لاعَبَ السُّكْرُ قَدَّهُ فَتَثَنَّى

وَدَعَاهُ فَرْطُ السُّرُورِ فَغَنَّى

Intoxication toyed with his graceful form, and he swayed;

excess of joy called to him, and he sang.

رَشَأٌ تَعْبُدُ النَّوَاظِرُ مِنْهُ

وَاحِداً فِي الْجَمَالِ لَيْسَ يُثَنَّى

A gazelle-fawn—in him every gaze worships

one peerless beauty, with no second.

أَنْبَتَ الْحُسْنُ فَوْقَ خَدَّيْهِ وَرْدَاً

لَيْسَ إِلَّا بِغَمْزَةِ اللَّحْظِ يُجْنَى

Beauty made roses grow upon his cheeks,

to be plucked only by a darting glance.

لَمْ يَزَلْ يَرْضَعُ السُّلافَةَ حَتَّى

غَابَ عَنَّا كَأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنَّا

He went on suckling the choicest wine until

he was lost to us, as though no longer one of us.

فَأَنَمْنَاهُ فَوْقَ مَهْدٍ وَثِيرٍ

بُرْهَةً كَيْ يُفِيقَ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفنَا

So we laid him to sleep upon a soft cradle

for a while, that he might recover; then we withdrew.

فَلَبِثْنَا هُنَيْهَةً ثُمَّ لَمَّا

خَفَّ مِنْ سُكْرِهِ وَأَقْبَلَ قُمْنَا

We lingered a little; then, when

his drunkenness eased and he came forward, we rose.

وَأَدَرْنَا الْكُؤُوسَ حَتَّى تَوَلَّتْ

أَنْجُمُ اللَّيْلِ مِنْ أُحَادَ وَمَثْنَى

And we sent the cups circling until there departed

the stars of night, singly and in pairs.

يَا لَهَا لَيْلَةً أَبَحْنَا بِهَا اللَّهْ

وَ إِلَى وَرْدَةِ الْغَدَاةِ وَتُبْنَا

What a night it was! We gave revelry free rein—

until the rose of morning; then we repented.