يا خَليلَيَّ مِن بَني مَخزومِ

عَلِّلاني بِماءِ بِنتِ الكُرومِ

O my bosom friend from the tribe of Makhzum

O my two friends from the tribe of Makhzum,

Quench my thirst with the water from the daughter of vineyards

Soothe my spirit with the fluid of the daughter of the vines,

عَلِّلاني بِها إِذا غَرَّدَ الدي

كُ وَغابَت مُوَلِّياتُ النُجومِ

Quench my thirst with it when the cock crows and the bright stars disappear

Soothe me with it when the rooster begins to crow,

With a delicious cup whose taste and smell are sublime

And the retreating stars fade into absence,

مِن كُمَيتٍ لَذيذَةِ الطَعمِ وَالري

حِ عُقارٍ عَتيقَةٍ خُرطومِ

Of mature, fragrant wine from Khortoum

Of a dark red vintage, delicious in taste and scent,

Aged ten years then another ten

An aged liquor, the very finest and first-pressed,

عَتَّقَتها الأَنباطُ عَشراً فَعَشراً

ثُمَّ عَشراً في مُدمَجٍ مَختومِ

Then ten more in a sealed jar

Aged by the Nabataeans for decade upon decade,

It lies therein a bride of luxury and concealment

Then another ten in a vessel tightly sealed,

فَهيَ فيهِ عَروسُ خِدرٍ وَكِنٍّ

رُبِّيَت في النَعيمِ بَعدَ النَعيمِ

Raised in bliss after bliss

Inside, she is a bride within her boudoir and shelter,

In shades enveloped with more shades

Raised in luxury, one bliss following another,

في ظِلالٍ مَحفوفَةٍ بِظِلالٍ

مِن كُرومٍ وَمِن عَريشِ كُرومِ

Of vineyards and vineyard shelters

Amidst shadows surrounded by yet more shadows,

I came to her asking for marriage and I was wedded to a maiden

Cast by the vines and the trellises of grapes,

زُرتُها خاطِباً فَزُوِّجتُ بِكراً

فَفَضَضتُ الخِتامَ غَيرُ مُليمِ

So I opened the seal with no hesitation

I visited her as a suitor and was wed to a virgin,

To a girl who when she appears

And I broke the seal without incurring any blame,

عَن فَتاةٍ كَأَنَّها حينَ تَبدو

طَلعَةُ الشَمسِ في سَوادِ الغُيومِ

Is like the rising sun amidst dark clouds

Revealing a maiden who, when she comes into view,

She began to sing softly and we thought

Resembles the rising sun amidst dark clouds,

فَتَرَت عَن تَرَنُّمٍ فَحَسِبنا

هُ حَديثَ المُبَرسَمِ المَحمومِ

It was the babbling of a feverish madman

She ceased her humming, which we had mistaken

Then she turned to the clearest warbling

For the muttering of one struck by fever and delirium,

ثُمَّ صارَت إِلى أَغَنَّ كَطَيرِ ال

ماءِ إِبريقِ فِضَّةٍ مَفدومِ

Like a water jug made of molded silver

Then she passed into a pitcher that warbled like a water bird,

Then she was brought forth in a dress

A silver vessel, its mouth strained with cloth,

ثُمَّ زُفَّت إِلى الزُجاجِ بِدِرعٍ

مِثلُ نارٍ تَحكي اِلتِهابَ الحَميمِ

That glowed like fire telling of passion’s heat

Then she was paraded to the glass cup in a chemise

With her is my delight and transport supreme

Like fire, mimicking the blaze of intense heat,

فَبِها لَذَّتي وَغايَةُ أُنسي

لَستُ عُمري عَن شُربِها بِسَؤومِ

For the rest of my life I shall not cease to drink

In her lies my pleasure and the pinnacle of my joy,

And never, for as long as I live, shall I weary of drinking her.