داوِ الهُمومَ بِقَهوَةٍ صَفراءِ

وَاِمزُج بِنارِ الراحِ نورَ الماءِ

Drown sorrows in yellow coffee

And mix the light of water with the fire of comfort

ما غَرَّكُم مِنها تَقادُمُ عَهدِها

في الدَنِّ غَيرَ حُشاشَةٍ صَفراءِ

Why are you deceived by its ancientness?

In baseness, nothing but yellow rakishness

ما زالَ يَصقُلُها الزَمانُ بِكَرِّهِ

وَيَزيدُها مِن رِقَّةٍ وَصَفاءِ

Time continues to polish it with its hatedness

And adds to it more gentleness and serenity

حَتّى إِذا لَم يَبقَ إِلّا نورُها

في الدَنِّ وَاِعتَزَلَت عَنِ الأَقذاءِ

Until there remains only its light

In baseness, and it moves away from the disgraces

وَتَوَقَّدَت في لَيلَةٍ مِن قارِها

كَتَوَقُّدِ المِرّيخِ في الظَلماءِ

And ignited in an eve from its embers

Like the ignition of Mars in the darkness

نَزَلَت كَمِثلِ سَبيكَةٍ قَد أُفرِغَت

أَو حَيَّةٍ وَثَبَت مِنَ الرَمضاءِ

It descended like a poured ingot

Or a snake that crept from the sands

وَاِستَبدَلَت مِن طينَةٍ مَختومَةٍ

تُفّاحَةً في رَأسِ كُلِّ إِناءِ

And it substituted from a sealed clay

An apple at the top of each vessel

لا تَذكُرَنّي بِالصُبوحِ وَعاطِني

كَأسَ المُدامَةِ عِندَ كُلِّ مَساءِ

Do not remind me of mornings, and give me

A cup of wine at every evening

كَم لَيلَةٍ شَغَلَ الرُقادُ عَذولَها

عَن عاشِقَينِ تَواعَدا لِلِقاءِ

How many nights has drowsiness busied

Two lovers who agreed to meet

عَقَدا عِناقاً طولَ لَيلِهِما مَعاً

قَد أَلصَقا الأَحشاءَ بِالأَحشاءِ

They held an embrace all night long together

Their intestines stuck to each other's intestines

حَتّى إِذا طَلَعَ الصَباحُ تَفَرَّقا

بِتَنَفُّسٍ وَتَأَسُّفٍ وَبُكاءِ

Until dawn rose and they separated

With sighing, regret and crying

ما راعَنا تَحتَ الدُجى شَيءٌ سِوى

شِبهِ النُجومِ بِأَعيُنِ الرُقَباءِ

Under the darkness we noted nothing

Except stars resembling the eyes of spies