ليالي بعتُ العاذِلين إمامَتي

ليالي بعتُ العاذِلين إمامَتي

بِفَتكي وَوَليتُ الوشاة أَذاني

بِفَتكي وَوَليتُ الوشاة أَذاني

Those nights when I sold my role as imam to the reproachers,

Nights I sold my spiritual guidance

through my recklessness, and entrusted the talebearers with my call to prayer,

To debauchery and gave my ears to slanderers.

وَإِذ لي ندمانان ساقٍ وَقينةٌ

وَإِذ لي ندمانان ساقٍ وَقينةٌ

رَشيقان بِالأَرواحِ يَمتَزِجانِ

رَشيقان بِالأَرواحِ يَمتَزِجانِ

and when I had two drinking companions—a cupbearer and a singing girl—

When I had two boon companions, a cup and a goblet,

both graceful, mingling with souls.

Flowing with spirits, intermingling.

أَمدُّ إِلى الطاووسِ في تارَةٍ يَدي

أَمدُّ إِلى الطاووسِ في تارَةٍ يَدي

وَفي تارة آوي إِلى الوَرَشانِ

وَفي تارة آوي إِلى الوَرَشانِ

At one moment I would stretch my hand toward the peacock,

At times I would reach out to the peacock,

and at another I would seek refuge with the wood pigeon.

At others take refuge in the songbird.

وَكُنت أديرُ الكَأس حَتَّى أَراهما

وَكُنت أديرُ الكَأس حَتَّى أَراهما

يَميلان مِن سُكرٍ وَيَعتدلانِ

يَميلان مِن سُكرٍ وَيَعتدلانِ

And I would pass the cup around until I saw them both

I would pass the cup until I saw them both

swaying with drunkenness and righting themselves.

Reeling from drunkenness and swaying.

فَكانا بِما في الجسم مِن رقَّةٍ الضَّنى

فَكانا بِما في الجسم مِن رقَّةٍ الضَّنى

يَكادان عِندَ الضَمِّ يَلتَقيانِ

يَكادان عِندَ الضَمِّ يَلتَقيانِ

So, with my body thinned by wasting, the two

With the delicacy in their bodies from the wine,

would almost touch when I embraced them.

When pressed close they would almost merge.

وَنفضي إِلى نَومٍ فَإِن كُنتَ جاهِلاً

وَنفضي إِلى نَومٍ فَإِن كُنتَ جاهِلاً

مَكاني فَوسطى العقد كانَ مَكاني

مَكاني فَوسطى العقد كانَ مَكاني

And we would drift into sleep; if you did not know

I would rouse to a sleep. If you are ignorant,

my place, the necklace's middle bead was my place.

My place was midmost the row - that was my place.

فَلو تبصرُ المضنى وَبدراه حَوله

فَلو تبصرُ المضنى وَبدراه حَوله

لَقُلتَ السها مِن حَوله القمرانِ

لَقُلتَ السها مِن حَوله القمرانِ

So if you could see the wasted man, his two full moons around him,

If you could see the radiant full moon and around it

you would say: 'Al-Suhā, with the two moons around it.'

The Pleiades, you would say the latter are two moons.

وَما بيَ فَخرٌ بِالفجورِ وَإِنَّما

وَما بيَ فَخرٌ بِالفجورِ وَإِنَّما

نَصيبُ فُجوري الرشفُ وَالشفتانِ

نَصيبُ فُجوري الرشفُ وَالشفتانِ

And I take no pride in debauchery; rather,

I have no pride in debauchery, but rather

my share of debauchery is sipping and a pair of lips.

My share of debauchery is a nose and two lips.