قُم أَدرها على نَداماكَ فجرا

قُم أَدرها على نَداماكَ فجرا

واكتسب منهمُ فَديتُكَ أَجرا

واكتسب منهمُ فَديتُكَ أَجرا

Rise and pass her round among your drinking companions at dawn,

Arise, make them regret, in the early dawn

and earn a reward from them—may I be your ransom.

And gain from them your ransom as a reward

بِنتَ كَرمٍ عَذراءَ ما تَرَكَ الدَّه

بِنتَ كَرمٍ عَذراءَ ما تَرَكَ الدَّه

رُ لصاحٍ منها مَدى الدَّهرِ عُذرا

رُ لصاحٍ منها مَدى الدَّهرِ عُذرا

A virgin daughter of the vine—time has left

A daughter of nobility, a chaste maiden, time

the sober no excuse concerning her, through all time.

Has left no excuse for a complainant forever

فَتكُها في العُقولِ يُخبِرُ عَنها

فَتكُها في العُقولِ يُخبِرُ عَنها

صادقاً إنَّها ذَخيرةُ كِسرى

صادقاً إنَّها ذَخيرةُ كِسرى

Her deadly assault on minds tells of her,

Her perfection in minds informs truly

truthfully: she is indeed Kisra's treasure.

That she is Kisra's treasure

أَلبَستها سُقاتُها بَعدما احمَ

أَلبَستها سُقاتُها بَعدما احمَ

رَّ رِداها القاني غَلائِلَ صُفرا

رَّ رِداها القاني غَلائِلَ صُفرا

Her cupbearers clothed her, after

Her water-carriers dressed her after

her crimson mantle had reddened, in yellow tunics.

The laundress had washed her yellow wraps

ما رَأينا من قبلِها وهيَ في الكَأ

ما رَأينا من قبلِها وهيَ في الكَأ

سِ بأيدي السُّقاةِ ماءً وَجَمرا

سِ بأيدي السُّقاةِ ماءً وَجَمرا

Never before her had we seen—she in the cup

We have not seen before her as she was in the meadow

in the cupbearers' hands—water and embers.

In the hands of the water-carriers, water and embers

قلتُ لَمَّا سَعى بِها أَهيفُ القَ

قلتُ لَمَّا سَعى بِها أَهيفُ القَ

دِّ نقيٌّ قُرطاً وَجِسماً وَخَصرا

دِّ نقيٌّ قُرطاً وَجِسماً وَخَصرا

I said, when one slender of stature went about with her,

I said when the passionate one sought her

pure in earring, body, and waist:

Is he pure in body, stature and waist?

أيُّ سِرٍّ يُرَى وأيُّ عجيبٍ

أيُّ سِرٍّ يُرَى وأيُّ عجيبٍ

في قِرانِ الشَّمسِ الُمنيرةِ بدرا

في قِرانِ الشَّمسِ الُمنيرةِ بدرا

What mystery is seen, and what wonder,

What secret is seen and what wonder

in the radiant sun's union with a full moon!

In the pairing of the radiant sun and the full moon?

يا نَديماً لقدَ سَقَى الغَيثُ زَهرَ الرَّ

يا نَديماً لقدَ سَقَى الغَيثُ زَهرَ الرَّ

وضِ صِرفاً حتَّى تَمايل سُكرا

وضِ صِرفاً حتَّى تَمايل سُكرا

O drinking companion, the rain has given the garden's flowers

O boon companion, rain has watered the flowers

unmixed wine to drink, until they swayed in drunkenness.

Of the meadows to saturation, till they sway drunk

فانهضِاني إلى الحُميَّا التي قد

فانهضِاني إلى الحُميَّا التي قد

عُمِّرَت في مَواضِع العُمرِ عُمرا

عُمِّرَت في مَواضِع العُمرِ عُمرا

So help me rise, you two, to the heady wine that has

So take me to the tavern that is inhabited

been aged in the monastery's quarters for a lifetime.

In the places of life for ages

فاسقياني مِنها فإِن مُتُّ سُكراً

فاسقياني مِنها فإِن مُتُّ سُكراً

فَاحفِرا لي في جَانبِ الدَّنِّ قَبرا

فَاحفِرا لي في جَانبِ الدَّنِّ قَبرا

So give me some of her to drink, you two; and if I die drunk,

And give me to drink from it, for if I die drunk

then dig me a grave, you two, beside the wine jar.

Then dig for me a grave in the side of the lowland

سِيَّما أن تُرَى جراحُ لِحاظٍ

سِيَّما أن تُرَى جراحُ لِحاظٍ

كُلُّ ماضٍ جِراحُهُ لَيسَ تَبرا

كُلُّ ماضٍ جِراحُهُ لَيسَ تَبرا

Especially as wounds from glances are seen—

Especially if the wounds of a cheek are seen

each piercing glance leaves wounds that do not heal.

Every departed's wounds are not cured

كالدُّجى طُرَّةً وكَالوَردِ خَداً

كالدُّجى طُرَّةً وكَالوَردِ خَداً

والضُّحى غُرَّةً وكالبَدرِ نحرا

والضُّحى غُرَّةً وكالبَدرِ نحرا

With a forelock like night, and a cheek like the rose,

Like darkness a wrap, and like a rose a cheek

a brow like morning light, and a throat like the full moon.

And like dawn a blush, and like the full moon a throat