تُعاتِبُني عَلى شُربِ اِصطِباحِ

وَوَصلِ اللَيلِ مِن فَلَقِ الصَباحِ

You reproach me for drinking at dawn

She chides me for the morning draught I take,

And continuing through the night till morn breaks

And for linking the night to the dawn's first break.

وَما عَلِمَت بِأَنّي أَريَحِيٌّ

أُحِبُّ مِنَ النَدامى ذا اِرتِياحِ

You did not know I take pleasure in life

She knew not that I am a spirit free,

And like happy people when they're wide awake

Who loves a comrade of mirth and glee.

فَرُبَّ صَحابَةٍ بيضٍ كِرامٍ

بَهاليلٍ غَطارِفَةٍ صِباحِ

Many bright dawns with honorable friends

For many a companion, noble and fair,

Clad in white garments, early risen folk

Illustrious chieftains with radiant air,

صَرَفتُ مَطِيَّهُم حَيرى طِلاحاً

وَقَد سُدَّت أَساليبُ الرِياحِ

I led their steeds wandering through the sands

I turned their mounts aside, weary and stray,

When the paths were blocked, no winds would blow

When the paths of the winds had lost their way.

وَقامَ الظِلُّ فَوقَ شِراكِ نَعلٍ

مَقامَ الريشِ في ثِنيِ الجَناحِ

Our shadows stood above our sandals

When the shadow stood over the sandal-strap,

Like feathers above a wing folded back

Like feathers tucked in a wing-fold's gap.

إِلى حاناتِ خَمرٍ في كُرومٍ

مُعَرَّشَةٍ مُعَرَّجَةِ النَواحي

To taverns of wine in vineyards

To taverns of wine amidst the vines,

With arched bowers and branches hung low

With trellised roofs and winding lines.

فَأَقبَلَ رَبُّها يَسعى إِلَينا

يُهَنِّئُ بِالفَلاحِ وَبِالنَجاحِ

The tavern keeper came rushing to us

The master came running to welcome the guest,

With congratulations and best wishes in tow

Wishing us fortune and success in our quest.

فَقُلتُ الخَمرَ قالَ نَعَم وَإِنّي

بِها لِبَني الكِرامِ لَذو سَماحِ

I asked for wine, he said of course friend

I called for the wine; he said, "Yes, I agree,

To generous souls I'm happy to bestow

For the sons of the noble, my hand is free."

فَجاءَ بِها تَخُبُّ كَماءِ مُزنٍ

وَأَنشَأَ مُنشِداً شِعرَ اِقتِراحِ

He brought it frothing like spring clouds

He brought it, bubbling like rain from the cloud,

And had a singer chant a song on cue

And improvised verses, reciting aloud:

أَتَصحو أَم فُؤادُكَ غَيرُ صاحٍ

عَشِيَّةَ هَمَّ صَحبُكَ بِالرَواحِ

Awake or does your heart still slumber

"Are you sober, or is your heart not awake,

When your friends last night bid sleep adieu

The eve your friends planned the journey to take?"

فَبِتُّ لَدى دَساكِرِهِ عَروساً

بِعَذراوَينِ مِن ماءٍ وَراحِ

I slept the night in perfume's embrace

So I stayed in his courts like a groom in his pride,

A bride with chaste maidens in tow

With water and wine as my dual bride.

وَدارَ بِكَأسِنا رَشَأٌ رَخيمٌ

لَطيفُ الكَشحِ مَهضومِ الوِشاحِ

Our cup passed round in joy and cheer

A soft-voiced gazelle made the cup go round,

Smooth taste it had, lightly clad in its flow

With a slender waist and a sash unbound.

وَقالَ أَتَبرَحونَ غَداً فَقُلنا

وَكَيفَ نُطيقُ بَعدَكَ مِن رَواحِ

Will you not leave come the morn, we asked

He said, "Will you leave us tomorrow day?"

How can we bear your loss when we go

We said, "How could we bear to go away?"

فَخاتَلَنا فَأَسكَرَنا فَنِمنا

إِلى أَن هَمَّ ديكٌ بِالصِياحِ

He entertained us until drunk we were

He tricked us with wine till we slept in the hall,

And slept on ‘til the cock crowed at first light

Till the rooster intended his morning call.

فَقُمتُ إِلَيهِ أَرفُلُ مُستَقيماً

وَقَد هَيَّأتُ كَبشي لِلنِطاحِ

I went to face it walking tall and straight

Then I rose toward him, stalking upright,

Having prepared my ram for the fight

Having readied my ram to butt and to fight.

فَلَمّا أَن رَكَزتُ الرُمحَ فيهِ

تَنَبَّهَ كَالرَقيدِ مِنَ الجِراحِ

When I thrust my spear in no time

And when I had planted the spear in its place,

He startled awake as if pierced from a bite

He woke like one stung, with a startled face.

فَقُلتُ لَهُ بِحَقِّ أَبيكَ سَهلٌ

فَلا تُحوِج إِلى سَفحِ التَلاحي

For your father's sake, stop, enough I said

I said, "By your father, be easy, be still,

Do not force me to steep slopes take flight

Do not force us to wrangle or speak of ill."

فَقالَ لَقَد ظَفِرتَ فَنَل هَنيئاً

بِإِسعافٍ وَبَذلٍ مُستَباحِ

You have won, enjoy your fortune, he said

He said, "You have triumphed, so take what is sweet,

With kindness and favor no law can indict

With full compliance and a yielding complete."

فَلَمّا أَن وَضَعتُ عَلَيهِ رَحلي

تَبَدّى مُنشِداً شِعرَ اِمتِداحِ

When I placed my belongings on his back

And when I had placed my saddle astride,

He sang a song of praise that was quite bright

He began to chant verses of praise and pride:

أَلَستُم خَيرَ مَن رَكِبَ المَطايا

وَأَندى العالِمينَ بُطونَ راحِ

Are you not the best people to ride steeds

"Are you not the best who ever rode on a mount,

And quench with rain the land suffering drought

And the most generous hands that the world can count?"