إِنَّ الَّذي ضَنَّ بِقِرطاسِهِ
أَوحَشَني مِن بَعدِ إيناسِهِ
He who was stingy with his paper,
The one who has grown stingy with his parchment,
Distanced me after being close.
Has cast me into loneliness after his gentle grace.
آذَنَني بِاليَأسِ مِن وَصلِهِ
وَالقَلبُ مَشغوفٌ عَلى ياسِهِ
He signaled despair of union,
He has heralded despair of ever joining with him,
While my heart is infatuated with his friendship.
Yet the heart remains impassioned despite its hopelessness.
وَماجِدٍ في الفَرعِ مِن هاشِمٍ
إِذا اِنتَمى طارَ بِعَبّاسِهِ
A glorious ancestor of Hashim,
A noble soul, branching from the line of Hashim,
When associated with Al-‘Abbas, he soared.
Who, when tracing his roots, soars on the wings of Abbas.
نازَعتُهُ القَهوَةَ في فِتيَةٍ
كُلُّهُمُ زَينٌ لِجُلّاسِهِ
I competed with coffee amongst youths,
I shared the dark wine with him among a band of youths,
All of them adornment of their session.
Each one an ornament to those who sit beside him.
سُنَّتُهُم في شُربِها بَينَهُم
مَن رَدَّها صُبَّت عَلى راسِهِ
Their custom of passing it between them,
Their custom in the rounds of drink is strictly kept:
Whoever declined, it was poured on his head.
Whoever turns away the cup shall have it poured upon his head.
إِذا حَساها بَعضُهُم لَم يَدَع
ما يَغمُرُ الذَرَّةَ في كاسِهِ
When one of them felt it was enough,
And when one quaffs the draught, he leaves behind
He did not leave what submerges the peas in his cup.
Not a drop enough to drown a speck within his glass.
يا لَكِ مِن تُفّاحَةٍ غَضَّةٍ
طَيَّبَها حِبّي بِأَنفاسِهِ
Oh, you are a juicy apple,
O what a marvel you are, fresh and tender apple,
My love made it fragrant with his breath.
Which my beloved has perfumed with his very breath.
فَزادَ طيباً ريحَها طيبُهُ
فَطابَ مِنها ريحُ جُلّاسِهِ
So the fragrance of its fragrance increased,
His essence increased the fragrance of its own,
Thus the smell of the session became good.
Sweetening the air for all who sat around him.
وَطابَتِ الكَأسُ وَإِبريقُنا
مِن مَوضِعِ التَقبيلِ مِن كاسِهِ
The goblet and our pitcher became fragrant,
And the goblet and our pitcher turned divine,
From the place of kissing the cup.
From the spot where his lips had kissed the cup.
