أًدِرِالْكَأْسَ يا نَدِيمُ وَهاتِ

واسْقِنِيها عَلَى جَبِينِ الْغَدَاةِ

Pour me a cup, o boon companion, and bring it

And quench my thirst in the morn’s first light

شَاقَ سَمْعِي الْغِنَاءُ فِي رَوْنَقِ الفَجْ

رِ وسَجْعُ الطُّيُورِ فِي الْعَذَباتِ

The birdsong in the flowering thickets wearies my hearing

And the singing in the grove’s green bowers

أَيُّ شَيءٍ أَشْهَى إِلَى النَّفْسِ مِنْ كَأْ

سٍ مُدارٍ عَلَى بِساطِ نَباتِ

What is there sweeter to the soul than a flowing cup

On the meadow’s carpet spread aright?

هُوَ يَوْمٌ تَعَطَّرَتْ طَرَفَاهُ

بِشَمالٍ مِسْكِيَّةِ النَّفَحَاتِ

This is a day whose edges are perfumed

With the musky breaths of the morning’s first breaths

باسمُ الزَّهْرِ عاطِرُ النَّشْرِ هَامِي ال

قَطْرِ وَانِي الصَّبَا عَلِيلُ الْمَهَاةِ

In the name of the scented blossoms, the wafting fragrances

The tender branch, the delicate bough that sways

مَسْرَحٌ لِلْعُيُونِ يَمْتَدُّ فِيهِ

نَفَسُ الرِّيحِ بَيْنَ مَاضٍ وَآتِ

A stage for eyes that stretches far

Where the wind’s breath flows twixt night and day

فامْتَثِلْ دَعْوَةَ الصَّبُوح وبادِرْ

فُرْصَةَ الدَّهْرِ قَبْلَ وَشْكِ الْفَواتِ

So heed the summons of morn, my friend

And seize the moment before life slips away

وتَدَرَّجْ مَعِي إِلَى رَوْضَةِ الْمَنْ

يَل ذاتِ النَّخِيلِ والثَّمَراتِ

And wander with me to the garden grove

Of the swaying palms and the fruitful trees

فَهْيَ مَرْعَى الْهَوَى وَمَغْنَى التَّصَابِي

ومَراحُ المُنى ومَسْرَى الْحَيَاةِ

For it is the meadow of desires, and the refuge of passions

The place of wishes, the path of life

أَلِفَتْهَا النُّفُوسُ فَهْيَ إِلَيْهَا

مِنْ أَلِيمِ الأَشْوَاقِ فِي حَسَرَاتِ

Souls are drawn there, called by yearning

From the anguish of longing and days of sorrow

تَبْعَثُ اللَّهْوَ والسُّرُورَ وَتَمْحُو

مِنْ فُؤادِ الْحَزِينِ كُلَّ شَكاةِ

It awakens joy and gladness, and wipes away

From the heart of the sorrowful all complaints

بَيْنَ نَدْمَانَ كَالْكَواكِبِ حُسْناً

ورَعَابِيبَ كالدُّمَى خَفِراتِ

With girls like stars in their beauty

And maidens like dolls, steps light and eyes bright

يَتَساقَوْنَ بِالْكُؤُوسِ مُداماً

هِي كَالشَّمْسِ فِي قَمِيصِ إِيَاةِ

Sipping from cups flowing with wine

That glows like the sun in its raiment of glass

في أَبارِيقَ كَالطُّيُورِ اشْرَأَبَّتْ

حَذَرَ الْفَتْكِ مِنْ صِيَاحِ الْبُزَاةِ

In jugs like birds twittering in fright

Lest the raiders cry should bring doom and blight

حانِيَاتٍ عَلَى الْكُؤُوسِ مِنَ الرَّأْ

فَةِ يُرْضِعْنَهُنَّ كَالأُمَّهاتِ

Singing girls tend the cups like mothers

Nursing their babes in the hush of night

لا تَرَى الْعَيْنُ بَيْنَهُمْ غَيْرَ صَبٍّ

بِسَماعٍ أَوْ هائِمٍ بِفَتاةِ

You’ll see none but youths drunk with music

Or infatuated by a dark-eyed maiden’s sight

ومُغَنٍّ إِذَا شَدَا خِلْتَ أَنَّ الْ

أَرْضَ ظَلَّتْ تَدُورُ بِالْفَلَواتِ

And singers whose tones when they start to croon

Make the earth itself spin before your eyes

مَلَكَ السَّمْعَ والفُؤَادَ بِلَحْنٍ

يَفْتِنُ الْغِيدَ دَاخِلَ الْحُجُرَاتِ

They captivate heart and soul with their melodies

That seep through the walls of the houses at night

يَبْعَثُ الصَّوْتَ مُرْسَلاً فَإِذا مَا

غَضَّ مِنْهُ اسْتَدَارَ بَينَ اللَّهَاةِ

Voices unleashed that echo and swirl

Among the ecstatic crowd in delight

غَرِدٍ يُبْطِلُ الْحَدِيثَ ويُنْسِي

رَبَّةَ الْحُزْنِ لَوْعَةَ الذُّكُرَاتِ

Songs that silence all speech and make one forget

The anguished beloved in remembrance contrite

تِلْكَ واللهِ لَذَّةُ الْعَيْشِ لا سَوْ

مُ الأَمَانِي فِي عالَمِ الْخَطَرَاتِ

By God this is the joy of life, not to be compared

To vain hopes in this world of woe and plight