هيَ حَانَةٌ شَتَّى عَجَائبُهَا
مَعْرُوشَةٌ بالزَّهْرِ والقَصَبِ
It is a tavern with wonders galore
Adorned with flowers and reeds
في ظُلَّةٍ باتَتْ تُدَاعِبُهَا
أنْفَاسُ لَيْلٍ مُقْمِرِ السُّحُبِ
Under the shade it spent the night flirting
With the breeze of a moonlit cloudy night
وَزَهَتْ بِمِصْبَاحٍ جَوَانِبُهَا
صَافِي الزُّجَاجَةِ رَاقِصِ اللَّهَبِ
And lit by a lantern with flawless glass
With a flickering ardent flame
«بَاخُوسُ» فِيهَا وَهْوُ صَاحِبُهَا
لَمْ يَخْلُ حِينَ أَفَاقَ مِنْ عَجَبِ
Bacchus inside, its patron
Was still dazed by the wonders upon awakening
قَدْ ظَنَّهَا، وَالسِّحْرُ قَالبُها،
شِيدَتْ مِنض الْيَاقُوتِ وَالذَّهَبِ
He thought it was sorcery that shaped it
Made of ruby and gold
إبريقُهُ حَلْيٌ منَ الدُّرَرِ
يُزْهَى به قَدَحٌ مِنَ الْمَاسِ
His pitcher was studded with pearls
Adorning a crystal goblet
وكأنَّ ما حوْليه من صُوَرِ
متحركاتٌ ذاتُ أنفاسِ
The images around seemed alive
With bated breath
تركتْ مواضِعَهَا من الأُطُرِ
وَمَشَتْ له في شِبْهِ أعراسِ
They left their picture frames
And walked to him in a wedding march
منهنَّ عازفةٌ على وَتَرِ
مُتَفَجِّرٍ بِأَرَقِّ إِحْسَاسِ
One played the strings
With the most exquisite feeling
وغريرةٌ حوراءُ كالقمرِ
تَحْنُو على شَفَتَيْهِ بالكاسِ
Another, a fair nymph like the moon
Bent to kiss his lips with the cup
أَوَتلكَ حانَتُهُ؟ فوا عجبَا!
أم صُنْعُ أحلامٍ وأهواءِ؟
Was that really his tavern? What a marvel!
Or just a figment of dreams and fantasies?
وَمَنِ الخيالُ أهلَّ واقتربا
«فينُوس» خارجةً من الماءِ!
Who summoned the imagination and brought near
Venus emerging from the sea!
في موكب يتمثلُ الطَّربَا
ويميلُ من سحرٍ وإغراءِ
In a parade depicting elation
Swaying with magic and allure
وبكلِّ ناحيةٍ فَتًى وثبا
متعلقًا بذراعِ حسناءِ
On each side a lad leapt up
Clutching the arm of a belle
يتَوَهَّجون صبابةً وصِبًا
يتمثَّلونَ غريبَ أزياءِ
Glowing with youth and passion
Wearing strange attire
حُمْرُ الثيابِ تخَالُ أنَّهمُو
يَفِدُونَ من حانوت قصَّابِ!
Their red clothes seemed as if
They came from a butcher's booth!
جلسوا نشاوى مِثْلَمَا قَدِمُوا
يترقَّبون منافذَ البابِ
They sat chatting as they arrived
Awaiting the tavern door to open
يتَهامسون، وهَمْسُهُمْ نغَمٌ
يسري على رنَّاتِ أكوابِ
Whispering, and their whispers a melody
Flowing to the clinking of cups
إنْ تسألِ الخمَّارَ، قال: هُمُو
عُشَّاقُ فَنٍّ، أهلُ آدابِ
If you ask the barman, he says: they are
Art lovers, men of refinement
لولا دُخانُ التَّبغ خلْتَهمُو
أنصافَ آلهةٍ وأربابِ
If not for the tobacco smoke you'd think them
Demigods and masters!
مِن كلِّ مُرْسِل شَعْرهِ حِلَقَا
وكأَنها قِطَعٌ منَ الحَلَكِ
From each, hair flowed like halos
As if pieces of the new moon
غلْيُونهُ يَسْتَشْرِفُ الْأُفُقَا
ويكاد يُحْرِقُ قُبَّةَ الفَلَك
His hookah breathes in the horizon
Almost scorching the dome of the sky
أمسى يُبَعْثِرُ حوله وَرَقَا
فَكَأَنَّهُ في وسْطِ مُعْتَرَكِ
It scattered around it flakes
As if amidst raging battle
فإذا أتاهُ وَحْيُهُ انطلَقَا
يُجْرِي اليَرَاعَ بكَفِّ مُرْتَبكِ
And when inspiration came to him
He broke out reciting extempore
ويقول شعرًا كيفما اتَّفَقَا
يُغْرِي ذوات الثُّكْلِ بالضِّحِكِ
Saying poetry on the spur of the moment
Exciting the broken-hearted to laughter
«باخُوسُ» يَرْوِي عنْ غرائبهمْ
شَتَّى أحَادِيثٍ وأنْبَاءِ
Bacchus tells of their wonders
Strange tales and news
قِصصٌ تَداوَلُ عن صَواحبهمْ
وعن الصَّبَايَا فِتْنَةِ الرَّائي
Stories circulating about his friends
And the damsels, tempting to the onlooker
وعن الخطيئَةِ في مذاهبهمْ
بَدَأَتْ بآدم أمْ بحَوَّاءِ
And of sin in their ways
Beginning with Adam or Eve?
والمُلْهِمات إلى جوانبهمْ
يُكْثِرْنَ من غَمْزٍ وإيماءِ
The muses around them
Frequently wink and gesture
يَعْجَبْنَ من فِعْل الشَّرَابِ بِهِمْ
ويَلُذْنَ من سَأَمٍ بِإِغْفَاءِ
They are amused at what drink does to them
And enjoy their boredom and slumber
وتَلَفَّتُوا لمَّا بدا شَبَحٌ!
فَنَّانةٌ دَلَفَتْ من البابِ
And they turned around when a specter appeared!
An artist walked in through the door
سمراءُ بالأزهار تتَّشحُ
ألْقَتْ غُلَالتها بإعجابِ
A brunette adorned with flowers
Cast off her wraps to impress
ومَشت تُراقصهم فما لَمَحُوا
إلَّا خُطَى رُوحٍ وأعصابِ
And danced among them but they only glimpsed
The steps of a fleeting spirit
وسَرَى بِسِرِّ رحيقِهِ القَدَحُ
في صَوْتِ شاجي اللَّحنِ مِطْرَابِ
And the goblet flowed to the tune
Of the heart-stirring melody on lute
وشدا بجوِّ الحانَةِ الفَرَحُ
لإلهةٍ فَرَّتْ من الغابِ
And joy escalated in the tavern's air
For a goddess who fled the forest
هيَ رَقْصَةٌ وَكَأَنَّهَا حُلُمٌ
وإذا «بفينوسٍ» تمدُّ يدَا
It's a dance but it seems a dream
And suddenly "Venus" stretches out a hand
الكأْسُ فيها وهي تضطرمُ
قلبٌ يهزُّ نداؤُه الأَبَدَا:
The cup in it and she glows
A heart shaken by its eternal call:
زِنْجَيَّةٌ في الفنِّ تحتكُم؟
قد ضاع فنُّ الخالدينَ سُدَى!
A Negro girl judges art?
The art of the immortal is lost in vain!
فأجابت السمراءُ تبتسمُ:
الفنُّ روحًا كان؟ أم جَسَدا؟
The brunette smiles and replies:
Was art spirit or body?
يا أيها الشعراءُ وَيْحَكُمُ
الليلُ ولَّى والنهارُ بدا!
Oh you poets, woe to you!
The night has passed and day has broken!
