هَلْ في الْخَلاعَةِ وَالصِّبَا مِنْ بَاسِ

بَيْنَ الْخَلِيجِ وَرَوضَةِ الْمِقْيَاسِ

Is there any harm in revelry and youth

Between the Gulf and the garden of measurement?

أَرْضٌ كَسَاهَا النِّيلُ مِنْ إِبْدَاعِهِ

وَلِبَاسِهِ الْمَوْشِيِّ أَيَّ لِباسِ

A land clothed by the Nile with its creativity

And its dark uniform, what a uniform!

فَكَأَنَّمَا هَوَتِ الْمَجَرَّةُ بَيْنَهَا

فَتَشَكَّلَتْ فِي جُمْلَةِ الأَغْرَاسِ

So it is as if the galaxy poured itself between them

And was shaped into a collection of saplings

يَتَلَهَّبُ النُّوَّارُ فِي أَطْرَافِهَا

فَتَخَالُهُ قَبَساً مِنَ الأَقْبَاسِ

The light flickers at its edges

Mistaking it for a spark of sparks

لَوْلا مِسَاسُ الطَّلِّ أَحْرَقَ ضَوْؤُهُ

ذَيْلَ الْخَمَائِل رَطْبِهَا وَالْعَاسِي

Were it not for the touching of the morning dew, its glare

Would have burned the train of the thick-lipped, unbroken horses

تَصْبُو الْعُيُونُ إِلَى سَنَاهُ فَتَرْتَمِي

مَهْوَى الْفَرَاشَةِ لامِعُ النَّبْرَاسِ

The eyes pour towards its brilliance and then wander

The moth's plunge towards the shining lantern

لَوْ شَامَ بَهْجَتَهَا وَحُسْنَ رُوَائِهَا

فِيمَا أَظُنُّ لَحَارَ عَقْلُ إِيَاسِ

If he had sensed its splendor and the goodness of its meadows

I think the mind of Iyas would have been confused

مَلْهَى أَخِي طَرَبٍ وَمَلْعَبُ صَبْوَةٍ

وَثَرَى بُلَهْنِيَةٍ وَدَارُ أُنَاسِ

A playground for my pleasure-loving brother and a court for childhood

And the land of Bulhaniya and the house of society

مَا كُنْتُ في عُمْرِي لأَغْدُوَ نَحْوَهَا

حَتَّى أَبِيتَ بِهَا صَرِيعَ الْكَاسِ

I would not have traveled towards it in my life

Until I spent the night drunk by it

يا سَاقِيَيَّ تَنَبَّهَا فَلَقَدْ بَدَا

فَلَقُ الصَّبَاحِ وَلاتَ حِينَ نُعَاسِ

Oh my two cupbearers, be alert for the crack of dawn has appeared

And drowsiness has disappeared at the time of morning

طُوفَا عَلَيَّ بِهَا فَقَدْ نَمَّ الصَّبَا

أَثْنَاءَ رَوْحَتِهِ بِسِرِّ الآسِ

Circle around me with it for the morning breeze has slept

During its stroll with the secret of the mill

مِنْ خَمْرَةٍ أَفْنَى الزَّمَانُ شَبَابَهَا

فِي مُخْدَعٍ بِقَرَارَةِ الدِّيمَاسِ

With a wine whose youth time wasted

In a cellar in the darkness of Dimas

حُبِسَتْ عَنِ الأَبْصَارِ حَتَّى أَنَّهَا

لَمْ تَدْرِ غَيْرَ الدَّيْرِ وَالشَّمَّاسِ

Secluded from sights until indeed

It did not know anything but the monastery and the deacon

يَنْزُو لِوَقْعِ الْمَاءِ دُرُّ حَبَابِهَا

نَزْوَ الْمَعابِلِ طِرْنَ عَنْ أَقْواسِ

The pearls of its bubbles drip

With the dripping of the pipes, the buzzing from the bows

فَإِذَا تَعَاوَرَهَا الْمِزَاجُ تَوَجَّسَتْ

حَذَرَ الْمَهَانَةِ أَيَّمَا إِيجَاسِ

So when the temperature troubled it, it recoiled

Fearing any disgrace or confusion

تُشْتَفُّ مِنْ تَحْتِ الْحَبَابِ كَأَنَّهَا

ياقُوتَةٌ قَدْ رُصِّعَتْ بِالْمَاسِ

She peeks out from under the bubbles as if

She were a ruby adorned with diamonds

مَا حُلَّ بَيْنَ الْقَوْمِ عَقْدُ وِكائِها

لِلشُّرْبِ إِلَّا آذَنَتْ بِعُطَاسِ

The people do not conclude a drinking party with it

Unless it sneezes to give permission

لا يَخْدَعَنَّكَ في الْمُدَامَةِ جَاهِلٌ

إِنَّ الْمُدَامَةَ نُهْزَةُ الأَكْيَاسِ

Let no ignorant man deceive you about drinking

Drinking trips up the purses

إِنَّ الْمُدَامَ أَسَاسُ كُلِّ طَرِيفَةٍ

فَاجْعَلْ بِنَاءَ اللَّهْوِ فَوْقَ أَساسِ

Drinking is the foundation of all amusement

So build the structure of amusement on a foundation

لا تَجْمَعُ الأَيَّامُ كَيْفَ تَصَرَّفَتْ

فِي الْقَلْبِ بَيْنَ الْخَمْرِ وَالْوَسْوَاسِ

The days do not gather how they passed

In the heart between wine and temptations

فَاسْتَوثِقَا أَخَوَيَّ مِنْ شَأْنَيْكُمَا

وَذَرَا الْمَطِيَّ تَمُورُ بِالأَحْلاسِ

So verify, my two brothers, your affairs

And leave the horse wandering with anklets

إِنَّ الْفَلاةَ لَهَا رِجَالٌ غَيْرُنَا

يَبْغُونَ نَيْلَ الْيُسْرِ بِالإِفْلاسِ

The desert has men other than us

Who seek affluence through bankruptcy

إِنَّ الْغِني وَالْفَقْرَ في هَذَا الْوَرَى

لَمُقَدَّرٌ وَاللَّهُ ذُو قِسْطَاسِ

Wealth and poverty in this world

Are predestined, and Allah has the scales of justice

فَعَلامَ يُبْلِي الْمَرْءُ جِدَّةَ عُمْرِهِ

مُتَقَلِّبَاً بَيْنَ الرَّجَا وَالْيَاسِ

Why does man wear out the vigor of his life

Fluctuating between hope and despair?

أَوَ لَيْسَ أَنَّ الْعَيْشَ لُبْسُ عَبَاءَةٍ

وَسِدَادُ مَسْغَبَةٍ وَنَغْبَةُ حَاسِي

Is not living the wearing of a cloak

And the repairing of a water-skin and the outcome of a soothsayer?

تَاللَّهِ لَوْ عَلِمَ الرِّجَالُ بِمَكْرِهَا

عِلْمِي لَبَاعُوهَا بِغَيْرِ مِكَاسِ

By Allah, if men knew her plot

They would sell her without bargaining

هِيَ سَاعَةٌ تَمْضِي وَتَأْتِي سَاعَةٌ

وَالدَّهْرُ ذُو غِيَرٍ بِهَذَا النَّاسِ

She is an hour that passes and another hour comes

And time keeps changing for these people

فَخُذَا مِنَ الأَيَّامِ مَا سَمَحَتْ بِهِ

لِلنَّفْسِ قَبْلَ تَعَذُّرٍ وَشِمَاسِ

So take from the days what they have allowed

For the self before hardship and thirst

وَإِذَا أَرَابَكُمَا الزَّمَانُ بِوَحْشَةٍ

فَاسْتَمْخِضَاهُ الْيُسْرَ بِالإِيْنَاسِ

And if time treats you with loneliness

Wring ease out of it with coaxing

إِنَّ الرَّوَائِمَ لا تَدُرُّ لَبُونُهَا

إِلَّا بِلِينِ الْمَسْحِ وَالإِبْسَاسِ

Camels in heat are not milked

Except with soft touch and gentleness

فَلَرُبَّ صَعْبٍ حَادَ سَهْلاً بَعْدَمَا

قُطِعَتْ عَلَيهِ مَرَائِرُ الأَنْفَاسِ

So how much rugged terrain became easy after

The veins of the soul were cut off

مَا كُلُّ مَا طَلَبَ الْفَتَى هُوَ مُدْرَكٌ

إِنَّ الأُمُورَ بِحِكْمَةٍ وَقِيَاسِ

Not everything the youth desires is attainable

Affairs are by wisdom and measuring