إنif لمnot أكنْI am منamong راضعىthose suckled on الخمرِwine
إن لم أكنْ من راضعى الخمرِ
ولكand for you أداوI cure السكرَdrunkenness بالسكرِwith drunkenness
ولك أداو السكرَ بالسكرِ
Though I am not among those suckled on wine,
If I am not one who drinks wine
nor have I, for you, cured drunkenness with drunkenness,
Yet I cure drunkenness with drunkenness
ولاnor إذاwhen ماemphatic particle ركَدتْgrew still خيلُهَاits horses
ولا إذا ما ركَدتْ خيلُهَا
أجريُتَهاI set them running فيin حلبةِthe arena الصدرِof the breast
أجريُتَها في حلبةِ الصدرِ
nor, when its horses grew still,
And if when their steeds have halted
set them racing in the arena of the breast,
I do not race them in the arena of my breast
فإننىthen indeed I أهوَىI love النَّدامَىthe drinking companions وماand what
فإننى أهوَى النَّدامَى وما
يأتونthey do منof خيرٍgood ومنand of شرِّevil
يأتون من خيرٍ ومن شرِّ
yet I love the drinking companions and whatever
Still I love the penitent and all
they do, both good and evil.
The good and evil that they do
وأعشقand I adore الكأَسthe cup وسلطانُهاand its power
وأعشق الكأَس وسلطانُها
يأخذهمseizes them بالنهىby forbidding والأمرِand commanding
يأخذهم بالنهى والأمرِ
And I adore the cup; its power
And I love the cup, whose sovereign
holds them fast through prohibitions and commands.
Takes them with prohibitions and command
كأنماas though الراحُwine براحاتهمin their palms
كأنما الراحُ براحاتهم
كواكبٌstars فيin فَلِكٍan orbit تجرىthey course
كواكبٌ في فَلِكٍ تجرى
As though the wine in their palms
As though the wine with its flagons
were stars coursing in an orbit.
Were stars revolving in a sphere
منتظِموarrayed اليدىthe hands بأدوارهاin its rounds
منتظِمو اليدى بأدوارها
كنظمكlike your arranging الأحرفَthe letters فيin السطرِthe line
كنظمك الأحرفَ في السطرِ
Their hands are arrayed for its rounds,
With hands joined in fixed ranks
as you arrange letters in a line.
Like your arrangement of letters in a line
ياقوتُهاits ruby الأصفرُyellow أمواههمtheir waters
ياقوتُها الأصفرُ أمواههم
يَنبُتُsprouts فيهاin it زَهَرُblossoms الدُّرِّof pearls
يَنبُتُ فيها زَهَرُ الدُّرِّ
Its yellow ruby is their water;
Its yellow ruby their radiance
within it, blossoms of pearl spring up.
Where the flower of pearl grows
تحظىis favored بهاwith it عينىmy eye وحاشاand excluding يدىmy hand
تحظى بها عينى وحاشا يدى
منهاfrom it وحاشاand excluding موضعَthe seat البشرِof joy
منها وحاشا موضعَ البشرِ
My eye enjoys it, but my hand is kept
My eye enjoys it, but never my hand
from it, as is the seat of joy.
Nor the place of man, heaven forbid
بلrather ربماsometimes طافwent around بهاwith it أهيفٌa slim-waisted youth
بل ربما طاف بها أهيفٌ
أجفانهhis eyelids منfrom صُحُفpages السحرِof magic
أجفانه من صُحُف السحرِ
Yet sometimes a slim-waisted youth would bring it round,
Rather there circles about it a gazelle
his eyelids from the pages of magic.
Whose lids are from leaves of sorcery
مِنfrom سَبَجjet الإظلامِof darkness أصداغُهُhis sidelocks
مِن سَبَج الإظلامِ أصداغُهُ
ووجهُهُand his face منfrom جوهرessence البدرof the full moon
ووجهُهُ من جوهر البدر
His sidelocks are of the jet of darkness,
From the twilight of darkness his cheeks
and his face of the full moon's essence.
His face from the essence of the full moon
والراحand wine لاnot يرضَىhe accepts سواهاother than it قِرىًhospitality
والراح لا يرضَى سواها قِرىً
ولوand even if قَريَناهwe entertained him منfrom التِّبرِunworked gold
ولو قَريَناه من التِّبرِ
And he accepts no hospitality but wine,
And the wine is pleased with nothing else as a neighbor
even if we served him unworked gold.
Even if we neighbor it with musk
إذاwhen علاهاrose over it زَبدٌfoam خلَتهI imagined it
إذا علاها زَبدٌ خلَته
سُحْباًclouds عليهاupon them شَنَبُcool whiteness الثغرِof the mouth
سُحْباً عليها شَنَبُ الثغرِ
When foam rises on it, I imagine it
When foam rises on it, it leaves it
as clouds bearing the cool gleam of teeth.
As clouds leaving the mustache of the cup
وليسand there is not ليfor me ممّاof what بهاin it قَطرَةٌa drop
وليس لي ممّا بها قَطرَةٌ
ياO واكفَpourer الأنواءِthe rain-bearing stars بالقَطرِwith rain
يا واكفَ الأنواءِ بالقَطرِ
And not a drop of what it holds is mine,
And I have from it no single drop
O pourer of the rain-stars' showers!
O pourer of the winds with drops
فجدْso give generously بهاwith it تُشبِهُit resembles فيin عَرِفهاits fragrance
فجدْ بها تُشبِهُ في عَرِفها
عِرضىmy good name وفيand in رِقَّتهاits delicacy شِعرِىmy poetry
عِرضى وفي رِقَّتها شِعرِى
So give it freely: in its fragrance it resembles
So do with it what resembles in its honor
my good name, and in its delicacy my poetry.
My family, and in its softness my verse
أنتَyou صَرِيفِنْىِmy Ṣarīfīn وقُطْرُبُّلِىand my Quṭrubbul
أنتَ صَرِيفِنْىِ وقُطْرُبُّلِى
وموضعُand the source الشكرof gratitude منfrom الدهرِthe age
وموضعُ الشكر من الدهرِ
You are my Ṣarīfīn and my Quṭrubbul,
You are my vintner and my cupbearer
and the age's cause for gratitude.
And the place of thanks is with fate
Sol 6.1