وَمَسمَعٍ مُستَبشَعِ المَنظَرِ

وَمَسمَعٍ مُستَبشَعِ المَنظَرِ

أَثقَلُ مِن دينٍ عَلى مُعسِرِ

أَثقَلُ مِن دينٍ عَلى مُعسِرِ

And a singer, repulsive to behold,

With ears deafened and face contorted

More burdensome than a debt upon an insolvent man.

Harder than debt on an impoverished man

كَم شارِبٍ خَطَّ شارِباً

كَم شارِبٍ خَطَّ شارِباً

بِالمِسكِ مِن نافِجَةِ العَنبَرِ

بِالمِسكِ مِن نافِجَةِ العَنبَرِ

How many a drinker traced a mustache

How many a drinker has marked another

With musk from a pouch of ambergris.

With musk from the aromatic ambergris

لا أَنسَهُ يَوماً وَقَد جاءَنا

لا أَنسَهُ يَوماً وَقَد جاءَنا

مُخَرَّقُ الأَشداقِ وَالمَنخَرِ

مُخَرَّقُ الأَشداقِ وَالمَنخَرِ

I shall never forget him: one day he came to us

I'll never forget the day he came to us

With the corners of his mouth and his nostril torn.

With torn cheeks and perforated nose

فَقُلتُ لِما أَن تَأَمَّلتُهُ

فَقُلتُ لِما أَن تَأَمَّلتُهُ

أَظُنُّ هَذا كانَ في عَسكَرِ

أَظُنُّ هَذا كانَ في عَسكَرِ

So I said, when I had looked him over:

So I said when I looked upon him

I think this fellow was in an army.

I reckon this one was in an army camp

فَقالَ لا بَل كُنتُ في دَعوَةٍ

فَقالَ لا بَل كُنتُ في دَعوَةٍ

خَسيسَةِ المَورِدِ وَالمَصدَرِ

خَسيسَةِ المَورِدِ وَالمَصدَرِ

He said: No, rather, I was at a banquet,

But he said no, I was at a despicable feast

Vile from arrival to departure.

Of meager fare and poor hospitality

أَحضَرَنيها رَجُلٌ سَفلَةٌ

أَحضَرَنيها رَجُلٌ سَفلَةٌ

فَلَيتَني غِبتُ وَلَم أَحضُرِ

فَلَيتَني غِبتُ وَلَم أَحضُرِ

A low fellow brought me to it;

It was held by a lowly man who summoned me

If only I had stayed away and not attended!

I wish I'd been absent and hadn't attended

فَحينَ غَنَّيتُ هَذي واحِدٌ

فَحينَ غَنَّيتُ هَذي واحِدٌ

مِن حَيثُ لَم أَدرِ وَلَم أَشعُرِ

مِن حَيثُ لَم أَدرِ وَلَم أَشعُرِ

Then, when I sang, one man raved,

So when I sang this one song

From somewhere I neither knew of nor noticed.

Unaware and unprepared

وَاِبتِدَرَ القَومُ إِلى هامَتي

وَاِبتِدَرَ القَومُ إِلى هامَتي

فَاِنحَلَقَ الشَعرُ مِنَ المَشعَرِ

فَاِنحَلَقَ الشَعرُ مِنَ المَشعَرِ

And the company rushed at the crown of my head,

The people leapt up and grabbed my reins

So the hair was shorn from my scalp.

Tearing out my hair by its roots

فَرُحتُ سَكرانَ لَمّا نالَني

فَرُحتُ سَكرانَ لَمّا نالَني

وَما التَقى طَرفِيَ بِالمُسكِرِ

وَما التَقى طَرفِيَ بِالمُسكِرِ

So I went away drunk after what had befallen me,

Then I left happily drunk though untouched

Though my eye had not met intoxicating drink.

By any wine, my eyes unmoistened

وَجُملَةَ الأَمرِ وَتَفصيلُهُ

وَجُملَةَ الأَمرِ وَتَفصيلُهُ

لَو لَم أَقُم قُمتُ وَلَم أُبصِرِ

لَو لَم أَقُم قُمتُ وَلَم أُبصِرِ

And the sum of the matter, and its details:

And the crux of the matter, to summarize

Had I not got up, I would have risen unable to see.

Had I not risen and come to, I'd have seen nothing