وقالوا الخمر إثم قلت كلا

وقالوا الخمر إثم قلت كلا

فما في شربها يا قوم إثم

فما في شربها يا قوم إثم

And they said, “Wine is a sin.” I said, “No.”

They said wine is sin, I said no

For there is no sin in drinking it, O people,

There is no sin, O people, in drinking it

إذا نادمتها ومعى نديم

إذا نادمتها ومعى نديم

جميل طار من جنبيّ هم

جميل طار من جنبيّ هم

When I keep it company, and a drinking companion is with me,

When I drink it with a beautiful companion

A handsome one—worry flies away from my sides.

My worries take flight and leave my side

أديروها عليّ ولا تبالوا

أديروها عليّ ولا تبالوا

ليطوى ذلك الخطب المهم

ليطوى ذلك الخطب المهم

Pass it round to me, and pay no heed,

Pass it around to me, pay it no mind

So that distressing calamity may be folded away.

So I may forget those troubles so dire

غريبا عشت في وطني فريدا

غريبا عشت في وطني فريدا

فما لي في ديار القوم قوم

فما لي في ديار القوم قوم

As a stranger I lived in my homeland, alone;

A stranger I've lived in my own homeland, alone

For in the people's dwellings, I have no people of my own.

I have no people among the tribes here

ومرّ الضيم يأخذ من حياتي

ومرّ الضيم يأخذ من حياتي

كأني جارم يلقاه جرم

كأني جارم يلقاه جرم

And the bitterness of oppression eats away at my life,

Injustice kept taking away parts of my life

As though I were a wrongdoer overtaken by wrongdoing.

As if I were a criminal meeting his fate

وصهباء الرضاب شربت منها

وصهباء الرضاب شربت منها

كأن رضابها في الثغر لثم

كأن رضابها في الثغر لثم

And I drank of wine with tawny saliva,

Yet still I drank the wine of consent

As though its saliva in the mouth were kisses.

As if its sips were kisses upon my lips

شربت الظلم تسكبه حياتي

شربت الظلم تسكبه حياتي

وهذي الخمر ظلم ثم ظلم

وهذي الخمر ظلم ثم ظلم

I drank injustice, which my life pours out,

I drank injustice poured out by life

And this wine is injustice, then injustice.

While this wine is injustice, then more injustice