لَعَمرِيَ ما مَلَّكتُ مِقوَدِيَ الصِبا

لَعَمرِيَ ما مَلَّكتُ مِقوَدِيَ الصِبا

فَأَمطَوَ لِلذاتِ في السَهلِ وَالوَعِرِ

فَأَمطَوَ لِلذاتِ في السَهلِ وَالوَعِرِ

By my life, I have not handed my reins to youthful passion,

By my life! I do not control my youth

to hasten after pleasures over smooth ground and rough.

So it wandered freely over plains and rugged land

وَلا أَنا مِمَّن يُؤثِرُ اللَهوَ قَلبُهُ

وَلا أَنا مِمَّن يُؤثِرُ اللَهوَ قَلبُهُ

فَأُمسي في سُكرٍ وَأَصبِحَ في سُكرِ

فَأُمسي في سُكرٍ وَأَصبِحَ في سُكرِ

Nor am I one whose heart favors revelry,

Nor am I one who prefers frivolity so that his heart

to spend my evenings drunk and my mornings drunk.

Gets drunk by night and drunk by morning

وَلا قارِعٌ بابَ اليَهودِيِّ مَوهِناً

وَلا قارِعٌ بابَ اليَهودِيِّ مَوهِناً

وَقَد هَجَعَ النَوامُ مِن شَهوَةِ الخَمرِ

وَقَد هَجَعَ النَوامُ مِن شَهوَةِ الخَمرِ

Nor one who knocks at the Jew's door late at night,

Nor do I knock on a Jew's door feebly

while the sleepers are asleep, out of a craving for wine.

While the sleepers are sunk in their wine's rapture

وَأَوتَغَهُ الشَيطانُ حَتّى أَصارَهُ

وَأَوتَغَهُ الشَيطانُ حَتّى أَصارَهُ

مِنَ الغَيِّ في بَحرٍ أَضَلَّ مِنَ البَحرِ

مِنَ الغَيِّ في بَحرٍ أَضَلَّ مِنَ البَحرِ

And Satan has ruined him, until he has cast him

And Satan has led him astray until he is

into a sea of error more bewildering than the sea.

More lost in sin than lost at sea

أَغُذُّ السُرى فيها إِذا الشَربُ أَنكَروا

أَغُذُّ السُرى فيها إِذا الشَربُ أَنكَروا

وَرَهنِيَ عِندَ العِلجِ ثَوبي مِنَ الفِجرِ

وَرَهنِيَ عِندَ العِلجِ ثَوبي مِنَ الفِجرِ

I hasten by night for it when the drinkers object,

I take meals secretly when drinking is denied

and, through debauchery, my robe is pawned with the foreigner.

And pawned my clothes at dawn to pay for wine

كَأَنّي لَم أَسمَع كِتابَ مُحَمَّدٍ

كَأَنّي لَم أَسمَع كِتابَ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَما جاءَ في التَنزيلِ فيهِ مِنَ الزَجرِ

وَما جاءَ في التَنزيلِ فيهِ مِنَ الزَجرِ

As though I had not heard Muhammad's Book,

As if I never heard Muhammad's book

and the warnings against it that came in the Revelation.

And what the Revelation contains of warnings

كَفانِيَ مِن كُلِّ الَّذي أُعجِبوا بِهِ

كَفانِيَ مِن كُلِّ الَّذي أُعجِبوا بِهِ

قُلَيلَةُ ماءٍ تُستَقى لي مِنَ النهرِ

قُلَيلَةُ ماءٍ تُستَقى لي مِنَ النهرِ

Enough for me, in place of all that they admire,

A little water drawn from the river

is a small jar of water drawn for me from the river.

Suffices me from all they delight in

فَفيها شَرابي إِن عَطَشتُ وَكُلَّ ما

فَفيها شَرابي إِن عَطَشتُ وَكُلَّ ما

يُريدُ عِيالي لِلعَجينِ وَلِلقَدرِ

يُريدُ عِيالي لِلعَجينِ وَلِلقَدرِ

So it holds my drink if I grow thirsty, and all that

With it is my drink when thirsty, and all that

my household needs for the dough and the cooking pot.

My dependents need for dough and cooking pot

بِخُبزٍ وَبَقلٍ لَيسَ لَحماً وَإِنَّني

بِخُبزٍ وَبَقلٍ لَيسَ لَحماً وَإِنَّني

عَلَيهِ كَثيرُ الحَمدِ لِلَّهِ وَالشُكرِ

عَلَيهِ كَثيرُ الحَمدِ لِلَّهِ وَالشُكرِ

With bread and greens, not meat; and indeed I

With bread and onions, no meat, yet I

give God abundant praise and thanks for it.

Thank and praise Allah abundantly for it

فَيا صاحِبَ اللحمانِ وَالخَمرِ هَل تَرى

فَيا صاحِبَ اللحمانِ وَالخَمرِ هَل تَرى

بَوَجهي إِذا عايَنتَ وَجهِيَ مِن ضُرِّ

بَوَجهي إِذا عايَنتَ وَجهِيَ مِن ضُرِّ

So, lover of meats and wine, do you see

So, O friend of meat and wine, do you see

any sign of harm in my face when you behold my face?

In my face, when you look upon my face, any harm?

وَبِاللَهِ لَو عُمِّرتُ تِسعينَ حَجَّةً

وَبِاللَهِ لَو عُمِّرتُ تِسعينَ حَجَّةً

إِلى مِثلِها ما اِشتَقتُ فيها إِلى خَمرِ

إِلى مِثلِها ما اِشتَقتُ فيها إِلى خَمرِ

And by God, were I granted ninety years of life

By God, if I lived ninety Pilgrimages more

and as many again, I would never long for wine throughout them.

I would not crave in them for wine

وَلا طَرِبت نَفسي إِلى مِزهِرٍ وَلا

وَلا طَرِبت نَفسي إِلى مِزهِرٍ وَلا

تَحَنَّنَ قَلبي نَحوَ عودٍ وَلا زَمرِ

تَحَنَّنَ قَلبي نَحوَ عودٍ وَلا زَمرِ

Nor would my soul thrill to a lute, nor

Nor would my soul delight in a musical instrument or

would my heart yearn for an oud or pipe music.

My heart incline towards lute or flute

وَقَد حَدّثوني أَنَّ فيها مَرارَةً

وَقَد حَدّثوني أَنَّ فيها مَرارَةً

وَما حاجَةُ الإِنسانِ في الشُربِ لِلمُرِّ

وَما حاجَةُ الإِنسانِ في الشُربِ لِلمُرِّ

And they have told me that there is bitterness in it;

And they tell me there is bitterness in it

and what need has a person to drink something bitter?

Yet what need has man in drinking for bitterness?

أَخي عُدَّ ما قاسَيتَهُ وَتَقَلَّبَت

أَخي عُدَّ ما قاسَيتَهُ وَتَقَلَّبَت

عَلَيكَ بِهِ الدُنيا مِنَ الخَيرِ وَالشَرِّ

عَلَيكَ بِهِ الدُنيا مِنَ الخَيرِ وَالشَرِّ

My brother, count what you have endured, and the changes

Brother, count what you endured and how

the world has brought upon you, of good and evil.

The world turned over you with good and evil

فَهَل لَك في الدُنيا سِوى الساعَةِ الَّتي

فَهَل لَك في الدُنيا سِوى الساعَةِ الَّتي

تَكونُ بِها السَرَّاءُ أَو حاضِرُ الضُرِّ

تَكونُ بِها السَرَّاءُ أَو حاضِرُ الضُرِّ

So have you in this world anything but the hour in which

Then do you have in the world but the hour in which

there is happiness or suffering close at hand?

You are either fortunate or afflicted by misfortune?

فَما كانَ مِنها لا يُحَسُّ وَلا يُرى

فَما كانَ مِنها لا يُحَسُّ وَلا يُرى

وَما لَم يكُن مِنها عَمِيٌّ عَنِ الفِكرِ

وَما لَم يكُن مِنها عَمِيٌّ عَنِ الفِكرِ

What has passed of it is neither felt nor seen,

What of it was not felt and not seen

and what has not yet been is hidden from thought.

And what was not blind to thought?

فَطوبى لِعِبدٍ أَخرَجَ اللَهُ روحَهُ

فَطوبى لِعِبدٍ أَخرَجَ اللَهُ روحَهُ

إِلَيهِ مِنَ الدُنيا عَلى عَمَلِ البِرِّ

إِلَيهِ مِنَ الدُنيا عَلى عَمَلِ البِرِّ

So blessed is a servant whose soul God has taken

Blessed is the servant whom God takes his spirit

to Himself from this world while that servant was doing good.

From the world through righteous work

وَلَكِنَّني حُدِّثتُ أَنَّ نُفوسَهُم

وَلَكِنَّني حُدِّثتُ أَنَّ نُفوسَهُم

هُنالِكَ في جاهٍ جَليلٍ وَفي قَدرِ

هُنالِكَ في جاهٍ جَليلٍ وَفي قَدرِ

But I have been told that their souls

But I am told their souls over there

there enjoy exalted standing and esteem.

Are in exalted, glorious rank and worth

وَأَجسادُهُم لا يَأكُلُ التُربُ لَحمَها

وَأَجسادُهُم لا يَأكُلُ التُربُ لَحمَها

هُنالِكَ لا تَبلى إِلى آخِرِ الدَهرِ

هُنالِكَ لا تَبلى إِلى آخِرِ الدَهرِ

And their bodies—the earth does not eat their flesh;

And their bodies—the earth eats not their flesh—

there they do not decay until the end of time.

Do not decay, until the end of time