فِتيَةَ الصَهباءِ خَيرَ الشارِبين

جَدِّدوا بِاللَهِ عَهدَ الغائِبين

The youth of Sahba are the best drinkers,

Renew with God the pact of the absent ones,

وَاِذكُروني عِندَ كاساتِ الطِلا

إِنَّني كُنتُ إِمامَ المُدمِنين

And remember me at the goblets of wine,

For I was the leader of addicts.

وَإِذا ما اِستَنهَضَتكُم لَيلَةً

دَعوَةُ الخَمرِ فَثوروا أَجمَعين

And if a night rouses you,

The call of wine - so rise up altogether!

رُبَّ لَيلٍ قَد تَعاهَدنا عَلى

ما تَعاهَدنا وَكُنّا فاعِلين

Many a night we made a pact

On what we pledged, and we did it.

فَقَضَيناهُ وَلَم نَحفِل بِما

سَطَّرَت أَيدي الكِرامِ الكاتِبين

We spent it, and did not heed what

The noble scribes' hands wrote down.

بَينَ أَقداحٍ وَراحٍ عُتِّقَت

وَرَياحينٍ وَوِلدانٍ وَعين

Between goblets and cheer were freed

Breezes, boys and eyes.

وسُقاةٍ صَفَّقَت أَكوابَها

بَعضُها البَلّورُ وَالبَعضُ لُجَين

And servers who clinked their cups -

Some of crystal and some of silver.

آنَسَت مِنّا عِطاشاً كَالقَطا

صادَفَت وِرداً بِهِ ماءٌ مَعين

They quenched from us a thirst like a cat's

Who found a stream wherein was limpid water.

فَمَشَت بِالكاسِ وَالطاسِ لَنا

مِشيَةَ الأَفراحِ لِلقَلبِ الحَزين

So they walked towards us with cup and platter

With the gait of joys for a sorrowful heart.

وَتَواثَبنا إِلى مَشمولَةٍ

ذاتِ أَلوانٍ تَسُرُّ الناظِرين

And we leaped up for a conquest -

A beauty of diverse hues pleasing to the beholder.

عَمَدَ الساقي لِأَن يَقتُلَها

وَهيَ بِكرٌ أَحصَنَت مُنذُ سِنين

The cupbearer decided to kill her

While she, a virgin, had been chaste for years.

ثُمَّ لَمّا أَن رَأى عِفَّتَها

خافَ فيها اللَهَ رَبِّ العالَمين

But when he saw her chastity

He feared God, Lord of the Worlds, about her.

وَأَجَلنا الكاسَ فيما بَينَنا

وَعَلى الصَهباءِ بِتنا عاكِفين

And we passed the goblet amongst ourselves

While staying devoted to Sahba.

وَشَفَينا النَفسَ مِن كُلِّ رَشاً

نَطَقَت عَيناهُ بِالسِحرِ المُبين

And we healed the soul of every filth

Whose eyes spoke clear sorcery.

وَطَوى مَجلِسَنا بَعدَ الهَنا

وَاِنشِراحِ الصَدرِ تَكبيرُ الأَذين

And after ecstasy and breast's expansion

Our gathering dispersed with ears' pronouncing God's greatness.

هَكَذا كُنّا بِأَيّامِ الصَفا

تَنهَبُ اللَذّاتِ في الوَقتِ الثَمين

Thus we were, in the days of purity,

Seizing pleasures in the precious time.

لَيتَ شِعري هَل لَنا بَعدَ النَوى

مِن سَبيلٍ لِلِقا أَم لاتَ حين

Would that I knew! Do we after the resolve

Have any means to meet again or not?