

أَلَستَ تَرى ضَوءَ الصَباحِ وَنورَهُ

وَتَسمَعَ تَغريدَ الحَمامِ الثَواكِلِ

Do you not see the light of dawn and its brilliance?

"Do you not see the light of morning and its brilliance,"

Do you not hear the cooing of the roving doves?

"And hear the singing of the mourning doves?"

فَقُم فَاصطَبِحها وَانفِ عَنكَ خُمارَها

فَلَيسَ لَها مِثلُ الصَبوحِ المُعاجِلِ

Rise, greet the morn, and shake off its intoxication,

"So rise and take the morning draught; banish your hangover,"

For nothing compares to the hastening dawn."

"For nothing cures it like a hasty morning cup."

فَما زالَ حَتّى ذاقَها مُتَكَرِّهاً

فَرَدَّت إِلَيهِ روحَهُ في المَفاصِلِ

He did not stop until he tasted it reluctantly,

He hesitated until he tasted it with reluctance,

Restoring his spirit to his limbs.

Then it restored his spirit into his very joints,

وَحَتّى تَغَنّى لاهِياً مُتَطَرِّباً

غِناءَ عَميدِ القَلبِ نَشوَنَ ناحِلِ

Until he sang blithely and merrily

Until he began to sing, carefree and enraptured,

The song of love's master, prolific and fertile.

The song of a lovesick heart, intoxicated and wasting away:

خَليلَيَّ عوجا مِن صُدورِ الرَواحِلِ

بِجُمهورِ حُزوى فَابكِيا في المَنازِلِ

Oh my two friends, crooked of heart,

"O my two friends, turn aside the chests of your riding camels"

Weep with the bereaved in their homes.

"At the sands of Huzwa, and weep over the deserted campsites."