Sol 6.1

  1. So we rose, with dawn laughing in the east

    toward us, heralding the morning.

  2. And the Pleiades were like a banner or a goblet,

    or fingertips, or a bird, or a sash.

  3. And the stars, as though in a cupbearer's hand,

    tumble as goblets tumble.

  4. And we brought together sidelong glances and wine,

    and cheeks and apples.

  5. And we smelled the violets of temple-hair, until

    daisies peeped out at us from mouths.

  6. A time gone by amid revelry and drinking [uncertain reading],

    and song, rest, and contentment.

  7. My stronghold is the River Maʿqil; and if I find comfort

    in a dwelling, it is the Monastery of Najāḥ.

  8. And my life, with all it holds, toward wine

    is directed—or toward the fair.

  9. My mount, like my locks, is dusky black,

    and my drinking companion and my wine resemble them both.

Sol 6.1