أبا مصطفى إنَّا ذكرناكَ بَيْنَنا

أبا مصطفى إنَّا ذكرناكَ بَيْنَنا

فهاجَ بنا شَوْقٌ إليكَ مع الذّكْرِ

فهاجَ بنا شَوْقٌ إليكَ مع الذّكْرِ

Abu Mustafa, we spoke of you among ourselves,

O Abaa Mustafa, we did mention you among us

And with that remembrance, longing for you stirred within us.

So a yearning for you took hold of us along with the mention

وقد جَمَعَتْنا للمسرَّات ساعةٌ

وقد جَمَعَتْنا للمسرَّات ساعةٌ

هي العمرُ لا ما مرَرَّ في سالف العصر

هي العمرُ لا ما مرَرَّ في سالف العصر

An hour had gathered us for merriment;

And an hour of joy has gathered us

It was life itself, not what had passed in earlier times.

It is life, not what has passed in times gone by

ونازَعَنا فيكَ الحديثَ مُعتَّقٌ

ونازَعَنا فيكَ الحديثَ مُعتَّقٌ

ونحنُ بقصر قد أطَلَّ على نهرِ

ونحنُ بقصر قد أطَلَّ على نهرِ

And aged wine joined our conversation about you,

And an ardent lover competed with us about you

While we were in a palace overlooking a river.

While we were in a palace overlooking a river

وقد مدَّ ماءُ النهر من بعد جزره

وقد مدَّ ماءُ النهر من بعد جزره

فيا حسن ذاك المدِّ في ذلك الجزر

فيا حسن ذاك المدِّ في ذلك الجزر

The river's water had risen after its ebb;

And the river's water rose after its ebbs

Oh, how lovely that rising tide amid that ebb!

So excellent was that rise after those ebbs

بحيث اكْتَسَتْ أشجارُه فتمايَلَتْ

بحيث اكْتَسَتْ أشجارُه فتمايَلَتْ

على نغماتِ الطير بالورقِ الخُضر

على نغماتِ الطير بالورقِ الخُضر

Where its trees had clothed themselves and swayed

Until its trees were clothed and swayed

To the birds' melodies, clad in green leaves.

To the melodies of birds amidst the green leaves

وقد غَرَّدَتْ من فوقهن حمائمٌ

وقد غَرَّدَتْ من فوقهن حمائمٌ

لها أَنَّةُ المأْلوم من ألَم الهجر

لها أَنَّةُ المأْلوم من ألَم الهجر

And doves sang out from above them;

And doves warbled above them

Theirs was the moan of one suffering the pain of separation.

With the tones of the distressed from the pain of separation

وأطرَبنا في شكر نعماك أخرسٌ

وأطرَبنا في شكر نعماك أخرسٌ

بأَعذَب ما قد قال فيك من الشعر

بأَعذَب ما قد قال فيك من الشعر

And al-Akhras delighted us, giving thanks for your favors,

And a mute regaled us in thanking you

With the sweetest poetry he had spoken about you.

With the sweetest poetry that was said about you

وعاجَ بنا في كلِّ فنٍّ يجيده

وعاجَ بنا في كلِّ فنٍّ يجيده

فطوراً إلى نظيمٍ وطوراً إلى نثر

فطوراً إلى نظيمٍ وطوراً إلى نثر

And he took us through every art he mastered,

And he entertained us in every art he masters

At times to verse, and at times to prose.

Sometimes with rhymed prose and other times with verse

وكان لنا فيما روى عنك نشوةً

وكان لنا فيما روى عنك نشوةً

من السّكر ما يغني النديم عن الخمر

من السّكر ما يغني النديم عن الخمر

What he recounted of you brought us a rapture,

And we delighted in what was narrated about you

An intoxication that left a boon companion needing no wine.

With a drunkenness that spares the boon companion wine

ورقَّ كما رقَّتْ سلافُ مدامة

ورقَّ كما رقَّتْ سلافُ مدامة

تَخَيَّلها الندمان ذوباً من التبر

تَخَيَّلها الندمان ذوباً من التبر

And he grew tender, as the purest draught of wine grows delicate,

It melted just as the first swallow of wine melts

Which the drinking companions imagined as molten gold.

Which the lasting drinker imagines is pure musk

فلو كنتَ فينا حاضراً وَوَجَدْتَنا

فلو كنتَ فينا حاضراً وَوَجَدْتَنا

ومن تحتِنا الأَنهار حينئذٍ تجري

ومن تحتِنا الأَنهار حينئذٍ تجري

Had you been present among us and found us,

If you were present among us and found us

With the rivers then flowing beneath us,

With rivers flowing beneath us at that time

لقُلْتَ اغنموها ساعةَ الأُنس واسلموا

لقُلْتَ اغنموها ساعةَ الأُنس واسلموا

على غفلات الدَّهر من نوب الدَّهر

على غفلات الدَّهر من نوب الدَّهر

You would have said: 'Seize this hour of fellowship, and stay safe

You would say, "Seize the moment of companionship and hand over

From Time's calamities while Time is off its guard.'

The oversights of fate to the turns of fate"

هي البصرة الفيحاءُ لا مصرَ مثلها

هي البصرة الفيحاءُ لا مصرَ مثلها

وفيها لعمري ما ينوف على مصر

وفيها لعمري ما ينوف على مصر

It is spacious Basra; no city is its equal,

It is glorious Basra, nothing equals it

And in it, by my life, is what surpasses Egypt.

And by my life, it surpasses Egypt

خلا أَنَّني أصْبَحْتُ بينَ وخامَتَيْ

خلا أَنَّني أصْبَحْتُ بينَ وخامَتَيْ

عَناءٍ أُعانيه وآخر في فكري

عَناءٍ أُعانيه وآخر في فكري

Except that I now find myself between two grievous burdens:

Except that I became among the conclusion of suffering

A hardship I endure, and another in my thoughts.

Which I endure, and the last in my thoughts