إِن كُنتَ تُترِعُهُ كَأساً لِمُكتَئِب

فَلَستَ تَسمَعُ مِنهُ قَدكَ فَاِتَّئِبِ

If you offer him a cup to cheer up a depressed man,

You will not hear from him, "Enough, I'm no longer depressed!"

فَما يَقُدُّ بِها إِلّا قَميصَ دُجىً

مُذ جِئتَ فيها عَلَيهِ بِالدَمِ الكَذِبِ

It only leads him to don the shirt of darkness,

Since you came to him with lies instead of truth.

لا تَستَقِرُّ إِذا ما الماءُ أَزعَجَها

كَأَنَّما سَبَقَت قَلبي إِلى الطَرَبِ

It does not settle when the water disturbs it,

As if my heart had rushed into confusion before it.

المَزجُ غَوّاصُها وَالكَأسُ لُجَّتُها

وَاللُجُّ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَالدُرُّ مِن حَبَبِ

Its mixer is its diver, the cup is its sea,

The sea is of gold and the pearls are of loved ones.

فَاِقدَح مِنَ الدَنِّ زَنداً حَيثُ تَقدَحُهُ

يَرمي الرَشاشَ شَراراً طارَ مِن لَهَبِ

So toast from the lowly a spark where you toast it,

A shower sprinkles sparks that flew from the flames.

خَمراً بِأَيدي السُقاةِ الهيفِ قَد جُنِيَت

كَالجُلَّنارِ الَّذي يُجنى مِنَ القُضُبِ

Wine by the hands of thick-lipped cupbearers was harvested,

Like the date picker who harvests from the fronds.

أَبدَت نُجومَ دُجىً مِن فَوقِ شَمسِ ضُحىً

سَحابَةُ الحَبَبِ فَهيَ اِبنَةُ السُحُبِ

The stars of darkness showed from above the dawn’s sun,

The cloud of loved ones, it is the daughter of clouds.

تِلكَ العَجوزُ لَحاها اللَهُ ساحِرَةٌ

ما تَسحَرُ الشَيخَ إِلّا عادَ وَهوَ صَبي

That old woman, may God preserve her, she is a sorceress,

She does not enchant the old man unless he returns a boy.

فَالخَمرُ كانَت سُيوفُ المَزجِ تَقتُلُها

وَقَتلُ ساحِرَةٍ مِن أَفضَلِ القُرَبِ

So wine was the sword of the mixer that killed her,

And to kill a sorceress is the best offering.

أَعيذُ بِاللَهِ مَولانا وَدَولَتَهُ

لا مِن عُيونِ الوَرى بَل أَعيُنِ الشُهُبِ

I seek refuge in God, our Master and His State,

Not from the eyes of people, but the eyes of grey hair.

وَهيَ المَعاذيرُ لا تَعلَق بِعُروَتِها

فَرُبَّما أَلجَأَت نُطقاً إِلى كَذِبِ

And these are the excuses, do not cling to its weakness,

For sometimes it resorts to speaking lies.

إِنَّ اِعتِرافَ الفَتى بِالذَنبِ أَسرَعُ في

إِطفاءِ ما أَوقَدَتهُ سَورَةُ الغَضَبِ

Surely the admission of sin by the young man is quicker in

Extinguishing what the chapter of anger has ignited.

وَالعَفوُ جودٌ وجودٌ ما لَهُ سَبَبٌ

أَحظى وَأَكرَمُ مِن جودٍ عَلى سَبَبِ

Pardoning is generosity, a generosity that has no cause,

More fortunate and honorable than generosity for a cause.

حاشا المَكارِمَ مِن عَفوٍ بِمَعذِرَةٍ

فَإِنَّ مِن خُلقِها جوداً بِلا طَلَبِ

The generous are surely above pardoning with an excuse,

For it is of their manners, generosity without request.

في الذُلِّ في السِجنِ خَلَّفتُم مُحِبَّكُمُ

مِن بَعدِ تَخليدِكُم بِالحَمدِ في الكُتُبِ

In humiliation, in prison, you left behind your lover,

After immortalizing you with praise in books.

هَذا حَديثٌ عَجيبٌ لَيسَ يُعجِبُني

فَلتَقضِ مِنهُ المَعالي آخِرَ العَجَبِ

This is wondrous talk that does not please me,

So may the most high bring an end to the wonder.

وَدِدتُ لَو أَنَّ فَضلَ الحَظِّ مُكتَسَبٌ

فَكُنتُ أَكسِبُهُ كَالفَضلِ وَالأَدَبِ

I wish the grace of fortune could be earned,

Then I would earn it like merit and propriety.