هاتِ كَأسَ الراحِ أَو خُذْها إِلَيكْ

يَنْزِلِ اللهوُ بها بين يديْكْ

Bring the cup of joy, or take it to yourself,

Pleasure descends through it between your hands.

ريقةُ العيشِ بِها فاخلَع عَلى

شَفَتَيها كُلَّ حينٍ شَفَتَيك

The way of life is through it, so press

Your lips upon its rim each moment.

وأَطِع فيها نَديمَيك بِما

حَكَما واعصِ عَلَيها عاذِلَيك

And obey your boon companions in what

They decree, and disobey those who reproach you about it.

وإذا سَقّيْتَ منها شفَقاً

طَلَعَتْ حُمْرَتُهُ في وجنَتَيك

And when you quench from it the reddening twilight,

Its redness ascends into your cheeks.

وتَناوَلْ نَشوةً مِن رَوضَةٍ

طَلَعَت كَالشَّمسِ بِالنجمِ عَلَيك

And take pleasure from a garden

That rises like the sun with stars upon you.

تَتَغَنّى بِنَسيبٍ قُلتَهُ

فَهَواها راجِعٌ مِنكَ إِلَيك

You sing a melody you composed

So its passion returns from you to you.

فَاوَضَتْ في الوَصْلِ عَيني عَينَها

فَازْدَهَتْ عَجباً وقالَت ما لَدَيك

Then her eyes bargained on union with your eyes

And were perplexed in wonder, and said, “What do you have?

أَعليلٌ أَنتَ ماذا تَشتَهي

قُلتُ قَطفي بِيَديْ رمّانَتَيك

Are you sick? What do you desire?”

I said, “Pluck for me the pomegranates of your hands.”

فانثَنَتْ كِبراً وقالَتْ وَيلَتا

أَوَ هَذا كُلّهُ تَطلبُ وَيْك

So she bowed in dignity and said, “Woe to me!

Is this all that you request, upon my life?”

أَنا شَمسٌ وَبَعيدٌ فَلَكي

وَضِيائي نافِرٌ مِن راحَتَيك

I am a sun, and you are far away,

And my radiance is averse from your calm.

لَو بَدا أَمُركَ لي مِن قَبلِ ذا

ما رَأَتْ ناظِرَتي ناظِرَتيك

If your matter had appeared to me before now,

My eyes would not have seen your eyes!”