1. يا مَن هُوَ الأُمُّ لَنا وَ الأَبُ

    وَمَن إِلى مَذهَبِهِ نَذهَبُ

    O you who are both mother and father to us,

    and whose way we follow,

  2. وَمَن هُوَ المَرءُ لَم يَزَل

    يَصدُقُ في القَوبلِ وَلا يَكذِبُ

    and you, a man who has never ceased

    to speak truth and never lie,

  3. وَمَن خَبَأتُ العَفوَ مِنهُ لِما

    يَغشاهُ مِن زَلّاتِنا مُحصِبُ

    and you, whose pardon I have held in reserve against

    the pelting shower of our lapses that besets you:

  4. نَحنُ خَليعانِ فَما بِالُنا

    قُل لِيَ مَرعى قَصفِنا مُجدِبُ

    We are two libertines—why, then,

    tell me, is the pasture of our revelry barren?

  5. لا سِيَّما وَاليَومُ يَومٌ لَهُ

    جَنائِبٌ مِن سُحبِهِ تَجنُبُ

    Especially when today is a day with

    cloud steeds led along beside it;

  6. وَالطَيرُ قَد غَنَّت غِناءً لَنا

    في كُلِّ لَحنٍ لَفظُهُ مُغرِبُ

    and the birds have sung a song for us,

    with wondrous phrasing in every melody.

  7. فَما الَّذي تَرسُمُ قُل لي فَما

    رَسَمتَ لي عِندِيَ ما يَصعُبُ

    So what do you prescribe? Tell me, for whatever

    you prescribe for me is no hardship to me.

  8. عِندي مِنَ الحوفِيَّةِ الشُقرُ ما

    طَبيخُهُ مِن شَيِّهِ أَصوَبُ

    I have one of the tawny Hawfi animals whose

    stewing is more fitting than roasting.

  9. إِهابُهُ أَبيَضُ مِن شَحمِهِ

    وَعَظمُهُ مِن لَحمِهِ أَرطَبُ

    Its hide is whiter than its fat,

    and its bones are moister than its flesh.

  10. وَأَفرُخٌ تُعمِلُ تِبّالَةً

    أَقرَبُ شَيءٍ أَمرُهُ يَقرُبُ

    And young chickens prepared as tibbala,

    the easiest of things, soon ready.

  11. وَبَطَّةٌ إِن دُلِّيَت تَحتَها

    جوذابَةٌ فَهيَ الَّتي نَطلُبُ

    And a duck, if beneath it is suspended

    a judhaba pudding, is what we seek.

  12. ووَثَمَّ طَرذينٌ وَسَنبوسَقٌ

    إِلَيهِما في السَغبِ المَهرَبُ

    And there are tardhin and sanbusaq pastries;

    to those two one flees in hunger.

  13. وَلَيسَ تَخلو الدارُ مِن فَضلَةٍ

    مَتى أَعانَتني لا أُغلَبُ

    Nor is the house without a little extra;

    whenever it helps me, I am not outdone.

  14. تُسفِرُ عَنها جَونَةٌ وَجهُها

    لِنافِرِ الشَهوَةِ مُستَجذِبُ

    A basket reveals it, its face

    alluring to one whose appetite has fled.

  15. تُشاهِدُ البَقلَ بِساحاتِها

    لِكُلِّ ذَيلٍ أَخضَرٍ يُسحَبُ

    You see greens spread across its spaces,

    each trailing a green train,

  16. بَينَ الفَراريجِ السَمانِ الَّتي

    يَربَحُ فيها كُلُّ مَن يَحلِبُ

    between the plump chickens, in which

    every milker makes a profit,

  17. وَبَينَ جُبنٍ مُقَدَّسِيٍّ إِلى

    خَلٍّ وَمِلحٍ فيهِما يُرغَبُ

    and Jerusalem cheese, with

    vinegar and salt, both much desired.

  18. وَقَد عَمَرنا قَطرَ ميزاتِنا

    بِبِنتِ كَرَمٍ ثَغرُها أَشنَبُ

    And we have filled the realm of our tables

    with the vine's daughter, cool and sweet of mouth.

  19. يَزِقُّها في قُمصِ كاساتِها

    مِن زِقَّةِ مَن ريقُهُ أَطيَبُ

    Into the tunics of its cups he feeds it,

    from a wineskin—he whose saliva is sweeter,

  20. مُقَرطَقٌ تَبدو عَلى كَفِّهِ

    كَواكِبٌ يَحمِلُها كَوكَبُ

    clad in a tunic; upon his palm appear

    stars, carried by a star.

  21. وَالرَأيُ أَن نَلتَذَّ في يَومِنا

    بِصَبحَةٍ مِن عُمرِنا تُحسَبُ

    And the plan is to take our pleasure today

    in a morning draught counted as part of our life,

  22. مَع مُسمِعٍ في خَدِّهِ وَردَةٌ

    تَحرُسُها مِن صُدغِهِ عَقرَبُ

    with a singer, a rose upon his cheek,

    guarded by a scorpion from his temple.

  23. لِثامُهُ يَنحَظُّ مِن وَجهِهِ

    عَن سَحَرٍ مِن فَوقِهِ غَيهَبُ

    His veil slips down from his face,

    uncovering dawn with darkness above it.

  24. يَضرِبُ أَعناقَ صَباباتِنا

    حينَ يَجُسُّ العودَ أَو يَضرِبُ

    He strikes the necks of our longings

    when he fingers the oud or strums it.

  25. يَظفَرُ مَن يَهواهُ مِنهُ بِما

    فيهِ لَهُ المَضرَبُ وَالمَطرَبُ

    Whoever loves him wins from him what

    gives him both rhythm and rapture.

  26. فَرِد بِنا اللَهوَ الَّذي ماؤُهُ

    في لَهَواتِ العيشِ مُستَعذَبُ

    So lead us to revelry, whose water

    tastes sweet in the throats of life,

  27. بَينَ شَقيقٍ صُدغُهُ حالَكَ

    وَأُقحُوانٍ ثَغرُهُ أَشنَبُ

    between an anemone with a dark temple

    and a daisy with a cool, sweet mouth,

  28. وَالرَعدُ يَشدو الثَرى مُنتَشٍ

    وَالسُحبُ تَبكي وَالرُبى تَشرَبُ

    and thunder sings, the earth is tipsy,

    and the clouds weep, and the hills drink.

  29. وَعِندَنا طارِمَةٌ رَسمُها

    في كُلِّ يَومٍ مِثلَ ذا تُنصَبُ

    And we have a pavilion; the custom is

    to erect it on every day like this.

  30. بَينَ يَدَيها بِركَةٌ ماؤُها

    جارٍ مَعَ الأَيّامِ لا يَنضَبُ

    Before it lies a pool whose water

    flows through the days and never runs dry.

  31. ما حَطَّ مُذ أَنشَأَتها سالِفاً

    قَطُّ عَلى سالِفِها طُحلُبُ

    Since I made it long ago, there has not settled

    any moss at all upon the side of its neck.

  32. يَرقُصُ في حافاتِها بِطُّها

    إِذا غَدا بُلبُلُها يَلعَبُ

    Its ducks dance along its edges

    when its nightingale goes out to play in the morning.

  33. وَرُبَّما تُطلِعُ أَمواجُها

    كَواكِباً مِن وَقتِها تَغرُبُ

    And sometimes its waves bring forth

    stars that set in that very instant.

  34. فَاِركَب عَلى عَزمِكَ ذاكَ الَّذي

    أَعرِفُهُ يَجري وَلا يَتعَبُ

    So ride upon that resolve of yours, which

    I know runs on and never tires,

  35. وَصِر إِلى دارِ أَخيكَ الَّذي

    ما بَرقُهُ في وَعدِهِ خُلَّبُ

    and come to the house of your brother, whose

    lightning of promise is no rainless flash,

  36. ما دامَ لَيثُ الدَهرِ في غَفلَةٍ

    لا نابُهُ يُخشى وَلا المَخلَبُ

    while the lion of Time is off guard,

    neither its fang nor its claw is feared.

  37. وَاِربِط عَلى كَفِّكَ إِن أَنتَ لَم

    تُجِب سُؤالي أَنَّني أَغضَبُ

    And bind this upon your palm: if you do not

    answer my request, I shall be angry.